Shloka 1.40.12
सगरपुत्राणां रसातलगमनम् — The Descent of Sagara’s Sons and the Wrath of Kapila
खन्यमाने ततस्तस्मिन् ददृशु: पर्वतोपमम्।।।।दिशागजं विरूपाक्षं धारयन्तं महीतलम्।
sa-parvata-vanāṃ kṛtsnāṃ pṛthivīṃ raghunandana |
śirasā dhārayāmāsa virūpākṣo mahā-gajaḥ || 1.40.13 ||
O Raghunandana, the mighty elephant Virūpākṣa bore upon his head the entire earth, with its mountains and forests.
Then while they were excavating the region they beheld the elephant of the quarter named Virupaksha equal in size to a mountain, supporting the earth.
The verse elevates the ethic of ‘bearing the world’—supporting society and nature—an ideal parallel to a king’s dharma of protection and stability.
Viśvāmitra explains to Rāma what Sagara’s sons saw: Virūpākṣa holding the whole earth with mountains and forests.
Lokadhāraṇa (world-sustaining duty): steadfast strength used for preservation rather than domination—an implicit model for righteous leadership.