Shloka 9
Uttaṅka’s Petition for Madayantī’s Divine Earrings (Maṇikuṇḍala) — Agreement, Proof, and Vigilance
निचिक्षेप क्षितौ राजन् परिश्रान्तो बुभुक्षित: । तस्य काष्ठे विलग्नाभूज्जटा रूप्यसमप्रभा
nicikṣepa kṣitau rājan pariśrānto bubhukṣitaḥ | tasya kāṣṭhe vilagnābhūj jaṭā rūpyasamaprabhā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O king, exhausted and hungry, he cast himself down upon the ground. And on a piece of wood near him there became stuck a matted lock of hair, shining with a luster like silver.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds bodily limitation—fatigue and hunger—reminding that even in grand royal narratives, human vulnerability persists. The striking image of a silver-bright jaṭā clinging to wood suggests that moments of weakness can coincide with meaningful signs, prompting attentiveness and discernment rather than pride or haste.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that a person, overcome by exhaustion and hunger, collapses onto the ground. At that moment, a silver-lustrous matted lock of hair becomes caught on a piece of wood, an unusual detail that functions as a notable narrative marker (often read as a clue, token, or portent) for what follows.