Shloka 16
ययातिः शर्मिष्ठायाः ऋतुप्रार्थनां धर्मसंवादं च शृणोति
Yayāti and Śarmiṣṭhā: request in ṛtu and discourse on truth and dharma
देवयान्युवाच यदि मां धर्मकामार्थे प्रत्याख्यास्यसि याचित: । ततः कच न ते विद्या सिद्धिमेषा गमिष्यति,देवयानी बोली--कच! मैंने धर्मानुकूल कामके लिये आपसे प्रार्थना की है। यदि आप मुझे ठुकरा देंगे, तो आपकी यह संजीवनी विद्या सिद्ध नहीं हो सकेगी
devayāny uvāca yadi māṃ dharmakāmārthe pratyākhyāsyasi yācitaḥ | tataḥ kaca na te vidyā siddhim eṣā gamiṣyati ||
Devayānī dijo: «¡Kaca! Te he pedido una unión que afirmo conforme al dharma y al deseo. Si, aun así, me rechazas cuando te lo suplico, entonces este mismo conocimiento tuyo no alcanzará consumación».
कच उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical conflict: sacred knowledge and personal integrity can be tested by emotional coercion. It raises questions about whether dharma can be invoked as a pretext to pressure another’s choice, and whether learning should be contingent on yielding to such pressure.
Devayānī, desiring Kaca, frames her request as aligned with dharma and kāma. When Kaca hesitates or refuses, she warns that his acquired vidyā will not become ‘siddha’ (fully successful), attempting to compel him by threatening the outcome of his learning.