Shloka 10
ययातेर्वानप्रस्थतपःस्वर्गारोहणम् | Yayāti’s Vānaprastha Austerities and Ascent to Heaven
इयं च मे सखी दासी यत्राहं तत्र गामिनी । दुहिता दानवेन्द्रस्य शर्मिष्ठा वृषपर्वण:,यह दानवराज वृषपर्वाकी पुत्री शर्मिष्ठा मेरी सखी और दासी है। मैं विवाह होनेपर जहाँ जाऊँगी, वहाँ यह भी जायगी
iyaṃ ca me sakhī dāsī yatrāhaṃ tatra gāminī | duhitā dānavendrasya śarmiṣṭhā vṛṣaparvaṇaḥ ||
“And this one is my companion and attendant; wherever I go, she will go there as well. She is Śarmiṣṭhā, the daughter of Vṛṣaparvan, lord of the Dānavas.” In context, the statement frames a relationship of intimacy and obligation: friendship is asserted, yet it is coupled with servitude, reflecting the social and ethical tensions around status, dependence, and the terms under which protection and proximity are granted.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical tension: personal closeness (sakhī) can coexist with imposed subordination (dāsī). It invites reflection on dharma in relationships—how power, status, and obligation shape what is called “friendship,” and how dependence can be normalized through social arrangements.
A speaker identifies Śarmiṣṭhā as both companion and attendant who will accompany her wherever she goes, and specifies her lineage as the daughter of the Dānava king Vṛṣaparvan—situating Śarmiṣṭhā’s presence as a bound accompaniment tied to political and social circumstances.