Shloka 2.95.9

मन्दाकिनीनदीदर्शनम् (The Vision of the Mandākinī at Citrakūṭa)

Devanagari script

चिन्मणिनिकाशोदां क्वचित्पुलिनशालिनीम्।क्वचित्सिद्धजनाकीर्णां पश्य मन्दाकिनीं नदीम्।।।।

Transliteration

cinmaṇinikāśodāṃ kvacit pulinaśālinīm | kvacit siddhajanākīrṇāṃ paśya mandākinīṃ nadīm ||

Translation

Behold the Mandākinī: in some places its water is clear like crystal; in some it shines with sandbanks; and in others it is thronged with siddhas.

Context

Behold this river Mandakini whose waters here are transparent like crystals, there sparkling with sand dunes and elsewhere crowded with siddhas.

Characters & Entities

• Mandākinī
• siddha (accomplished beings)
• pulinā (sandbanks)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma is purity and aspiration: the river’s clarity and sacred company (siddhas) symbolize the mind’s ideal state—transparent, steady, and oriented toward truth.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma concludes his praise of Mandākinī by describing its varying beauty and its sanctity as a place associated with accomplished beings.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Reverence for sacred places and spiritual life—Rāma frames the forest not as deprivation but as a realm of holiness.