SB 9.18.21 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तं वीरमाहौशनसी प्रेमनिर्भरया गिरा । राजंस्त्वया गृहीतो मे पाणि: परपुरञ्जय ॥ २० ॥ हस्तग्राहोऽपरो मा भूद् गृहीतायास्त्वया हि मे । एष ईशकृतो वीर सम्बन्धो नौ न पौरुष: ॥ २१ ॥

Verse text

taṁ vīram āhauśanasī prema-nirbharayā girā rājaṁs tvayā gṛhīto me pāṇiḥ para-puraṣjaya hasta-grāho ’paro mā bhūd gṛhītāyās tvayā hi me eṣa īśa-kṛto vīra sambandho nau na pauruṣaḥ

Synonyms

tam — unto him ; vīram — Yayāti ; āha — said ; auśanasī — the daughter of Uśanā Kavi, Śukrācārya ; prema — nirbharayā — saturated with love and kindness ; girā — by such words ; rājan — O King ; tvayā — by you ; gṛhītaḥ — accepted ; me — my ; pāṇiḥ — hand ; para — puraṣjaya — the conqueror of the kingdoms of others ; hasta — grāhaḥ — he who accepted my hand ; aparaḥ — another ; mā — may not ; bhūt — become ; gṛhītāyāḥ — accepted ; tvayā — by you ; hi — indeed ; me — of me ; eṣaḥ — this ; īśa — kṛtaḥ — arranged by providence ; vīra — O great hero ; sambandhaḥ — relationship ; nau — our ; na — not ; pauruṣaḥ — anything man-made .

Translation

With words saturated with love and affection, Devayānī said to King Yayāti: O great hero, O King, conqueror of the cities of your enemies, by accepting my hand you have accepted me as your married wife. Let me not be touched by others, for our relationship as husband and wife has been made possible by providence, not by any human being.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

With words saturated with affection, Devayānī said to King Yayāti: O great hero, O King! Conqueror of the cities of your enemies! You have accepted my hand. May no one else accept my hand which has been accepted by you. This relationship has been created by the Lord, not by any human. The King asked her about her family. She replied that she was the daughter of Śukrācārya (auśanasī).

Purport

While taking Devayānī out of the well, King Yayāti must certainly have appreciated her youthful beauty, and therefore he might have asked her which caste she belonged to. Thus Devayānī would have immediately replied, “We are already married because you have accepted my hand.” Uniting the hands of the bride and bridegroom is a system perpetually existing in all societies. Therefore, as soon as Yayāti accepted Devayānī’s hand, they could be regarded as married. Because Devayānī was enamored with the hero Yayāti, she requested him not to change his mind and let another come to marry her.