Shloka 96
The Destruction of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
संप्राप्तयौवना देवी पुनरेव विवाहिता । एवं हि कथितं भीष्म यथा यज्ञो हतः पुरा
saṃprāptayauvanā devī punareva vivāhitā | evaṃ hi kathitaṃ bhīṣma yathā yajño hataḥ purā
ദേവി യൗവനം പ്രാപിച്ചപ്പോൾ അവൾ വീണ്ടും വിവാഹിതയായി. ഹേ ഭീഷ്മാ, ഇങ്ങനെ തന്നെയാണ് പറഞ്ഞത്—പൂർവകാലത്ത് യജ്ഞം നശിച്ചതുപോലെ.
Pulastya (narrator) addressing Bhīṣma
Concept: Ritual and social sacraments (like vivāha) are not merely personal—they affect cosmic order; when dharma is violated, yajña (the sustaining rite) can be ‘destroyed’.
Application: Treat commitments and rites with integrity; avoid performative religiosity that neglects ethics. Repair broken vows through humility, restitution, and renewed sādhana.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A youthful goddess, newly radiant, stands adorned for a second marriage while elders and sages look on with mixed relief and unease. In the background, a sacrificial altar smolders—its fire dimmed or scattered—hinting at the remembered catastrophe of a ruined yajña, as if history threatens to repeat itself.","primary_figures":["A youthful goddess (unnamed)","Sages/priests","Witnessing elders (including a Bhishma-like listener figure in narrative imagination)"],"setting":"Ritual pavilion near a yajña-vedi with garlands, vessels, and a partially disrupted fire altar","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["vermillion red","marigold orange","smoke gray","ivory white","antique gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a richly ornamented youthful goddess at center under a wedding canopy, priests with ladles and vessels near a yajña-vedi whose flames appear subdued; abundant gold leaf on jewelry and archways, saturated reds/greens, stylized lotus borders, expressive but restrained faces conveying ritual tension.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a palace-courtyard wedding scene with delicate textiles and fine jewelry; the yajña altar in a corner with thin smoke curling upward, attendants whispering; cool pastel architecture, refined facial features, narrative nuance through small gestures and glances.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines—goddess in bridal adornment, priests by the altar, a symbolic broken yajña flame; strong reds and yellows, green accents, ornamental frame with conch and lotus motifs, temple-wall storytelling composition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ceremonial canopy with floral borders, stylized altar and garlands; dense decorative motifs (lotus, creepers) framing the central bridal figure, deep reds and gold highlights, narrative panels suggesting ‘former times’ as a faint vignette in the border."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["ritual bells","murmured mantras","crackling fire (fading)","conch in the distance"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: संप्राप्तयौवना = संप्राप्त + यौवना (समास); पुनरेव = पुनः + एव.
FAQs
It states that the Devī, upon reaching youth, was married again, and the narrator links this account to an earlier well-known episode where a sacrifice (yajña) was destroyed—using it as a familiar comparison or reminder.
The verse explicitly addresses Bhīṣma, matching the common Padma Purāṇa frame where Pulastya recounts the narrative to Bhīṣma.
By invoking the destruction of a sacrifice, the text hints that ritual actions can fail when higher cosmic or moral conditions are violated—suggesting that dharma and right order are essential for rites to bear fruit.