Shloka 17

Duryodhana’s Śaraṇāgati and the Pāṇḍavas’ Resolve

Gandharva Encounter

Devanagari script

एवमेते पिशाचानामसंख्येया गणा: स्मृता: । घण्टाया: सपताकाया: शृणु मे सम्भवं नृप,इस प्रकार ये पिशाचोंके असंख्य गण बताये गये हैं। राजन! अब तुम मुझसे स्कन्दके घण्टे और पताकाकी उत्पत्तिका वृत्तान्त सुनो

Transliteration

evam ete piśācānām asaṅkhyeyā gaṇāḥ smṛtāḥ | ghaṇṭāyāḥ sapatākāyāḥ śṛṇu me sambhavaṃ nṛpa ||

Translation

“Thus have the countless hosts of Piśācas been recalled. Now, O king, listen from me to the account of the origin of the bell and the banner (associated with Skanda).”

Word by Word

• {'evam': 'thus, in this manner', 'ete': 'these', 'piśācānām': 'of the Piśācas (ghoulish spirits/demonic beings)', 'asaṅkhyeyāḥ': 'innumerable, beyond counting', 'gaṇāḥ': 'groups, hosts, troops', 'smṛtāḥ': 'are remembered/declared as, are said to be', 'ghaṇṭāyāḥ': 'of the bell', 'sapatākāyāḥ': 'together with the banner

• of the bannered (emblem/flag)', 'śṛṇu': 'hear, listen', 'me': 'from me, my', 'sambhavam': 'origin, coming-into-being, account of birth', 'nṛpa': 'O king'}

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Nṛpa (the king)
• Piśācas
• Skanda
• Ghaṇṭā (bell)
• Patākā (banner/flag)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models disciplined transmission of tradition: after enumerating even fearsome beings, the sage guides the king toward understanding the origins and meaning of sacred martial emblems (bell and banner), implying that knowledge should be received in sequence and with attentive listening.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya concludes a description of the innumerable Piśāca hosts and then transitions to a new topic, inviting the king to hear the origin-story of Skanda’s bell and banner.