Shloka 4
भद्रवटगमनम् — स्कन्देन महिषदानवनिग्रहः
Bhadravaṭa Procession and Skanda’s Neutralization of Mahiṣa
समिद्धो5ग्नि: शिरस्तस्य बाहू सूर्यनिभौ तथा । त्वड्नेत्रे च सुवर्णाभे कृष्णे जड्घे च भारत
samiddho 'gniḥ śirastasya bāhū sūryanibhau tathā | tvag-netre ca suvarṇābhe kṛṣṇe jaṅghe ca bhārata ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “His head blazed like a kindled fire; his two arms shone like the sun. His skin and eyes gleamed with the luster of gold, O Bhārata; yet his shanks appeared dark.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment: extraordinary beings or events may present mixed outward signs, so one should not judge hastily by appearance but attend carefully to meaning, context, and dharmic implications.
Mārkaṇḍeya is describing the striking physical features of a remarkable person—head like blazing fire, arms like the sun, eyes and skin like gold, but dark shanks—using vivid similes to convey awe and otherworldly presence.