Adhyaya 71 — The King’s Remorse and the Sage’s Counsel on the Necessity of a Wife
मār्कण्डेय उवाच इत्युक्ते प्रणिपत्यैनमारुह्य स्यन्दनं ततः ।
उत्तमः पृथिवीपाल आजगाम निजं पुरम् ॥
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca ityukte praṇipatya enam āruhya syandanaṃ tataḥ | uttamaḥ pṛthivīpāla ājagāma nijaṃ puram ||
Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: Als dies gesagt war, verneigte er sich vor ihm und bestieg dann seinen Wagen. Danach kehrte Uttama, der Beschützer der Erde, in seine eigene Stadt zurück.
Instruction is sealed by humility: the king’s bowing before departing underscores receptivity to dharmic counsel as a prerequisite for righteous governance.
Manvantara/Anucarita narrative sequencing—events in a Manu-era account, moving the story to the next chapter’s consequence.
Mounting the chariot after obeisance can symbolize that action (karma) should proceed only after alignment with higher principle (dharma/ācārya-vākya).