Adhyaya 74 — King Svarashtra, the Deer-Queen’s Curse, and the Rise of Tamasa Manu
राज्याच्च्युतः सोऽपि वनं गत्वा निर्विण्णमानसः ।
तपस्तेपे महाभागे वितस्तापुलिने स्थितः ॥
rājyāc cyutaḥ so 'pi vanaṃ gatvā nirviṇṇamānasaḥ / tapas tepe mahābhāge vitastāpuline sthitaḥ
రాజ్యంనుండి వెలివేయబడిన అతడూ విరక్తమనస్సుతో అరణ్యానికి వెళ్లి, విటస్తా నదியின் పుణ్యమైన ఇసుకతీరంపై నిలబడి తపస్సు చేశాడు।
Suffering and loss can mature into vairāgya and disciplined spiritual effort. The king converts political defeat into a new pursuit: self-mastery through tapas.
Vaṃśānucarita with tīrtha/kshetra coloring (sacred river locale), still within Manvantara narrative flow.
The riverbank signifies a liminal zone—between settled life and wilderness—apt for inner transition. Vitastā (often identified with the Jhelum) evokes purification and continuity of dharma through sacred landscapes.