Shloka 37
सूर्य–कर्णोपदेशः
Sūrya’s Counsel to Karṇa on Kīrti and the Kuṇḍala
यद्येवं याचतो मार्ग न प्रदास्यति मे भवान् | शरैस्त्वां शोषयिष्यामि दिव्यास्त्रप्रतिमन्त्रितै:,“यदि इस प्रकार याचना करनेपर तुम मुझे मार्ग न दोगे तो मैं दिव्यास्त्रोंसे अभिमन्त्रित बाणोंद्वारा तुम्हें सुखा दूँगा”
yadyevaṁ yācato mārgaṁ na pradāsyati me bhavān | śaraistvāṁ śoṣayiṣyāmi divyāstrapratimantritaiḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “If, even after my request, you will not grant me passage, then I shall dry you up with arrows empowered by divine weapons and charged with their counter-mantras.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical pivot from respectful petition to coercion when a legitimate request (safe passage) is denied. It invites reflection on dharma: when refusal blocks rightful movement, the speaker claims recourse to power—yet the escalation also warns how quickly force can replace dialogue, even when backed by sacred means.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses an unnamed opponent/obstructor who is refusing to grant him a path. He issues a direct ultimatum: if passage is not given despite his request, he will use arrows empowered through divine-weapon lore and counter-mantras to ‘dry up’ the other—i.e., to subdue or destroy through supernatural martial power.