Shloka 16
अरण्यकपर्व — मार्कण्डेयकथिते रामविजयः, सीताशुद्धिः, अयोध्याप्रत्यागमनवर्णनम्
Rāma’s victory, Sītā’s vindication, and return to Ayodhyā as told by Mārkaṇḍeya
ईशानेन तथा सख्यं पुत्र च नलकूबरम् । राजधानीनिवेशं च लड्कां रक्षोगणान्विताम्,पितामहने उनकी महादेवजीसे मैत्री करायी, उन्हें नलकूबर नामक पुत्र दिया तथा राक्षसोंसे भरी हुई लंकाको उनकी राजधानी बनायी
īśānena tathā sakhyaṃ putra ca nalakūbaram | rājadhānī-niveśaṃ ca laṅkāṃ rakṣogaṇānvitām ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Further, he was brought into friendship with Īśāna (Śiva); he was granted a son named Nalakūbara; and Laṅkā—teeming with hosts of rākṣasas—was established for him as his royal capital.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how political power and security in epic narrative are often framed as outcomes of divine alliances and boons; such gifts (friendship with Śiva, heirs, a fortified capital) carry ethical weight because they can be used either to uphold order or to intensify adharma depending on the recipient’s conduct.
Mārkaṇḍeya lists extraordinary endowments: an alliance with Īśāna (Śiva), the granting of a son named Nalakūbara, and the establishment of Laṅkā—populated by rākṣasa hosts—as a royal capital, describing the rise and empowerment of a formidable lineage/realm.