ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that valorization of kingship even above and beyond the pursuit of moksa is fundamental to the rubric of the DM. A close examination of the DM's enframement structure allows one to register the inbuilt textual mechanics adopted to invoke the interplay of pravrttic and nivrttic religious aims. As parallel to the teachings of Krsna, the central exposition of the DM occupies the center of gravity for all levels of chiastic enframement. As is typical of narrative ring structure, thematic patterns emerge through the specific orchestration of parallelisms, and particularly through the architectural allocation of the episodic keystone, which highlights the themes central to the work as a whole. The middle episode is steeped in the themes of sovereignty. Mary Douglas notes that in the case of ring composition, narrative endings are predestined by virtue of how they began.
