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 |
Dijo Mārkaṇḍeya: «Kumbhakarṇa yacía en el suelo, restringiendo su alimento y observando votos estrictos. Vibhīṣaṇa, en cambio, se sostenía comiendo tan solo una hoja marchita». El pasaje destaca la austeridad y el autocontrol como disciplinas éticas, contrastando distintos modos de contención dentro de un mismo linaje.
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.