Shloka 8
ययाति–शक्रसंवादः
Speech-Ethics and Forbearance in the Celestial Court
देवयानी प्रजातासौ वृथाहं प्राप्तयौवना । यथा तया वृतो भर्ता तथैवाहं वृणोमि तम्,“देवयानी तो पुत्रवती हो गयी; किंतु मुझे जो जवानी मिली है, वह व्यर्थ जा रही है। जिस प्रकार उसने पतिका वरण किया है, उसी तरह मैं भी उन्हीं महाराजका क्यों न पतिके रूपमें वरण कर लूँ
devayānī prajātāsau vṛthāhaṃ prāptayauvanā | yathā tayā vṛto bhartā tathaivāhaṃ vṛṇomi tam ||
Śarmiṣṭhā nói: “Devayānī đã làm mẹ rồi; còn tuổi xuân của ta thì đang trôi qua uổng phí. Như nàng đã chọn chồng thế nào, ta cũng chọn chính vị vua ấy làm chồng.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between personal desire and social-dharmic order: the speaker argues for equal agency in choosing a spouse, motivated by the fear that youth and life-opportunity will be wasted if one remains excluded while another has already secured family and status.
In the Devayānī episode, a rival woman speaks after Devayānī has borne children, expressing that her own youth is passing fruitlessly; she therefore declares her intention to choose the same king as husband, mirroring Devayānī’s earlier choice.