Mahabharata 1.78.40 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 78, Shloka 40

ययाति-देवयानी-शर्मिष्ठा विवादः — Śukra’s Curse and the Disclosure of Lineage

Devanagari script

अहं जलं विमुज्चामि प्रजानां हितकाम्यया । पुष्णाम्योषधय: सर्वा इति सत्यं ब्रवीमि ते,मैं ही प्रजाओंके हितके लिये पानी बरसाता हूँ और मैं ही सम्पूर्ण ओषधियोंका पोषण करता हूँ, यह तुमसे सच्ची बात कह रहा हूँ

Transliteration

ahaṁ jalaṁ vimucāmi prajānāṁ hitakāmyayā | puṣṇāmy oṣadhayaḥ sarvā iti satyaṁ bravīmi te ||

Translation

ศุกระกล่าวว่า “เพื่อประโยชน์สุขของสรรพชีวิต เราเป็นผู้ปล่อยสายน้ำให้ตกเป็นฝน และเรายังเป็นผู้หล่อเลี้ยงสมุนไพรและพืชทั้งปวง นี่คือความจริงที่เรากล่าวแก่เจ้า”

Word by Word

• {'aham (अहम्)': 'I', 'jalam (जलम्)': 'water

• rain-water', 'vimucāmi (विमुचामि)': 'I release

• I pour forth', 'prajānām (प्रजानाम्)': 'of creatures/subjects

• of living beings', 'hita-kāmyayā (हितकाम्यया)': 'with the desire for their good

• for welfare', 'puṣṇāmi (पुष्णामि)': 'I nourish

• I sustain', 'oṣadhayaḥ (ओषधयः)': 'medicinal herbs

• healing plants', 'sarvāḥ (सर्वाः)': 'all', 'iti (इति)': 'thus

• in this manner', 'satyam (सत्यम्)': 'truth', 'bravīmi (ब्रवीमि)': 'I say

• I declare', 'te (ते)': 'to you'}

Speaker

शुक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śukra
• water (rain)
• prajāḥ (living beings/subjects)
• oṣadhi (medicinal herbs/plants)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links cosmic functions (rainfall and the growth of medicinal plants) with ethical intention: sustaining life for the common good, and affirming truth (satya) as the basis of rightful speech and authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śukra is asserting his beneficent role in sustaining the world—claiming responsibility for releasing rain and nourishing herbs—and emphasizes that he is stating this as a truthful declaration to his listener.