Shloka 13
कुन्ती द्वारा ब्राह्मण-सेवा
Kuntī’s Regulated Hospitality to a Brāhmaṇa Guest
गदाभि: परिघैश्वैव राक्षसों जध्निवान् कपिम् | कपिश्न जध्निवान् रक्ष: सस्कन्धविटपैट्रुमै:
gadābhiḥ parighaiś caiva rākṣaso jadhnivān kapim | kapiś ca jadhnivān rakṣaḥ sa-skandha-viṭapair drumaiḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: The rākṣasa struck down the monkey with maces and iron clubs; and the monkey, in turn, struck down the rākṣasa with trees—trunks still bearing their branches and boughs.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the escalation and reciprocity of violence: brute force invites an answering force. Ethically, it serves as a narrative reminder that unchecked aggression tends to multiply, and that strength without restraint leads to cycles of retaliation.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes a direct fight between a rākṣasa and a monkey: the rākṣasa attacks using maces and iron clubs, while the monkey retaliates by wielding uprooted trees with their trunks and branches.