Shloka 16

Devanagari script

शरीराद्‌ विविधाश्रान्ये धातवोडस्थाभवन्‌ नृप । एवं त्यक्त्वा शरीरं च परमे तपसि स्थित:,राजन्‌! सह अग्निके शरीरसे अन्य नाना प्रकारके धातु उत्पन्न हुए। इस प्रकार शरीर त्यागकर वे बड़ी भारी तपस्यामें लग गये

Transliteration

śarīrād vividhāny anye dhātavo 'sthābhavan nṛpa | evaṃ tyaktvā śarīraṃ ca parame tapasi sthitaḥ ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: O king, from the body there arose various other constituents, and even the bones came forth. Thus, having cast off the body, he remained established in the highest austerity.

Word by Word

शरीरात्from the body

विविधाःvarious

अन्येother

धातवःconstituents/elements (dhātus)

उदस्थाभवन्arose/appeared

नृपO king

एवम्thus

त्यक्त्वाhaving abandoned

शरीरम्the body

चand

परमेin the supreme

तपसिausterity/penance

स्थितःremained/was established

राजन्O king

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

nṛpa (the king addressed, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira in context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights steadfastness in tapas and vairāgya (detachment): true spiritual discipline is not dependent on bodily comfort or even bodily continuity; the aspirant remains fixed in the highest aim despite physical dissolution.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes an extreme ascetic episode: bodily constituents (dhātus) and bones are said to arise/separate from the body, and the ascetic, having abandoned the body, continues established in supreme austerity.