Shloka 17
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Consolation to the King: Exempla of Rāma and the Efficacy of Allies (मार्कण्डेयाश्वासनम्)
अध:शायी कुम्भकर्णो यताहारो यतव्रतः । विभीषण: शीर्णपर्णमेकम भ्यवहारयन्,कुम्भकर्णने भी आहारका संयम किया। वह भूमिपर सोता और कठोर नियमोंका पालन करता था। विभीषण केवल एक सूखा पत्ता खाकर रहते थे
adhaḥśāyī kumbhakarṇo yatāhāro yatavrataḥ | vibhīṣaṇaḥ śīrṇaparṇam ekam abhyavahārayan |
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Kumbhakarṇa lay down upon the ground, restraining his food and observing strict vows. Vibhīṣaṇa, on the other hand, sustained himself by eating only a single withered leaf.” The passage highlights austerity and self-control as ethical disciplines, contrasting different modes of restraint within the same lineage.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores ethical self-mastery: restraint in food (yatāhāra) and steadfast observance of vows (yatavrata) are presented as forms of disciplined living, where simplicity and control over appetite support moral steadiness.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes two figures practicing austerity: Kumbhakarṇa sleeps on the ground while maintaining dietary restraint and vows, and Vibhīṣaṇa survives on only a single withered leaf, emphasizing extreme simplicity.