Shloka 22

पराशरस्य राक्षससत्रनिवृत्तिः | Paraśara’s Rakṣasa-Satra and Its Cessation

Devanagari script

न चाहमीशा देहस्य तस्मान्नपतिसत्तम । समीप॑ नोपगच्छामि न स्वतन्त्रा हि योषित:,नृपश्रेष्ठ! मैं अपने शरीरकी स्वामिनी नहीं हूँ, इसलिये आपके समीप नहीं आ सकती; कारण कि स्त्रियाँ कभी स्वतन्त्र नहीं होती। आपका कुल सम्पूर्ण लोकोंमें विख्यात है। आप-जैसे भक्तवत्सल नरेशको कौन कन्या अपना पति बनानेकी इच्छा नहीं करेगी?

Transliteration

na cāham īśā dehasya tasmān napatisaत्तama | samīpaṁ nopagacchāmi na svatantrā hi yoṣitaḥ ||

Translation

The Gandharva said: “I am not the mistress of my own body; therefore, O best of kings, I cannot come near you. For women are not independent. Your lineage is renowned throughout the worlds; and what maiden would not wish to choose as her husband a king like you, so devoted to those who seek refuge?”

Word by Word

• {'na': 'not', 'ca': 'and', 'aham': 'I', 'īśā': 'mistress, one with authority', 'dehasya': 'of the body', 'tasmāt': 'therefore, for that reason', 'nṛpati-sattama / napatisaत्तama': 'O best of kings', 'samīpam': 'near, proximity', 'na upagacchāmi': 'I do not approach', 'svatantrā': 'independent, self-governing', 'hi': 'indeed, for', 'yoṣitaḥ': 'women (feminine beings)', 'kula': 'lineage, family', 'vikhyāta': 'famed, renowned', 'lokeṣu': 'in the worlds', 'bhakta-vatsala': 'affectionate to devotees/suppliants

• protector of those devoted', 'kanyā': 'maiden, unmarried girl', 'pati': 'husband', 'icchā': 'desire, wish'}

Speaker

गन्धर्व उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Gandharva (speaker)
• nṛpa / nṛpaśreṣṭha (a king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse reflects a dharma-based social ethic in which a woman’s bodily agency is portrayed as constrained by guardianship and social order; it also underscores royal reputation and the ideal of a king as “bhakta-vatsala,” worthy of being sought as a husband.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Gandharva addresses a king and refuses to approach him, stating she is not autonomous over her body and that women are not independent; she simultaneously acknowledges the king’s famed lineage and his desirability as a husband due to his protective, devotee-friendly character.