Shloka 11
Rāma’s Abhiṣeka Plan, Kaikeyī’s Boon, and the Initiation of the Exile
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account
त॑ तु शुभ्ाव धर्मिष्ठ मुदूगलं संशितव्रतम् । दुर्वासा नृप दिग्वासास्तमथाभ्याजगाम ह,राजन्! एक दिन दिगम्बर वेषमें भ्रमण करनेवाले महर्षि दुर्वासाने उत्तम व्रतका पालन करनेवाले धर्मिष्ठ महात्मा मुदुगलका नाम सुना। उनके व्रतकी ख्याति सुनकर वे वहाँ आ पहुँचे
taṁ tu śubhācāraṁ dharmiṣṭhaṁ mudgalaṁ saṁśitavratam | durvāsā nṛpa digvāsās tam athābhyājagāma ha, rājan ||
But then—O king—the sage Durvāsā, who wandered “clad in the directions” (that is, naked), heard of Mudgala, a man of auspicious conduct, most devoted to dharma, and steadfast in the discipline of his vow. Hearing the fame of that vow, Durvāsā came to him, O king, to test and witness the power of such righteousness.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steadfastness in dharma and disciplined vows (vrata) creates a moral stature that even formidable sages like Durvāsā seek out—often to test whether virtue is genuine under pressure.
Vyāsa narrates that Durvāsā, wandering as a digvāsā (sky-clad ascetic), hears of Mudgala’s renowned vow and righteousness and then approaches him, setting the stage for a trial or examination of Mudgala’s conduct.