Shloka 11
अरण्यकपर्व — मार्कण्डेयकथिते रामविजयः, सीताशुद्धिः, अयोध्याप्रत्यागमनवर्णनम्
Rāma’s victory, Sītā’s vindication, and return to Ayodhyā as told by Mārkaṇḍeya
पितामहो रावणस्य साक्षाद् देव: प्रजापति: । स्वयम्भू: सर्वलोकानां प्रभु: स्रष्टा महातपा:,सम्पूर्ण जगत्के स्वामी, सबकी सृष्टि करनेवाले, प्रजापालक, महातपस्वी और स्वयम्भू साक्षात् भगवान् ब्रह्माजी ही रावणके पितामह थे
pitāmaho rāvaṇasya sākṣād devaḥ prajāpatiḥ | svayambhūḥ sarvalokānāṁ prabhuḥ sraṣṭā mahātapāḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Rāvaṇa’s grandsire was none other than the divine Prajāpati—Svayambhū Brahmā himself—the lord of all worlds, the great ascetic, and the creator.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that even if one’s ancestry is supremely exalted—reaching to Brahmā himself—moral worth depends on one’s own adherence to dharma, not on pedigree.
Mārkaṇḍeya is explaining Rāvaṇa’s origins, identifying his grandsire as Prajāpati Svayambhū Brahmā, thereby situating Rāvaṇa within a cosmic genealogy while setting up reflection on how such origins contrast with later unrighteous actions.