Shloka 69
अध्याय ७४: अक्रोध–क्षमा–निवासनीति
Chapter 74: Non-anger, Forbearance, and the Ethics of Residence
तासां सा मेनका नाम ब्रह्मायोनिर्वराप्सरा: । दिव: सम्प्राप्य जगतीं विश्वामित्रादजीजनत्,“उन सबमें भी मेनका नामवाली अप्सरा श्रेष्ठ है, क्योंकि वह साक्षात् ब्रह्माजीसे उत्पन्न हुई है। उसीने स्वर्गलोकसे भूतलपर आकर विश्वामित्रजीके सम्पर्कसे मुझे उत्पन्न किया था
tāsāṃ sā menakā nāma brahmayonir varāpsarāḥ | divaḥ samprāpya jagatīṃ viśvāmitrād ajījanat ||
“Among those celestial nymphs, the one named Menakā is the foremost, for she is born from Brahmā himself. Descending from heaven to the earth, she came into union with Viśvāmitra and gave birth to me.”
दुष्यन्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the importance of knowing and declaring one’s lineage and origins, linking personal identity to a broader moral and cosmic order; it also reflects how extraordinary births in epic tradition are used to legitimize status and destiny.
Duṣyanta identifies Menakā as the foremost among apsarases and states that she descended from heaven to earth and, through her union with Viśvāmitra, gave birth to him—asserting his origin and pedigree within the story.