Shloka 4
Duryodhana’s Śaraṇāgati and the Pāṇḍavas’ Resolve
Gandharva Encounter
नस मां कामिनी पुत्र सम्यक् जानाति पावक: । इच्छामि शाश्रतं वासं वस्तुं पुत्र सहाग्निना,पुत्र! परंतु अग्निदिवको इस बातका अच्छी तरह पता नहीं है कि मैं उन्हें चाहती हूँ। बेटा! मेरी यह हार्दिक अभिलाषा है कि मैं नित्य-निरन्तर अग्निदेवके ही साथ निवास करूँ
na sa māṁ kāminī putra samyak jānāti pāvakaḥ | icchāmi śāśvataṁ vāsaṁ vastuṁ putra sahāgninā ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “My son, that woman, lost in desire, does not truly understand me—nor does Agni, the Fire-god, fully know what I seek. My heart’s wish is this: to dwell forever together with the Fire-god.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical primacy of inner intention over outward assumptions: even powerful beings (and those driven by desire) may misunderstand another’s true resolve; one should discern and honor the sincere, inwardly held vow or aspiration.
Mārkaṇḍeya reports a woman’s misunderstanding and adds that even Agni does not fully grasp his (or the speaker’s) true wish; the speaker then states a firm resolve to live perpetually in association with Agni, indicating a decisive commitment rather than a transient impulse.