Shloka 15

Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 73: Devayānī–Śarmiṣṭhā Dispute, Confinement in the Well, and Yayāti’s Rescue

Devanagari script

शकुन्तलोवाच यदि धर्मपथस्त्वेष यदि चात्मा प्रभुर्मम । प्रदाने पौरवश्रेष्ठ शृणु मे समयं प्रभो,शकुन्तलाने कहा--पौरवश्रेष्ठ! यदि यह गान्धर्व विवाह धर्मका मार्ग है, यदि आत्मा स्वयं ही अपना दान करनेमें समर्थ है तो इसके लिये मैं तैयार हूँ; किंतु प्रभो! मेरी एक शर्त है, उसे सुन लीजिये

Transliteration

Śakuntalovāca yadi dharmapathas tveṣa yadi cātmā prabhur mama | pradāne Pauravaśreṣṭha śṛṇu me samayaṁ prabho ||

Translation

Śakuntalā said: “O best of the Pauravas, if this indeed is a righteous course—if a woman’s own self has authority in the matter of giving herself in marriage—then I am willing. But, my lord, hear the condition I set.”

Word by Word

• {'yadi': 'if', 'dharma-pathaḥ': 'path of dharma

• righteous course', 'tv eṣaḥ (tveṣa)': 'this indeed (emphatic ‘this’)', 'ātmā': 'self

• one’s own person', 'prabhuḥ': 'master

• having authority/competence', 'mama': 'of me

• my', 'pradāne': 'in giving (in marriage)

• in the act of bestowal', 'Paurava-śreṣṭha': 'best among the Pauravas (address to Duṣyanta)', 'śṛṇu': 'hear

• listen', 'me': 'my

• of me', 'samayam': 'agreement

• compact', 'prabho': 'O lord'}

Speaker

दुष्यन्त उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śakuntalā
• Paurava (dynasty)
• Duṣyanta (implied by address)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames marriage as an ethical act governed by dharma and personal agency: Śakuntalā accepts the union if it is truly righteous and if her own self has authority in consenting, but she insists on a clear stipulation—highlighting consent and accountability within dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śakuntalā–Duṣyanta episode, Śakuntalā responds to the king’s proposal by agreeing in principle to a Gandharva-style union, yet she asks him to listen to her ‘samaya’—a condition that will define the terms of their marriage.