Srimad Bhagavatam — Navama Skandha, Shloka 8
Yayāti, Devayānī, Śarmiṣṭhā, and the Exchange of Youth: The Unsatisfied Nature of Desire
ता जलाशयमासाद्य कन्या: कमललोचना: । तीरे न्यस्य दुकूलानि विजह्रु: सिञ्चतीर्मिथ: ॥ ८ ॥
tā jalāśayam āsādya kanyāḥ kamala-locanāḥ tīre nyasya dukūlāni vijahruḥ siñcatīr mithaḥ
वे कमल-नेत्री कन्याएँ जलाशय के तट पर पहुँचीं। स्नान-क्रीड़ा करने की इच्छा से उन्होंने अपने वस्त्र किनारे रख दिए और एक-दूसरे पर जल छिड़कते हुए खेल करने लगीं।
FAQs
The verse describes lotus-eyed maidens arriving at a lake, leaving their garments on the shore, and playfully enjoying water-sports by splashing one another—setting the scene for the unfolding narrative in this chapter.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is narrating the history within Canto 9 to King Parīkṣit, describing the events that lead into the Yayāti–Puru episode.
It reminds readers that the Bhāgavatam often introduces major turning points through simple scenes; staying attentive to seemingly ordinary details helps one grasp how destiny, desire, and dharma unfold in human life.