Shloka 22
Duryodhana’s Śaraṇāgati and the Pāṇḍavas’ Resolve
Gandharva Encounter
तेन वीरेण शुशुभे स शैल: शुभकानन: । आदित्येनेवांशुमता मन्दरश्वलारुकन्दर:,जैसे अंशुमाली सूर्यके उदयसे मनोहर कन्दरावाले मन्दराचलकी शोभा होती है, उसी प्रकार वीरवर स्कन्दके निवाससे सुन्दर वनवाले उस श्वेतगिरिकी शोभा बढ़ गयी थी
tena vīreṇa śuśubhe sa śailaḥ śubhakānanaḥ | ādityenevāṃśumatā mandaraś cārukandaraḥ ||
That mountain, graced with auspicious forests, shone all the more because of that heroic one’s presence. Just as the Mandara mountain, with its lovely caves, becomes radiant at the rise of the sun with its beams, so too did Śvetagiri’s beauty increase when the foremost hero Skanda made it his abode.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the presence of a great and virtuous power (here, the heroic Skanda) enhances the splendor of a place—suggesting that excellence and sanctity are not merely inherent but are intensified by association with the noble, much as sunlight reveals and magnifies natural beauty.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes a mountain landscape: Śvetagiri, rich in fine forests, becomes especially radiant because Skanda dwells there. The poet reinforces this with a simile: Mandara shines when the sun rises, so Śvetagiri shines with Skanda’s residence.