Shloka 4
Mohinī-ākhyāna: The Trial of Ekādaśī and the King’s Satya-saṅkalpa
होमोच्छिष्टप्रभोक्तारस्त्रयो वर्णाः प्रकीर्तिताः । विशेषाद्भूमिपालानां कथं युक्तमुपोषणम् ॥ ४ ॥
homocchiṣṭaprabhoktārastrayo varṇāḥ prakīrtitāḥ | viśeṣādbhūmipālānāṃ kathaṃ yuktamupoṣaṇam || 4 ||
होमोच्छिष्टप्रभोक्तारस्त्रयो वर्णाः प्रकीर्तिताः। विशेषाद्भूमिपालानां कथं युक्तमुपोषणम्॥
Narada (questioning/raising a doubt within the dialogue addressed to the Sanatkumara tradition)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
The verse frames a dharmic tension between continual ritual/feeding obligations (homa and its remnants) and the ascetic discipline of fasting, especially for rulers whose duties require public, sustaining action.
By questioning when fasting is truly “appropriate,” the verse implicitly points to regulated observance—vrata as devotion guided by dharma and role-based duty, not as mere self-denial.
It highlights ritual practice (kalpa/śrauta-smārta procedure) concerning homa and the status of ucchiṣṭa (sanctified remnants), and how such ritual norms intersect with vrata disciplines like upoṣaṇa.