Mahabharata 3.286.2 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 286, Shloka 2

Karṇa–Sūrya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dāna, and the Amoghā Śakti (कर्ण–सूर्यसंवादः)

Devanagari script

रावण: संविध॑ चक्रे लड़कायां शास्त्रनिर्मिताम्‌ । प्रकृत्यैव दुराधर्षा दृढप्राकारतोरणा

Transliteration

rāvaṇaḥ saṃvidhaṃ cakre laṅkāyāṃ śāstra-nirmitām | prakṛtyaiva durādharṣā dṛḍha-prākāra-toraṇā ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: Rāvaṇa set in order within Laṅkā the defenses and war-apparatus constructed according to the prescriptions of the śāstras. By its very nature Laṅkā was hard to assail—its ramparts and gate-arches were exceedingly firm—so that reaching it and overcoming it would be extremely difficult for any attacker.

Word by Word

• {'rāvaṇaḥ': 'Rāvaṇa (proper name), the rākṣasa king', 'saṃvidham': 'arrangement, preparation, organization (of measures/defenses)', 'cakre': 'made, carried out, instituted', 'laṅkāyām': 'in Laṅkā (locative)', 'śāstra-nirmitām': 'constructed according to śāstra

• made by prescribed methods/technical treatises', 'prakṛtyā eva': 'by nature itself

• inherently', 'durādharṣā': 'hard to assail, difficult to overpower', 'dṛḍha': 'firm, strong, solid', 'prākāra': 'rampart, enclosing wall, fortification', 'toraṇā': 'gateway, gate-arch, main entrance structure'}

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Rāvaṇa
• Laṅkā
• fortifications (prākāra)
• gateways (toraṇa)
• śāstra-prescribed war apparatus/defenses

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Technical preparedness and ‘śāstra-based’ organization can strengthen worldly power, but it does not confer righteousness. The verse implicitly contrasts external security (walls and gates) with the ethical insecurity of adharma: strong defenses may delay defeat, not avert the moral consequences of wrongful intent.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes Rāvaṇa arranging and stockpiling Laṅkā’s war-defenses according to prescribed methods. Laṅkā is portrayed as naturally formidable due to its strong ramparts and gateways, making it difficult for enemies to attack or even reach.