Shloka 22

Devanagari script

स तद्वच: कृतवानृष्यश्‌ज्ो ययौ च यत्रास्य पिता बभूव । शान्ता चैन पर्यचरन्नरेन्द्र खे रोहिणी सोममिवानुकूला,ऋष्यशुंगने पिताकी आज्ञाका अक्षरश: पालन किया। अन्तमें वे पुनः: उसी आश्रममें चले गये जहाँ उनके पिता रहते थे। नरेन्द्र! शान्ता उसी प्रकार अनुकूल रहकर उनकी सेवा करती थी जैसे आकाशमें रोहिणी चन्द्रमाकी सेवा करती है

Transliteration

sa tadvacaḥ kṛtavān ṛṣyaśṛṅgo yayau ca yatrāsya pitā babhūva | śāntā cainaṃ paryacaran narendra khe rohiṇī somam ivānukūlā ||

Translation

Ṛśyaśṛṅga carried out that instruction exactly and then returned to the hermitage where his father was staying. O king, Śāntā attended upon him with steady goodwill—like Rohiṇī in the sky, ever favorable, serving the Moon.

Word by Word

• {'saḥ': 'he', 'tad-vacaḥ': 'that word

• that instruction/command', 'kṛtavān': 'did

• fulfilled', 'ṛṣyaśṛṅgaḥ': 'Ṛśyaśṛṅga (the sage)', 'yayau': 'went

• departed', 'yatra': 'where', 'asya': 'his', 'pitā': 'father', 'babhūva': 'was

• resided', 'śāntā': 'Śāntā (his wife)', 'ca': 'and', 'enam': 'him', 'paryacarat': 'served

• waited on', 'narendra': 'O king

• lord of men', 'khe': 'in the sky', 'rohiṇī': 'Rohiṇī (lunar mansion/personified consort of the Moon)', 'somam': 'Soma

• the Moon', 'iva': 'like

• as', 'anukūlā': 'favorable

Speaker

विभाण्डक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vibhāṇḍaka
• Ṛśyaśṛṅga
• Śāntā
• Narendra (the addressed king)
• Rohiṇī
• Soma (the Moon)
• Āśrama (hermitage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse upholds dharma through two complementary virtues: exact obedience to a rightful command (Ṛśyaśṛṅga fulfilling his father’s instruction) and devoted, benevolent service within marriage (Śāntā’s supportive attendance), illustrated by the idealized cosmic image of Rohiṇī serving the Moon.

What is happening in the narrative?

After receiving Vibhāṇḍaka’s directive, Ṛśyaśṛṅga acts on it and returns to the hermitage where his father resides. Śāntā accompanies him and continues to serve him with unwavering favor, compared to Rohiṇī’s closeness and devotion to Soma in the sky.