Shloka 1
Dharmāṅgada’s Conquest of the Directions
वसिष्ठ उवाच । एवं सुरतमूढस्य राज्ञो रुक्मांगदस्य च । त्रीणि पंच च वर्षाणि व्यतीतानि सुखेन वै ॥ १ ॥
vasiṣṭha uvāca | evaṃ suratamūḍhasya rājño rukmāṃgadasya ca | trīṇi paṃca ca varṣāṇi vyatītāni sukhena vai || 1 ||
वसिष्ठ उवाच—एवं सुरतविमूढस्य राज्ञो रुक्माङ्गदस्य च । त्रीणि पञ्च च वर्षाणि सुखेनैव व्यतीतानि ॥
Vasiṣṭha
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It highlights how attachment to sensual pleasure can dull discernment, letting long stretches of life pass comfortably yet spiritually unexamined—setting up a dharma-focused turning point in the Rukmāṅgada narrative.
Indirectly, it contrasts pleasure-driven living with the wakeful discipline that supports bhakti—devotion requires steadiness and remembrance, which are weakened when the mind is absorbed in kāma.
The verse uses precise time reckoning (“three and five years”), reflecting attention to kāla (time)—a practical concern connected with Jyotiṣa (Vedāṅga astrology) for tracking years and ritual timing, though no technical rule is stated here.