Shloka 3
Duryodhana’s Śaraṇāgati and the Pāṇḍavas’ Resolve
Gandharva Encounter
स्वाह्मोवाच दक्षस्याहं प्रिया कन्या स्वाहा नाम महाभुज । बाल्यात्प्रभृति नित्यं च जातकामा हुताशने,स्वाहा बोली--महाबाहो! मैं प्रजापति दक्षकी प्रिय पुत्री हूँ, मेरा नाम स्वाहा है। मैं बचपनसे ही सदा अग्निदेवके प्रति अनुराग रखती आयी हूँ
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | svāhā uvāca dakṣasyāhaṃ priyā kanyā svāhā nāma mahābhuja | bālyātprabhṛti nityaṃ ca jātakāmā hutāśane ||
Svāhā said: “O mighty-armed one, I am the beloved daughter of Dakṣa, named Svāhā. From my very childhood I have continually borne desire and deep attachment for Hutāśana (Agni).”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames desire as a powerful inner force that can persist from early life; ethically, it invites reflection on how personal longing—especially toward the divine—should be understood, acknowledged, and guided within dharmic boundaries rather than denied or left unchecked.
Within Markandeya’s narration, Svāhā introduces herself to a heroic listener, identifying her parentage as Dakṣa’s daughter and confessing that she has long harbored love/desire for Agni (Hutāśana), setting up the ensuing episode about her relationship with the fire-god.