Adhyaya 21 — Kuvalayashva’s Descent to Patala and the Rescue of Madalasa
तत् प्रविश्य स नापश्यत तत्र कञ्चिन्नरं पुरे ।
भ्रमता च ततो दृष्टा तत्र योषित् त्वरान्विता ॥
tat praviśya sa nāpaśyat tatra kañcinnaraṃ pure / bhramatā ca tato dṛṣṭā tatra yoṣit tvarānvitā
เมื่อเข้าไปในนครนั้นแล้ว เขามิได้เห็นมนุษย์ผู้ใดเลย; ครั้นเดินเที่ยวไป จึงได้เห็นสตรีนางหนึ่งกำลังเร่งรุดไป ณ ที่นั้น।
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The absence of people in a magnificent city suggests impermanence or illusion: external grandeur without living community is a warning against mistaking appearance for reality.
Narrative (ākhyāna) element, setting up an encounter that may deliver instruction or a turning point.
The solitary woman in an empty city often functions as a ‘guide’ or ‘threshold figure’—a personification of śakti/māyā or fate—leading the hero deeper into the hidden structure of the episode.