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 |
Mārkaṇḍeya disse: “Kumbhakarṇa deitava-se no chão, restringindo o alimento e observando votos rigorosos. Vibhīṣaṇa, por sua vez, sustentava-se comendo apenas uma única folha ressequida.” A passagem destaca a austeridade e o autocontrole como disciplinas éticas, contrastando diferentes modos de contenção dentro da mesma linhagem.
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.