Shloka 4

Mārkaṇḍeya’s Consolation to the King: Exempla of Rāma and the Efficacy of Allies (मार्कण्डेयाश्वासनम्)

Devanagari script

ता: सदा तं महात्मानं संतोषयितुमुद्यता: । ऋषिं भरतशार्दूल नृत्यगीतविशारदा:,भरतमश्रेष्ठ! वे तीनों ही नाचने और गानेकी कलामें निपुण थीं तथा सदा ही उन महात्मा महर्षिको संतुष्ट रखनेके लिये सचेष्ट रहती थीं ॥॥|॥॥॥/ / ५५५५ ॥॥॥॥॥॥॥५/७ ३३७॥

Transliteration

tāḥ sadā taṃ mahātmānaṃ santoṣayitum udyatāḥ | ṛṣiṃ bharataśārdūla nṛtyagītaviśāradāḥ ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: Jene Frauen, stets darauf bedacht, den großherzigen Weisen zu erfreuen, waren unablässig damit beschäftigt, ihn zufriedenzustellen. O Tiger unter den Bhāratas, sie waren höchst kundig in Tanz und Gesang und bemühten sich immerdar, den ṛṣi zufrieden zu halten — ein Bild disziplinierten Dienstes, dargebracht geistiger Vortrefflichkeit und nicht bloßem Vergnügen.

Word by Word

ताःthey (those women)

सदाalways

तम्him

महात्मानम्the great-souled one

संतोषयितुम्to please / to satisfy

उद्यताःintent / ready / striving

ऋषिम्the sage

भरतशार्दूलO tiger among the Bharatas

नृत्यगीतविशारदाःskilled in dance and song

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

म

मार्कण्डेय (Mārkaṇḍeya)

ऋ

ऋषि (the sage, unnamed in this verse)

भ

भरतशार्दूल (address to the listener, likely Yudhiṣṭhira in context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined, respectful service (sevā) directed toward a spiritually eminent person: skill and art (dance and song) become ethically meaningful when used with restraint and the intention to support dharma and the well-being of the worthy.

What is happening in the narrative?

Markandeya describes three women who are proficient in dance and song and who continually strive to keep a great sage pleased, indicating their ongoing attendance and efforts to satisfy him.