Shloka 49

भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः

Devanagari script

स राजा शिबिकारूढो गन्तुं कृतमतिर् द्विज बभूवेक्षुमतीतीरे कपिलर्षेर् वराश्रमम्

Transliteration

sa rājā śibikārūḍho gantuṃ kṛtamatir dvija babhūvekṣumatītīre kapilarṣer varāśramam

Translation

हे द्विज! वह राजा पालकी पर चढ़कर, प्रस्थान का निश्चय करके, इक्षुमती नदी के तट पर स्थित कपिल ऋषि के श्रेष्ठ आश्रम की ओर चल पड़ा।

Word by Word

सःhe

राजाthe king

शिबिका-आरूढःmounted on a palanquin

गन्तुम्to go

कृत-मतिःhaving resolved; determined

द्विजO brahmin

बभूवwent/became (came to be)

इक्षुमती-तीरेon the bank of the Ikṣumatī (river)

कपिल-ऋषेःof sage Kapila

वर-आश्रमम्the excellent hermitage

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

King (unnamed in this verse)

Sage Kapila

Ikṣumatī River

Brahmin (dvija)

FAQs

What is the significance of the king going to Sage Kapila’s āśrama in the Vishnu Purana?

It highlights the Purāṇic ideal that royal power is perfected when it bows to spiritual authority—kings seek sages for dharma, restraint, and right governance.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of sages in guiding kings in this narrative?

Through lineage episodes, Parāśara shows that dynastic continuity is not merely political; it is sustained by dharma preserved in āśramas, where sages serve as moral and spiritual arbiters.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇa’s worldview implies that righteous kingship and the sage’s path both function under Vishnu’s cosmic order (dharma as an expression of the Supreme Reality).