Shloka 1
मातापितृपूजन-प्रधानधर्मः (Primacy of Filial Service) — Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of the Vyādha’s Instruction
हू... “<(>9)) #::.3 25.२ चतुर्राधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: धुन्धुकी तपस्या और वरप्राप्ति, कुवलाश्चद्वारा धुन्धुका वध और देवताओंका कुवलाश्वचको वर देना मार्कण्डेय उदाच धुन्धुर्नाम महाराज तयो: पुत्रो महाद्युति: | स तपो5तप्यत महन्महावीर्यपराक्रम:,मार्कण्डेयजी कहते हैं--महाराज! उन्हीं दोनों मधु और कैटभका पुत्र धुन्धु है जो बड़ा तेजस्वी और महान् बल-पराक्रमसे सम्पन्न है। उसने बड़ी भारी तपस्या की
Mārkaṇḍeya uvāca—Dhundhur nāma mahārājas tayoḥ putro mahādyutiḥ | sa tapo 'tapyata mahan mahāvīrya-parākramaḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O great king, there was one named Dhundhu—son of those two (Madhu and Kaiṭabha)—radiant with great splendor. Endowed with mighty strength and heroic prowess, he undertook an immense austerity.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds tapas (austerity) as a source of extraordinary power and influence, implying an ethical caution: immense strength and prowess often arise from disciplined practice, and such power must be understood within dharmic restraint in the wider narrative.
Mārkaṇḍeya introduces Dhundhu to the king, identifying him as the son of Madhu and Kaiṭabha and describing his radiant nature and great might, then states that Dhundhu undertook severe austerities—setting up the ensuing episode about his boons and the consequences of his power.