Shloka 23
Yayāti Ensnared by Desire: Gandharva Marriage, Aśvamedha, and the Demand to See the Worlds
तस्याः पादौ ननामाथ भक्त्या नमितकंधरः । आदेशो दीयतां राजन्येनाहूतः समागतः
tasyāḥ pādau nanāmātha bhaktyā namitakaṃdharaḥ | ādeśo dīyatāṃ rājanyenāhūtaḥ samāgataḥ
پھر امیت کندھر نے بھکتی سے گردن جھکا کر اس کے قدموں میں سجدہ کیا اور کہا: “اے ملکہ، حکم فرمائیے؛ آپ کے بلانے پر میں حاضر ہوا ہوں۔”
Unspecified male speaker addressing a queen (rājñī)
Concept: Vinaya (humble submission) and sevā as dharmic conduct, even within royal power structures.
Application: Practice respectful speech, attentive listening, and readiness to serve—especially toward elders, teachers, and those responsible for dharmic decisions.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a pillared palace hall, a messenger-minister bows low, neck bent in devotion, touching the queen’s feet in formal praṇāma. The queen sits poised on a lotus-carved throne, her hand raised in calm command, while attendants hold flywhisks and a curtain of incense smoke softens the scene.","primary_figures":["Queen (rājñī)","Devoted envoy/minister (male speaker)","Palace attendants"],"setting":"Royal sabhā/antaḥpura with carved pillars, silk drapes, incense brazier, and a low footstool near the throne","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["lotus pink","sandalwood beige","emerald green","antique gold","deep maroon"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a regal queen seated on a lotus-throne with gold leaf halo-like arch, the envoy prostrating at her feet with gem-studded ornaments, rich reds and greens, ornate palace pillars, heavy gold leaf embellishment on jewelry and throne, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate palace interior with delicate brushwork, refined faces, soft textiles and patterned carpets, the envoy bending with folded hands near the queen’s feet, cool yet luminous palette, fine architectural lines and lyrical calm.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, stylized queen with large expressive eyes seated on a decorated seat, the bowed envoy in reverent posture, warm red/yellow/green pigments, lamp-lit ambience, ornamental borders like temple wall art.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: courtly scene framed by intricate floral borders and lotus motifs, the queen enthroned like a goddess-figure, attendants with chamaras, deep blues and gold accents, patterned textiles, devotional mood translated into ornate decorative symmetry."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft anklet chime","temple bells (distant)","incense crackle","murmur of court attendants","silence after command"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ननामाथ = ननाम + अथ; राजन्येनाहूतः = राजन् + येन + आहूतः (राजन् + येन → राजन्येन); (पाठे ‘नमितकंधरः’ = नमितकन्धरः).
FAQs
It portrays devotion through physical humility—bowing at the feet and lowering the neck—showing bhakti as reverent surrender expressed in action.
Respectful conduct and readiness to serve are presented as virtues: the speaker approaches with humility and asks for instruction rather than asserting his own will.
It reflects courtly norms of deference to royalty, where a summoned person announces arrival and requests the ruler’s आदेश (command) after offering respectful obeisance.