Shloka 25
Sāvitrī’s Trirātra-Vrata and Departure with Satyavān (सावित्रीव्रतनिश्चयः सहगमनं च)
ततो दृष्टवा55श्रमपदं व्यपविद्धबृूसीमठम् । विध्वस्तकलशं शून्यं गोमायुशतसंकुलम्,॥॥५ ॥ ॥22८ ४५८८ ४7० |] झ॥ तदनन्तर आश्रमपर पहुँचकर उन्होंने देखा, कुशकी चटाई बाहर फेंकी हुई है, कुटी उजाड़ हो गयी है, घर सूना पड़ा है, कलश फूटे पड़े हैं और सारे आश्रममें सैकड़ों गीदड़ भरे हुए हैं
tato dṛṣṭvāśramapadaṃ vyapaviddabṛsīm aṭam | vidhvastakalaśaṃ śūnyaṃ gomāyuśatasankulam ||
Then, on reaching the hermitage-site, he saw it in ruin: the mat of kuśa-grass had been flung aside, the hut lay desolate, the place stood empty, the water-pots were shattered, and the whole āśrama was overrun with hundreds of jackals. The scene signals a collapse of sacred order—where disciplined quiet and hospitality should prevail, there is abandonment, desecration, and the ominous presence of scavengers, prompting moral concern about what breach of dharma or calamity has driven the righteous away.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the ruined hermitage as an ethical sign: when dharmic life (austerity, hospitality, purity) is displaced, the space of sanctity becomes vulnerable to disorder. It invites reflection on causes—neglect, violence, fear, or adharma—and the responsibility to restore or protect sacred and righteous institutions.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes arriving at an āśrama and finding it abandoned and devastated: the mat is tossed out, the hut is desolate, pots are smashed, and jackals swarm the area—an ominous discovery that sets up inquiry into what happened to the residents and why the hermitage has fallen into ruin.