ययातिपतनम् — Yayāti’s Fall and the Offer of Dharma
Nārada’s Account
निर्दिश्यमानेषु तु सा वरेषु वरवर्णिनी | वरानुत्क्रम्य सर्वास्तान् वरं वृतवती वनम्
nirdiśyamāneṣu tu sā vareṣu varavarṇinī | varān utkramya sarvāṁs tān varaṁ vṛtavatī vanam |
Нарада сказал: Когда собравшихся женихов стали указывать и представлять ей, та светлоликая дева миновала их всех и избрала своим «женихом» сам лесной ашрам — приняв жизнь подвижничества и отречения вместо брака.
नारद उवाच
True agency and dharmic resolve may express itself as renunciation: the verse highlights a deliberate turning away from socially expected marriage toward an ascetic ideal, valuing inner discipline over external status.
As the prospective bridegrooms are introduced, Mādhavī rejects them all and chooses the forest hermitage—symbolically taking the life of tapas as her preferred path.