Shloka 120
Origin of the Lunar Dynasty: Soma’s Rise, the Tārā Abduction War, Budha–Purūravas Genealogy, and Kārtavīrya Arjuna
क्रीडते स्वसुखा ये विप्रतिस्रोतो महीपतिः । ललनाः क्रीडता तेन प्रतिबद्धोर्मिमालिनी
krīḍate svasukhā ye vipratisroto mahīpatiḥ | lalanāḥ krīḍatā tena pratibaddhormimālinī
هناك يلهو الملك المهيب على وفق سروره، كأنه يسير عكس التيار؛ ومع لعبه تلهو النساء معه أيضًا، والنهرُ المكلَّلُ بالأمواج يبدو كأنه مُقيَّدٌ بلعبهم.
Unspecified narrator (context-dependent within Adhyaya 12)
Concept: Even pleasure (kṛīḍā) is portrayed as an arena where power and restraint meet; the image hints at mastery over impulses and environment, a royal ideal that must remain within dharma.
Application: Let recreation be conscious and non-harmful: enjoy beauty without exploitation; keep boundaries so that leisure restores rather than disturbs others (and nature).
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: river
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"On a broad river with bright, curling waves like a garland, the king playfully moves against the current, laughing as he challenges the water’s force. Around him, elegantly adorned women join the sport, and the river itself seems to pause—its wave-rows held in suspense by the magnetism of their play.","primary_figures":["King (sahasrabāhu context)","Royal women/companions","Personified river-goddess presence (subtle)"],"setting":"Wide Narmadā river with stone ghats and lush banks; floating lotus clusters; distant palace pavilions and banyan trees.","lighting_mood":"forest dappled with sun-glints on water","color_palette":["river jade","lotus pink","pearl white","sunlit gold","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: riverside kṛīḍā scene with the king and companions in jeweled attire; gold leaf highlights on ornaments and water-glints; stylized wave-garland patterns; rich reds/greens, ornate pavilion backdrop, symmetrical composition with decorative borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate river-sport with delicate figures, translucent garments, and refined expressions; lyrical river curves with fine wave-lines; soft greens of the bank, lotus clusters, and a small pavilion; gentle sunlight and romantic mood.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, rhythmic wave motifs, and stylized figures with expressive eyes; the king centered, companions arranged in flowing arcs; warm yellow and green palette with red accents; temple-wall aesthetic river patterns.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: decorative river filled with lotus motifs and wave garlands; ornate floral borders; deep blue-green water with gold highlights; central playful scene rendered with symmetrical ornamentation and peacocks on the banks."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["flowing water","anklet bells","laughter softened","birds at riverbank"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: pratibaddhormimālinī = प्रतिबद्ध + ऊर्मिमालिनी (visarga sandhi: -द्धः + ऊ- → -द्धोर्मि-).
FAQs
A king playfully moving against a river’s current with accompanying women, with the river poetically described as “wave-garlanded” and seemingly checked or restrained by their sport.
It indicates motion “against the current,” emphasizing vigor, willfulness, or playful defiance of the natural flow.
Rather than a direct moral teaching, the verse primarily uses aesthetic description (kāvya-style imagery) to depict worldly enjoyment and the power of human activity to metaphorically ‘restrain’ even a surging river.