Shloka 8

मातापितृपूजन-प्रधानधर्मः (Primacy of Filial Service) — Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of the Vyādha’s Instruction

Devanagari script

बाधते सम परं शक्‍्त्या तमुत्तड़काश्रमं विभो । अन्तर्भूमिगतस्तत्र बालुकान्तहितस्तथा,भरतश्रेष्ठ! वह दुष्टात्मा बालुकामय प्रसिद्ध उच्चालक समुद्रमें आकर रहने और उस देशके निवासियोंकों सताने लगा। राजन! वह अपनी पूरी शक्ति लगाकर धरतीके भीतर बालूमें छिपकर वहाँ उत्तंकके आश्रममें भी उपद्रव करने लगा

Transliteration

bādhate sama-paraṁ śaktyā tam uttaṅkāśramaṁ vibho | antar-bhūmi-gatas tatra bālukāntar-hitas tathā bharata-śreṣṭha |

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O mighty one, that wicked being harassed Uttaṅka’s hermitage with all his power. There, having gone beneath the earth and concealed himself within the sand, he continued to cause disturbance—tormenting the residents of that region as well.”

Word by Word

• {'bādhate': 'harasses, afflicts, troubles', 'sama-paraṁ (śaktyā)': 'with full/utmost power

• to the limit of one’s strength', 'uttaṅka-āśramam': 'the hermitage of Uttaṅka (a sage’s āśrama)', 'vibho': 'O mighty one

• a respectful address', 'antar-bhūmi-gataḥ': 'having gone inside/beneath the earth

• subterranean', 'tatra': 'there', 'bālukā-antar-hitaḥ': 'hidden within sand

• concealed in the sand’s interior', 'bharata-śreṣṭha': 'O best of the Bharatas (address to a Bharata prince/king)'}

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Uttaṅka
• Uttaṅka’s āśrama (hermitage)
• Bharata-śreṣṭha (addressed listener)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores that harming ascetics and disturbing a hermitage is a clear mark of adharma. It implies a ruler’s and society’s duty to protect places of tapas (austerity) and those who live by restraint, because such sanctuaries uphold moral order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes a malicious being who, using all his strength, troubles Uttaṅka’s hermitage. He hides beneath the ground, concealed in sand, and from that hidden position continues to create fear and disruption for the local inhabitants.