Shloka 13
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Consolation to the King: Exempla of Rāma and the Efficacy of Allies (मार्कण्डेयाश्वासनम्)
कुम्भकर्णो बलेनासीत् सर्वेभ्यो5भ्यधिको युधि । मायावी रणशौण्डश्न रौद्रश्न रजनीचर:,सर्वे वेदविद: शूरा: सर्वे सुचरितव्रता: । ऊषुः: पित्रा सह रता गन्धमादनपर्वते वे सभी बालक वेददवेत्ता, शूरवीर तथा ब्रह्मचर्यव्रतका पालन करनेवाले थे और अपने पिताके साथ गन्धमादन पर्वतपर सुखपूर्वक रहते थे
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca |
kumbhakarṇo balenāsīt sarvebhyo 'bhyadhiko yudhi |
māyāvī raṇaśauṇḍaś ca raudraś ca rajanīcaraḥ |
sarve vedavidaḥ śūrāḥ sarve sucaritavratāḥ |
ūṣuḥ pitrā saha ratā gandhamādana-parvate ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Kumbhakarṇa, by sheer strength, surpassed all others in battle. He was also a master of guile, a fierce reveler in warfare, and a terrifying night-roaming being. All of them were knowers of the Vedas, heroic, and steadfast in well-conducted vows. Content and devoted, they lived happily with their father on Mount Gandhamādana.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes martial excellence and fearsome nature (strength, battle-fervor, guile) with markers of cultivated discipline (Vedic knowledge and well-observed vows). It suggests that prowess and learning can coexist, but their ethical direction depends on character and the ends to which such capacities are applied.
Mārkaṇḍeya is describing Kumbhakarṇa and his group, emphasizing Kumbhakarṇa’s superiority in battle and their collective traits—heroism, Vedic learning, and disciplined observances—while noting that they lived contentedly with their father on Mount Gandhamādana.