Shloka 14
ययातिरुवाच वेझि त्वां शीलसम्पन्नां दैत्यकन्यामनिन्दिताम् । रूपं च ते न पश्यामि सूच्यग्रमपि निन्दितम्,ययातिने कहा--शर्मिष्ठे! तुम दैत्यायाजकी सुशील और निर्दोष कन्या हो। मैं तुम्हें अच्छी तरह जानता हूँ। तुम्हारे शरीर अथवा रूपमें सूईकी नोक बराबर भी ऐसा स्थान नहीं है, जो निन्दाके योग्य हो
yāyātir uvāca—veḍhi tvāṁ śīla-sampannāṁ daitya-kanyām aninditām | rūpaṁ ca te na paśyāmi sūcy-agram api ninditam ||
Yayāti said: “I know you well, Śarmiṣṭhā—an irreproachable maiden of the Daityas, endowed with good conduct. In your body and beauty I do not see even a needle’s point that could be blamed.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical valuation of a person through śīla (good conduct) and blamelessness, presenting praise as grounded in character as well as outward form, and implying that moral worth and dignity can be recognized even across social or lineage boundaries.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, King Yayāti addresses Śarmiṣṭhā, identifying her as a virtuous and faultless Daitya maiden and explicitly praising her beauty as entirely free from any blemish, thereby setting the tone for their ensuing relationship and the tensions around status and propriety.