Shloka 34
ययाति-देवयानी-शर्मिष्ठा विवादः — Śukra’s Curse and the Disclosure of Lineage
स्तुवतो दुहिता नित्यं याचत: प्रतिगृह्नत: । अहं तु स्तूयमानस्य ददतो<प्रतिगृह्नतः,“देवयानी! तू स्तुति करनेवाले, नित्य भीख माँगनेवाले और दान लेनेवालेकी बेटी है और मैं तो उन महाराजकी पुत्री हूँ, जिनकी तुम्हारे पिता स्तुति करते हैं, जो स्वयं दान देते हैं और लेते एक धेला भी नहीं हैं!
stuvato duhitā nityaṁ yācataḥ pratigṛhṇataḥ | ahaṁ tu stūyamānasya dadato ’pratigṛhṇataḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśaṃpāyana: “Ikaw ay anak ng taong laging pumupuri sa iba, laging namamalimos, at tumatanggap ng mga handog. Ngunit ako’y anak ng isang hari na pinupuri ng iyong ama—isang nagbibigay nang sagana at hindi tumatanggap kahit ng pinakamaliit na kaloob.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical hierarchy tied to dāna (giving) and pratigraha (accepting gifts): generosity is praised, while habitual dependence and indiscriminate acceptance are portrayed as socially and morally inferior. It also warns how pride based on status and patronage can become a weapon of insult, leading to conflict.
In the Devayānī–Śarmiṣṭhā episode, a sharp exchange occurs in which Śarmiṣṭhā (a king’s daughter) belittles Devayānī by calling her the daughter of a praising, begging, gift-accepting priest, contrasting this with her own royal lineage—whose king is praised by Devayānī’s father and is characterized as a giver who does not accept gifts.