Shloka 13
ययातिः शर्मिष्ठायाः ऋतुप्रार्थनां धर्मसंवादं च शृणोति
Yayāti and Śarmiṣṭhā: request in ṛtu and discourse on truth and dharma
यत्रोषितं विशालाक्षि त्वया चन्द्रनिभानने । तत्राहमुषितो भद्रे कुक्षौ काव्यस्थ भामिनि,कचने कहा--उत्तम व्रतका आचरण करनेवाली सुन्दरी! तुम मुझे ऐसे कार्यमें लगा रही हो, जिसमें लगाना कदापि उचित नहीं है। शुभे! तुम मेरे ऊपर प्रसन्न होओ। तुम मेरे लिये गुरुसे भी बढ़कर गुरुतर हो। विशाल नेत्र तथा चन्द्रमाके समान मुखवाली भागमिनि! शुक्राचार्यके जिस उदरमें तुम रह चुकी हो, उसीमें मैं भी रहा हूँ। इसलिये भटद्रे! धर्मकी दृष्टिसे तुम मेरी बहिन हो। अतः सुमध्यमे! मुझसे ऐसी बात न कहो। कल्याणी। मैं तुम्हारे यहाँ बड़े सुखसे रहा हूँ। तुम्हारे प्रति मेरे मनमें तनिक भी रोष नहीं है
kaca uvāca | yatroṣitaṃ viśālākṣi tvayā candranibhānane | tatrāham uṣito bhadre kukṣau kāvyastha bhāmini ||
Kacha said: “O large-eyed lady, O moon-faced one—where you once dwelt, there I too have dwelt, O auspicious one: in the very womb of Kāvya (Śukrācārya). Therefore, by the standard of dharma, you are my sister. Do not ask me for such a relationship. I lived in your household with comfort, and I bear you no resentment at all.”
कच उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kacha grounds his refusal in dharma: because both he and Devayānī have been within the same ‘womb’ of Śukrācārya (Kāvya), he treats her as a sister. The passage emphasizes ethical restraint and the primacy of dharmic kinship norms over personal desire.
After being revived through Śukra’s life-restoring knowledge, Kacha explains to Devayānī that their relationship cannot become romantic or marital. He argues that their shared connection to Śukrācārya’s body establishes a sibling-like bond, and he reassures her that he harbors no anger despite the tension.