Shloka 5
Ruru’s Lament and the Lifespan Exchange for Pramadvarā (रुरु–प्रमद्वरा आयुर्विभागः)
यथा च जन्मप्रभृति यतात्माहं धृतव्रत: । प्रमद्वरा तथा होषा समुनत्तिष्ठतु भामिनी,“यदि मैंने जन्मसे लेकर अबतक मन और इन्द्रियोंपर संयम रखा हो और ब्रह्मचर्य आदि दव्रतोंका दृढ़तापूर्वक पालन किया हो तो यह मेरी प्रिया प्रमद्वरा अभी जी उठे”
yathā ca janmaprabhṛti yatātmāhaṃ dhṛtavrataḥ | pramadvārā tathā hoṣā samunattiṣṭhatu bhāminī ||
“If, from my very birth onward, I have truly restrained my mind and senses and have steadfastly upheld my vows—such as brahmacarya—then let my beloved Pramadvārā, this radiant lady, rise up alive at once.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse expresses the traditional idea that rigorous self-restraint and unwavering observance of dharmic vows (especially brahmacarya) generate moral-spiritual potency; invoking that truth, the speaker prays for a life-restoring outcome. Ethically, it links inner discipline with responsibility and compassionate intent rather than mere personal merit.
A devoted man appeals to the power of his lifelong self-control and steadfast vows as a ‘truth-act’ (a conditional declaration of merit) and asks that his beloved Pramadvārā immediately rise again—i.e., be restored to life.