Shloka 25
ययाति–शक्रसंवादः
Speech-Ethics and Forbearance in the Celestial Court
स समागम्य शर्मिष्ठां यथाकाममवाप्य च | अन्योन्यं चाभिसम्पूज्य जग्मतुस्तीौ यथागतम्,फिर शर्मिष्ठाके साथ समागम किया और इच्छानुसार कामोपभोग करके एक-दूसरेका आदर-सत्कार करनेके पश्चात् दोनों जैसे आये थे वैसे ही अपने-अपने स्थानपर चले गये
sa samāgamya śarmiṣṭhāṃ yathākāmam avāpya ca | anyonyaṃ cābhisampūjya jagmatus tau yathāgatam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: He met with Śarmiṣṭhā, and, having enjoyed intimacy according to desire, the two then honored one another with due regard; thereafter they departed, each returning just as they had come. The verse narrates a private act followed by mutual courtesy, hinting at the tension between personal desire (kāma) and the social-ethical consequences that such secret encounters can entail in the larger story.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes desire (kāma) with decorum (mutual honoring). It suggests that even when actions are driven by private desire, social forms of respect are maintained—yet the broader narrative warns that such desire-led acts can carry serious ethical and familial consequences.
A man meets Śarmiṣṭhā, they engage in intimacy as desired, then they exchange mutual respect and depart separately, returning as they had come.