Shloka 11

ययाति-देवयानी-शर्मिष्ठा विवादः — Śukra’s Curse and the Disclosure of Lineage

Devanagari script

आदुन्वस्व विदुन्वस्व द्रह्म कुप्पस्व याचकि । अनायुधा सायुधाया रिक्ता क्षुभ्यसि भिक्षुकि । लप्स्यसे प्रतियोद्धारं न हि त्वां गणयाम्पयहम्‌,तू भिखमंगेकी बेटी है, तेरा बाप स्तुति करता और दान लेता है। मैं उनकी बेटी हूँ, जिनकी स्तुति की जाती है, जो दूसरोंको दान देते हैं और स्वयं किसीसे कुछ भी नहीं लेते हैं। अरी भिक्षुकि! तू छाती पीट-पीटकर रो अथवा धूलमें लोट-लोटकर कष्ट भोग। मुझसे द्रोह रख या क्रोध कर (इसकी परवा नहीं है)। भिखमंगिन! तू खाली हाथ है, तेरे पास कोई अस्त्र-शस्त्र भी नहीं है और देख ले, मेरे पास हथियार है। इसलिये तू मेरे ऊपर व्यर्थ ही क्रोध कर रही है। यदि लड़ना ही चाहती है, तो इधरसे भी डटकर सामना करनेवाला मुझ- जैसा योद्धा तुझे मिल जायगा। मैं तुझे कुछ भी नहीं गिनती

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | ā-dhunvasva vi-dhunvasva brahman kuppasva yācaki | anāyudhā sāyudhāyā rikta kṣubhyasi bhikṣuki | lapsyase pratiyoddhāraṃ na hi tvāṃ gaṇayāmy aham ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Shake yourself, tremble if you will; rage on, O begging woman. Weaponless yourself, you flare up against one who is armed—empty-handed, you seethe in vain. If you truly seek combat, you will find an opponent ready to meet you; but I do not count you as worthy of regard.”

Word by Word

आदुन्वस्वshake yourself / be agitated

विदुन्वस्वshake greatly / be thoroughly agitated

द्रुह्यbear malice / be hostile

कुप्यस्वbe angry

याचकिO beggar-woman / petitioner

अनायुधाunarmed

सायुधाarmed

रिक्ताempty-handed

क्षुभ्यसिyou are agitated / you rage

भिक्षुकिO beggar-woman

लप्स्यसेyou will obtain

प्रतियोद्धारम्an opponent / counter-fighter

नnot

हिindeed / for

त्वाम्you

गणयामिI count / I regard

अपिeven / also

अहम्I

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

yācakī (beggar woman)

bhikṣukī (mendicant woman)

āyudha (weapons)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical tension between strength and restraint: anger without capacity (being unarmed and empty-handed) is portrayed as futile, while the speaker’s refusal to “count” the other underscores how contempt and pride can replace measured judgment in conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker taunts a woman characterized as a beggar/mendicant, mocking her anger and emphasizing the mismatch between her being unarmed and the opponent being armed, concluding that she is not regarded as a serious adversary.