Shloka 21
Yayāti’s Abdication and Pūru’s Coronation (ययाति-पूोरु-राज्याभिषेकः)
वैशम्पायन उवाच ततः कन्यासहस्त्रेण वृता शिबिकया तदा । पितुर्नियोगात् त्वरिता निश्चक्राम पुरोत्तमात्,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर पिताकी आज्ञासे राजकुमारी शर्मिष्ठा शिबिकापर आरूढ़ हो तुरंत राजधानीसे बाहर निकली। उस समय वह एक सहस्र कन्याओंसे घिरी हुई थी
vaiśampāyana uvāca tataḥ kanyāsahasreṇa vṛtā śibikayā tadā | pitur niyogāt tvaritā niścakrāma purottamāt ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, at that time, the princess—surrounded by a thousand maidens—mounted in a palanquin and, compelled by her father’s command, hurriedly went out from the excellent city. The scene underscores royal obedience and the social order in which a daughter’s movements are directed by paternal authority, even amid outward splendor and retinue.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as obedience to legitimate authority within the royal household: the princess acts promptly under her father’s injunction, showing how duty and social hierarchy govern personal action.
Śarmiṣṭhā, accompanied by a large retinue of maidens, rides in a palanquin and quickly departs from the capital because her father has ordered her to do so.