Shloka 21
ययातेर्वानप्रस्थतपःस्वर्गारोहणम् | Yayāti’s Vānaprastha Austerities and Ascent to Heaven
देवयान्युवाच पाणिधर्मो नाहुषायं न पुम्भि: सेवित: पुरा । त॑ मे त्वमग्रहीरग्रे वृणोमि त्वामहं तत:,देवयानीने कहा--नहुषकुमार! नारीके लिये पाणिग्रहण एक धर्म है। पहले किसी भी पुरुषने मेरा हाथ नहीं पकड़ा था। सबसे पहले आपहीने मेरा हाथ पकड़ा था। इसलिये आपटहीका मैं पतिरूपमें वरण करती हूँ
devayāny uvāca pāṇidharmaḥ nāhuṣāyaṃ na pumbhiḥ sevitaḥ purā | tat me tvam agrahīr agre vṛṇomi tvām ahaṃ tataḥ ||
Devayānī said: “O son of Nahuṣa, the rite of taking a woman’s hand in marriage is a woman’s dharma, and until now no man had ever claimed my hand. You were the first to take hold of my hand; therefore, from this moment, I choose you as my husband.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames marriage as a dharmic act (pāṇigrahaṇa) and emphasizes legitimacy through a recognized rite and the woman’s explicit choice, linking personal consent with social-religious norm.
Devayānī addresses Yayāti (identified by his descent from Nahuṣa) and declares that since he was the first man to take her hand, she accepts that act as the basis for choosing him as her husband.