Mahabharata 1.76.38 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 76, Shloka 38
ययाति–देवयानी संवादः
Yayāti–Devayānī Dialogue and Śukra’s Consent
इत्युक्तमात्रे मां हत्वा पेषीकृत्वा तु दानवा: | दत्त्वा शालावृकेभ्यस्तु सुखं जग्मु:ः स््वमालयम्
ity uktamātre māṃ hatvā peṣīkṛtvā tu dānavāḥ | dattvā śālāvṛkebhyas tu sukhaṃ jagmuḥ svam ālayam ||
इत्युक्तमात्रे मां हत्वा पेषीकृत्वा तु दानवाः। दत्त्वा शालावृकेभ्यस्तु सुखं जग्मुः स्वमालयम्॥
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a stark instance of adharma: gratuitous violence and desecration of a body, followed by the perpetrators’ complacency. It underscores how moral blindness can make wrongdoing feel ‘easy’ to the wrongdoer, even when it violates basic ethical restraints.
Śukra narrates that immediately after he spoke, the Dānavas killed him, crushed his body, fed/distributed it to dogs and jackals, and then returned to their home satisfied—showing the extremity of their hostility and disrespect.
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