Shloka 3

Rāma’s Abhiṣeka Plan, Kaikeyī’s Boon, and the Initiation of the Exile

Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच शिलोज्छवृत्तिर्धर्मात्मा मुदूगल: संयतेन्द्रिय: । आसीदू राजन्‌ कुरुक्षेत्रे सत्यवागनसूयक:,व्यासजी बोले--राजन्‌! कुरुक्षेत्रमें मुदगुलनामक एक ऋषि रहते थे। वे बड़े धर्मात्मा और जितेन्द्रिय थे। शिलः तथा उज्छवृत्तिसे ही वे जीविका चलाते थे तथा सदा सत्य बोलते और किसीकी भी निन्दा नहीं करते थे

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | śilocchavṛttir dharmātmā mudūgalaḥ saṃyatendriyaḥ | āsīd u rājan kurukṣetre satyavāg anasūyakaḥ ||

Translation

Vyāsa said: O King, in Kurukṣetra there lived a sage named Mudūgala—righteous in spirit and master of his senses. He sustained himself only by gleaning and by what was freely available, always speaking the truth and never finding fault with anyone. The verse introduces him as an ethical exemplar whose austere livelihood and restraint embody dharma in daily conduct.

Word by Word

• {'vyāsa uvāca': 'Vyāsa said', 'śilocchavṛttiḥ': 'one whose livelihood is śila + uccha

• living by picking up scattered grains/gleaning and by what is left over or freely obtained', 'dharma-ātmā': 'one whose very nature is dharma

• deeply righteous', 'mudūgalaḥ': 'Mudūgala (name of a sage)', 'saṃyata-indriyaḥ': 'one with controlled senses

• self-restrained', 'āsīt u': 'there was indeed

• existed (emphatic particle u)', 'rājan': 'O King', 'kurukṣetre': 'in Kurukṣetra (the field/region of the Kurus)', 'satyavāk': 'truth-speaking

• one whose speech is truthful', 'anasūyakaḥ': 'non-censorious

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Mudūgala
• Kurukṣetra
• King (rājan, addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is shown as a lived discipline: earning without harm or greed (gleaning/accepting what is freely available), restraining the senses, speaking truth, and avoiding the habit of blaming others. The verse frames Mudūgala as a model of ethical integrity expressed through everyday choices.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa begins an account by introducing the sage Mudūgala who lived in Kurukṣetra. Before any events unfold, the narrator establishes Mudūgala’s character—his austere means of livelihood, self-control, truthfulness, and non-censorious nature—so the listener understands him as a trustworthy exemplar within the story.