अवतीर्य रथात् कन्या नमस्कृत्वा च बन्धुषु ॥
उपगम्य वनं पुण्यं तपस् तेपे ययातिजा ॥
उपवासैश् च विविधैर् दीक्षाभिर् नियमैस् तथा ॥
आत्मनो लघुतां कृत्वा बभूव मृगचारिणी ॥
वैडूर्याङ्कुरकल्पानि मृदूनि हरितानि च ॥
चरन्ती शष्पमुख्यानि तिक्तानि मधुराणि च ॥
स्रवन्तीनां च पुण्यानां सुरसानि शुचीनि च ॥
पिबन्ती वारिमुख्यानि शीतानि विमलानि च ॥
वनेषु मृगराजेषु सिंहविप्रोषितेषु च ॥
दावाग्निविप्रमुक्तेषु शून्येषु गहनेषु च ॥
avatīrya rathāt kanyā namaskṛtvā ca bandhuṣu ||
upagamya vanaṃ puṇyaṃ tapas tepe yayātijā ||
upavāsaiś ca vividhair dīkṣābhir niyamais tathā ||
ātmano laghutāṃ kṛtvā babhūva mṛgacāriṇī ||
vaiḍūryāṅkurakalpāni mṛdūni haritāni ca ||
carantī śaṣpamukhyāni tiktāni madhurāṇi ca ||
sravantīnāṃ ca puṇyānāṃ surasāni śucīni ca ||
pibantī vārimukhyāni śītāni vimalāni ca ||
vaneṣu mṛgarājeṣu siṃhaviproṣiteṣu ca ||
dāvāgnivipramukteṣu śūnyeṣu gahaneṣu ca ||
"Having descended from the chariot, the maiden bowed to her kin and, entering the sacred forest, the daughter of Yayati devoted herself to austerity. Through various fasts, initiations, and vows she made her body light and began to live as a forest doe. She wandered, feeding on the finest grasses—soft, green, like sprouts of beryl, bitter and sweet. She drank the best waters of the sacred streams—pleasant to the taste, pure, cool, and clear. In forests where the lords of beasts dwelt, where lions were absent, where no wildfires raged, in desolate and impenetrable thickets…"
3aa593bb9f98 · published Jul 17, 2026, 5:35:25 AM UTC
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Madhavi's austerity is described through bodily simplicity: fasts, vows, forest food, pure water, and life amid the wilderness. She seeks no new royal protection; her purification comes through the voluntary reduction of needs and a return to the sacred forest.