Shloka 55
The Account of King Yayāti: Kāmasaras, Rati’s Tears, and the Birth of Aśrubindumatī
within the Mātā–Pitṛ Tīrtha Narrative
उवाच मधुरालापैः श्रूयतां नृपनंदन । विशालोवाच । काम एष पुरा दग्धो देवदेवेन शंभुना
uvāca madhurālāpaiḥ śrūyatāṃ nṛpanaṃdana | viśālovāca | kāma eṣa purā dagdho devadevena śaṃbhunā
اس نے شیریں کلام سے کہا: “سنو، اے شہزادے!” وِشال نے کہا: “یہ کام دیو قدیم زمانے میں دیودیو شَمبھو نے جلا کر بھسم کر دیا تھا۔”
Viśāla (addressing a prince/nṛpanandana)
Concept: Desire (Kāma) can be ‘burned’ by higher spiritual power; unchecked passion is not sovereign over dharma.
Application: When desire surges, remember exemplars of restraint; redirect longing into disciplined practice—japa, vrata, seva—so passion becomes devotion.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: mountain
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Viśāla, speaking with honeyed diplomacy, gestures as if unveiling an ancient tableau: Śiva in fierce meditation, third eye blazing, while Kāma—bow in hand—falls into ash. The scene overlays courtly romance with cosmic warning, as if the palace air briefly fills with the heat of tapas.","primary_figures":["Viśāla (messenger/speaker)","a prince (nṛpanandana)","Śiva (Śambhu) in meditation","Kāma (Manmatha)","devas as witnesses (optional)"],"setting":"split-scene composition: foreground palace audience; background visionary Kailāsa meditation ground","lighting_mood":"divine radiance with a sudden flare of fiery light","color_palette":["ash gray","rudraksha brown","flame orange","himalayan white","royal blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dual-register composition—Viśāla addressing the prince in ornate court, above them a gold-leaf radiant vision of Śiva on Kailāsa opening the third eye, Kāma collapsing into ash, heavy gold embellishment, rich reds/greens in court textiles, dramatic flame-orange highlights for tapas-fire.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical Himalayan backdrop with Śiva seated on a snowy ledge, delicate smoke curling from Kāma’s form, cool mountain palette with a sharp orange third-eye flare, foreground court figures rendered smaller, emphasizing the myth as a moral vision.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and iconic Śiva visage, third-eye flame stylized, Kāma with sugarcane bow, courtly figures in warm reds/yellows, ornamental borders with lotus and flame motifs, expressive eyes conveying warning and wonder.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central medallion of Śiva’s tapas and Kāma-dahana framed by lotus and flame borders, deep indigo ground with gold, peacocks and floral scrollwork, lower panel showing Viśāla narrating to the prince, integrating myth into decorative storytelling."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["sudden conch blast","temple bells","low drum roll","crackling fire motif","brief hush after 'dagdho'"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नृपनंदन = नृप-नन्दन (समास); विशालोवाच = विशालः + उवाच; देवदेवेन = देव-देवेन (समास).
FAQs
The term nṛpanandana means “son of a king,” i.e., a prince; the verse shows Viśāla addressing a royal listener.
It refers to the well-known myth where Śiva (Śambhu), disturbed during ascetic absorption, burns Kāma (desire personified) with his fiery power.
The verse points to mastery over desire: even divine desire is portrayed as subdued before the higher ideal of yogic restraint and spiritual focus.