Shloka 27
Araṇi Lost to the Deer: Pāṇḍavas Pursue to Preserve Agnihotra (अरणी-हरण प्रसङ्गः)
तां तु पच्मपलाशाक्षीं ज्वलन्तीमिव तेजसा | न कश्चिद् वरयामास तेजसा प्रतिवारित:,उसके नेत्रयुगल विकसित नील कमलदलके समान मनोहर थे। वह अपने तेजसे प्रज्वयलित-सी जान पड़ती थी। उसके तेजसे प्रतिहत हो जानेके कारण कोई भी राजा या राजकुमार उसका वरण नहीं कर सका
tāṃ tu padmapalāśākṣīṃ jvalantīm iva tejasā | na kaścid varayāmāsa tejasā prativāritaḥ ||
But she—lotus-petal-eyed—seemed as though aflame with her own radiance. Repelled and held back by that very splendor, no king or prince dared to seek her hand.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tejas—an inner radiance born of virtue, power, or purity—as a force that naturally commands respect. When such splendor is present, ordinary desire and entitlement are checked; people restrain themselves, recognizing a higher order of worth and dignity.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes a woman of extraordinary beauty and radiance, likened to a flame. Because her tejas seems overwhelming, no king (and by extension no prince) comes forward to choose her or seek her in marriage, as they feel repelled or held back by her splendor.