Shloka 13
ययाति–शक्रसंवादः
Speech-Ethics and Forbearance in the Celestial Court
रूपाभिजनशीलिै हि त्वं राजन् वेत्थ मां सदा । सात्वां याचे प्रसाद्याहमृतुं देहि नराधिप,शर्मिष्ठाने कहा--नहुषनन्दन! चन्द्रमा, इन्द्र, विष्णु, यम, वरुण अथवा आपके महलमें कौन किसी स्त्रीकी ओर दृष्टि डाल सकता है? (अतएव यहाँ मैं सर्वथा सुरक्षित हूँ) महाराज! मेरे रूप, कुल और शील कैसे हैं, यह तो आप सदासे ही जानते हैं। मैं आज आपको प्रसन्न करके यह प्रार्थना करती हूँ कि मुझे ऋतुदान दीजिये--मेरे ऋतुकालको सफल बनाइये
rūpābhijanaśīlaiḥ hi tvaṃ rājan vettha māṃ sadā | sā tvāṃ yāce prasādyāham ṛtuṃ dehi narādhipa ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, you have always known my beauty, noble birth, and conduct. Therefore I now entreat you—having sought to win your favor—O lord of men, grant me my season; make my time of fertility fruitful.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how personal desire and social power intersect: a petitioner appeals to recognized virtues (beauty, lineage, conduct) and seeks a ruler’s sanction for a time-sensitive, intimate right (ṛtudāna). It invites reflection on dharma in relationships—how authority should be exercised and how requests tied to fertility and marriage norms were framed.
Within Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a woman (in this episode, Śarmiṣṭhā addressing the king) petitions the ruler to grant her access to her fertile season—asking him to make her ṛtu successful. The request is made by reminding him that he already knows her qualities and by seeking his favorable consent.