Shloka 17
Sāvitrī’s Report and Nārada’s Prognosis (सावित्र्याख्यान—सत्यवान्-गुणवर्णनं तथा अल्पायुषः पूर्वसूचना)
अद्य कैकेयि दौर्भाग्यं राज्ञा ते ख्यापितं महत् | आशीविष्त्त्वां संक्रुद्धश्वण्डो दशतु दुर्भगे
adya kaikeyi daurbhāgyaṃ rājñā te khyāpitaṃ mahat | āśīviṣṭvāṃ saṃkruddhaś caṇḍo daśatu durbhage ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Today, O Kaikeyī, the king has publicly proclaimed a great misfortune for you. O ill-fated queen! It would have been better if a fierce, enraged venomous serpent had bitten you.” The utterance conveys moral censure: a ruler’s condemnation and public blame are portrayed as a grievous consequence of wrongdoing, worse than bodily harm, because it stains one’s reputation and dharmic standing.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public moral condemnation by rightful authority is depicted as a severe consequence of adharma; loss of honor and dharmic standing can be worse than physical suffering.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses Kaikeyī with harsh reproach, stating that the king has declared great misfortune for her and that it would have been preferable for her to be bitten by a fierce venomous snake—an emphatic expression of blame.