Shloka 11
ययातिपतनम् — Yayāti’s Fall and the Offer of Dharma
Nārada’s Account
चरन्ती हरिणै: सार्थ मृगीव वनचारिणी । चचार विपुलं धर्म ब्रह्मचर्येण संवृतम्
carantī hariṇaiḥ sārthaṃ mṛgīvavanacāriṇī | cacāra vipulaṃ dharmaṃ brahmacaryeṇa saṃvṛtam ||
Nārada sprach: Mit den Hirschen umherziehend, wie eine Hirschkuh, die den Wald durchstreift, lebte sie in der Wildnis und übte ein weites, erhabenes Dharma, behütet und getragen vom Brahmacarya (keuscher Selbstzucht).
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents brahmacarya (disciplined chastity and self-restraint) as a protective boundary that enables the practice of ‘vipula dharma’—a broad, elevated ethical life. Inner restraint is shown as the condition for sustained righteousness.
Nārada describes a woman living in the forest in the company of deer, roaming like a doe. Her wilderness life is portrayed as purposeful: she is engaged in serious dharma-practice, characterized and safeguarded by brahmacarya.