Shloka 2
भद्रवटगमनम् — स्कन्देन महिषदानवनिग्रहः
Bhadravaṭa Procession and Skanda’s Neutralization of Mahiṣa
अचरन्त तपस्तीव्रं पुत्रार्थ बहुवार्षिकम् । पुत्रं लभेम धर्मिष्ठं यशसा ब्रह्मणा समम्
acarant tapas tīvraṁ putrārthaṁ bahuvārṣikam | putraṁ labhema dharmiṣṭhaṁ yaśasā brahmaṇā samam ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “For the sake of obtaining a son, we practiced severe austerities for many years, praying that we might be granted a son of the highest righteousness—one whose fame would be equal to that of Brahmā.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ideal that even when seeking worldly blessings (like progeny), one should desire a child grounded in dharma and virtue, and pursue the goal through disciplined tapas rather than mere craving.
Mārkaṇḍeya recounts a past episode: he (speaking in a collective sense) undertook long, intense austerities with the specific wish to obtain a son distinguished by righteousness and renowned like Brahmā.