Shloka 15
Yayāti Ensnared by Desire: Gandharva Marriage, Aśvamedha, and the Demand to See the Worlds
रमते राजराजेंद्रस्तारुण्येन महीपतिः । एवं विंशत्सहस्राणि गतानि निरतस्य च
ramate rājarājeṃdrastāruṇyena mahīpatiḥ | evaṃ viṃśatsahasrāṇi gatāni niratasya ca
ರಾಜರಾಜೇಂದ್ರನಾದ ಭೂಪತಿ ಯೌವನದ ಉತ್ಸಾಹದಲ್ಲಿ ರಮಿಸಿದನು; ಹೀಗೆ ಭೋಗಾಸಕ್ತನಾಗಿ ಇದ್ದಾಗ ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತು ಸಾವಿರ ವರ್ಷಗಳು ಕಳೆದವು.
Unspecified narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration)
Concept: Unchecked enjoyment makes vast time vanish; youth and power are fleeting, so one must turn toward lasting dharma and devotion.
Application: Audit your days: if years can pass in distraction, set fixed daily anchors—Ekadashi observance, nama-japa, and charity—to reclaim time for the soul.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The king sits amid luxury, yet behind him a translucent river of time flows—twenty thousand years suggested by fading garlands, crumbling palace murals, and a turning celestial wheel. His youthful glow remains in the foreground while the background subtly ages, creating a poignant contrast between inner delusion and outer time.","primary_figures":["Yayāti","Consort","Personified Kāla (Time) as shadowy wheel-bearer (symbolic)"],"setting":"Opulent palace terrace opening to a vast sky where a zodiacal wheel turns; scattered instruments of pleasure and wilting flowers.","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["midnight indigo","antique gold","smoky violet","pearl white","withered rose"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: enthroned Yayāti in lavish ornaments with gold leaf, while behind him a symbolic Kāla-chakra and fading garlands show the passage of 20,000 years; rich maroons and greens, embossed gold detailing, dramatic contrast between radiant foreground and time-worn background textures.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: contemplative palace balcony scene with delicate aging cues—fallen petals, dimming lamps, distant seasons cycling in the hills; refined faces, cool night palette, a subtle time-wheel in the sky, poetic melancholy.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: central seated king with bold outlines, a large circular Kāla-chakra behind, stylized motifs of withering lotuses and turning constellations, flat pigments and temple-fresco symmetry, solemn mood.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate border of lotuses transitioning from bloom to wilt around the frame, deep blue ground with gold stars, central royal couple, a symbolic wheel of time above; intricate floral patterns conveying the silent passing of years."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple gong","soft drone (tanpura)","distant conch","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: राजराजेंद्रस्तारुण्येन = राजराजेन्द्रः + तारुण्येन (विसर्ग-लोपः).
FAQs
It highlights how quickly vast spans of time can pass when a ruler is absorbed in youthful enjoyment and worldly pleasure.
In this line it is not explicitly labeled, but in Purāṇic narrative such counts commonly refer to years that have elapsed.
It implicitly warns about attachment and distraction: indulgence can make one overlook the passage of time and the duties or higher aims of life.