Shloka 10
ययाति–शक्रसंवादः
Speech-Ethics and Forbearance in the Celestial Court
अथ निष्क्रम्य राजासौ तस्मिन् काले यदृच्छया । अशोकवनिकाशभ्याशे शर्मिष्षां प्रेक्ष्य विछ्ठित:,शर्मिष्ठा इस प्रकार विचार कर ही रही थी कि राजा ययाति उसी समय दैववश महलसे बाहर निकले और अशोकवाटिकाके निकट शर्मिष्ठाको देखकर ठहर गये
atha niṣkramya rājāsau tasmin kāle yadṛcchayā | aśokavanikā-samīpe śarmiṣṭhāṃ prekṣya tiṣṭhitaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, just at that time, the king happened to step out. By sheer chance, near the aśoka-grove he caught sight of Śarmiṣṭhā and paused there—an apparently accidental meeting that sets in motion a morally charged encounter, where desire and duty will soon be tested.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how seemingly chance events can become decisive moral tests: a ruler’s spontaneous encounter may awaken desire, but the ethical weight lies in how one responds—through restraint, responsibility, and adherence to dharma.
As Śarmiṣṭhā is in a reflective state, King Yayāti happens to come out of the palace, sees her near the aśoka-garden, and stops—setting up the next exchange and the ensuing consequences in the Yayāti–Śarmiṣṭhā episode.