Ramayana — Kishkindha Kanda, Sarga 61, Shloka 11
सूर्यानुगमनवृत्तान्तः
The Account of Following the Sun
न दिग्विज्ञायते याम्या नाग्नेयी न च वारुणी।युगान्ते नियतो लोको हतो दग्ध इवाग्निना।।।।
na digvijñāyate yāmyā nāgneyī na ca vāruṇī | yugānte niyato loko hato dagdha ivāgninā ||
No direction could be made out—neither south, nor southeast, nor west; the world appeared as though, at the end of an age, it had been fixed in doom and burned down by fire.
'My mind was disturbed and I turned my attention from the object. Once again I focused my attention (on the Sun) and could see the Sungod with great effort. The Sun appeared to us equal in size to earth.
FAQs
Dharma values clarity and right orientation; when discernment collapses, action becomes unsafe—this cautions against reckless exertion.
Sampāti describes losing all sense of direction and perceiving the world as if it were in apocalyptic dissolution.
Discernment (viveka) is highlighted by its absence; the verse underscores the need to preserve it.