Shloka 35
ययातेर्वानप्रस्थतपःस्वर्गारोहणम् | Yayāti’s Vānaprastha Austerities and Ascent to Heaven
इयं चापि कुमारी ते शर्मिष्ठा वार्षपर्वणी । सम्पूज्या सततं राजन् मा चैनां शयने ह्वये:,महाराज! वृषपर्वाकी पुत्री यह कुमारी शर्मिष्ठा भी तुम्हें समर्पित है। इसका सदा आदर करना, किंतु इसे अपनी सेजपर कभी न बुलाना
iyaṃ cāpi kumārī te śarmiṣṭhā vārṣaparvaṇī | sampūjyā satataṃ rājan mā caināṃ śayane hvayeḥ ||
Śukra said: “This maiden Śarmiṣṭhā, the daughter of Vṛṣaparvan, is also entrusted to you. O king, you must honor her continually; but do not ever summon her to your bed.” The instruction frames a moral boundary: even when a person is given into one’s care, power must be restrained by dharma—respect and protection are required, while sexual access is explicitly forbidden.
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Authority over someone placed in one’s care must be governed by dharma: offer continual respect and protection, and maintain strict sexual boundaries. The verse explicitly separates service/guardianship from entitlement.
Śukra addresses a king and formally entrusts Śarmiṣṭhā, identifying her as Vṛṣaparvan’s daughter. He commands that she be honored at all times, while issuing a clear prohibition against calling her to the king’s bed—setting a condition for her presence at court.