Rāma’s Abhiṣeka Plan, Kaikeyī’s Boon, and the Initiation of the Exile
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account
न चास्य मनसा कंचिद् विकार ददृशे मुनि: । शुद्धसत्त्वस्य शुद्ध स ददृशे निर्मल मन:,किंतु उन्होंने उनके मनमें कभी कोई विकार नहीं देखा। शुद्ध अन्त:करणवाले महर्षि मुद्गलके मनको दुर्वासाने सदा शुद्ध और निर्मल ही पाया
na cāsya manasā kañcid vikāraṁ dadṛśe muniḥ | śuddhasattvasya śuddhaḥ sa dadṛśe nirmalaṁ manaḥ ||
And the sage perceived in him no mental disturbance at all. In that man of purified goodness, he found the mind ever pure and stainless—untouched by agitation or fault.
व्यास उवाच
True spiritual maturity is shown by an unshaken, stainless mind: even when tested, the virtuous person exhibits no inner distortion (vikāra). Purity (śuddhatā) is not merely outward conduct but the steady clarity of the inner instrument (manaḥ/antaḥkaraṇa).
Vyāsa reports that a sage, observing the person in question, finds no trace of mental agitation or fault. The observer recognizes a consistently pure, spotless mind—highlighting the subject’s tested integrity and inner steadiness.