Shloka 13
भद्रवटगमनम् — स्कन्देन महिषदानवनिग्रहः
Bhadravaṭa Procession and Skanda’s Neutralization of Mahiṣa
सुरप्रवीरं वीरं॑ च सुरेशं च सुवर्चसम् । सुराणामपि हन्तारं पञ्चैतानसृजत् तपः,तदनन्तर पाञ्चजन्यने सुरप्रवीर, वीर, सुरेश, सुवर्चा तथा सुरहन्ता--इन पाँचोंको प्रकट किया
surapravīraṃ vīraṃ ca sureśaṃ ca suvarcasam | surāṇām api hantāraṃ pañcaitān asṛjat tapaḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Then ascetic power brought forth these five—Surapravīra, Vīra, Sureśa, Suvarcas, and even Surahantā, a slayer of the gods. Thus, through the force of tapas, formidable powers were manifested, showing how concentrated austerity can generate might that may uphold or imperil cosmic order, according to its use.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tapas as a potent creative force: spiritual austerity can manifest extraordinary power. Implicitly, such power is ethically ambivalent—its value depends on whether it is aligned with dharma or becomes destructive (as suggested by the figure called ‘slayer of the gods’).
Mārkaṇḍeya describes the emergence/creation of five formidable figures—Surapravīra, Vīra, Sureśa, Suvarcas, and Surahantā—brought forth by the force of asceticism (tapas), indicating a consequential turning point where new powerful agents enter the story.