Matsya Purana — Devayānī Meets Yayāti: Courtship, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तमेव देशं सम्प्राप्तो जललिप्सुः प्रतर्षितः ददर्श देवयानीं च शर्मिष्ठां ताश्च योषितः //

Transliteration

tameva deśaṃ samprāpto jalalipsuḥ pratarṣitaḥ dadarśa devayānīṃ ca śarmiṣṭhāṃ tāśca yoṣitaḥ //

Translation

അവൻ അതേ സ്ഥലത്തെത്തി, ജലത്തിനുള്ള ആഗ്രഹത്തിൽ വ്യാകുലനായി ദാഹത്തിൽ കത്തിക്കൊണ്ടിരിക്കെ, അവിടെ ദേവയാനിയെയും ശർമിഷ്ഠയെയും ആ യുവതികളെയും കണ്ടു।

Word by Word

• तम्-एव (tam eva): that very

• देशम् (deśam): place/region

• सम्प्राप्तः (samprāptaḥ): having arrived

• जल-लिप्सुः (jala-lipsuḥ): desiring water/eager to drink

• प्रतर्षितः (pratarṣitaḥ): intensely thirsty/parched

• ददर्श (dadarśa): he saw

• देवयानीम् (devayānīm): Devayānī (name)

• च (ca): and

• शर्मिष्ठाम् (śarmiṣṭhām): Śarmiṣṭhā (name)

• ताः (tāḥ): those (women)

• च (ca): and

• योषितः (yoṣitaḥ): women/maidens

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) describing the episode (within the Matsya Purana’s dynastic narrative)

Entities Mentioned

• Devayānī
• Śarmiṣṭhā

Tags

• Dynasties
• Ancient Indian genealogy
• Royal narrative
• Yayati episode
• Puranic storytelling

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

This verse does not address pralaya or cosmology; it is a narrative scene-setting within the dynastic (genealogical) storyline, focusing on a thirsty traveler encountering Devayānī and Śarmiṣṭhā.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

Indirectly, it introduces a key encounter that leads to major royal-family consequences; in Purāṇic ethics, such meetings become occasions to test restraint, judgment, and dharma in relationships—central concerns for kings and householders.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu, temple-building, iconography, or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; it simply describes arrival at a place and the sighting of Devayānī, Śarmiṣṭhā, and other women.