Shloka 69
Sūrya’s Counsel to Karṇa on Indra’s Intended Request
Kuṇḍala–Kavaca Discourse
धारिता येन वैदेही कालमेतमनिन्दिता । प्रत्ययर्थ कथां चेमां कथयामास जानकी,उन्होंने ही तुम्हारे-जैसे मन्सत्रियोंसे युक्त सुग्रीवका परिचय दिया है। वत्स! अब तुम भगवान् श्रीरामके पास जाओ।” ऐसा कहकर सती साध्वी सीताने अपनी पहचानके लिये यह एक मणि दी, जिसको धारण करके वे अबतक अपने प्राणोंकी रक्षा करती आयी हैं। जानकीने विश्वास दिलानेके लिये यह एक कथा भी सुनायी थी--
dhāritā yena vaidehī kālam etam aninditā | pratyayārthaṃ kathāṃ cemāṃ kathayāmāsa jānakī ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “The blameless Vaidehī has been sustained by that token through all this time. And, in order to establish trust, Jānakī also recounted this very account.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical principle: when trust is strained, one should provide credible grounds for conviction (pratyaya). It also affirms Sītā’s irreproachable character (aninditā), suggesting that moral integrity and truthful testimony must be supported by recognizable signs or reliable narration in critical situations.
Mārkaṇḍeya, narrating events, states that Sītā (Vaidehī/Jānakī) has preserved herself through a sustaining token and, to make others believe her identity and situation, she told an explanatory account meant to generate trust (pratyayārtham). The verse functions as a narrative bridge introducing the proof-and-message motif.