Shloka 96
मातापितृपूजन-प्रधानधर्मः (Primacy of Filial Service) — Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of the Vyādha’s Instruction
उत्तड़कस्याश्रमाभ्याशे नि:श्वसन् पावकार्चिष: । मधु और कैटभका वह भयंकर पराक्रमी पुत्र धुन्धु तपोबलका आश्रय ले सम्पूर्ण लोकोंका विनाश करनेके लिये वहाँ मरुप्रदेशमें शयन करता था। उत्तड़कके आश्रमके पास साँस ले-लेकर वह आगकी चिनगारियाँ फैलाता था
Uttaṅkasyāśramābhyāśe niḥśvasan pāvakārcīṣaḥ | Madhu-Kaiṭabhakaḥ sa bhayaṅkara-parākramī putro Dhundhus tapobalāśrayaḥ samasta-lokānāṃ vināśāya tatra maru-pradeśe śayanaṃ cakāra | Uttaṅkasyāśrama-samīpe śvāsa-śvāsena sa agni-ciṅgārīḥ prasārayām āsa ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: Near Uttaṅka’s hermitage, that dreadful, mighty being—Dhundhu, the son of Madhu and Kaiṭabha—lay in a tract of desert, relying on the power of his austerities and intent on the destruction of all the worlds. Lying close to Uttaṅka’s āśrama, he breathed in and out, scattering fiery sparks with every breath.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that tapas (ascetic power) is ethically neutral: when guided by dharma it protects and purifies, but when driven by destructive intent it becomes a cosmic danger. Power without restraint and right purpose turns into adharma.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes a fearsome being named Dhundhu, son of Madhu and Kaiṭabha, lying in a desert near the sage Uttaṅka’s hermitage. With every breath he emits fiery sparks, and his presence threatens the safety of the āśrama and even the worlds.