Shloka 3
Duryodhana’s Śaraṇāgati and the Pāṇḍavas’ Resolve
Gandharva Encounter
स्वाह्मोवाच दक्षस्याहं प्रिया कन्या स्वाहा नाम महाभुज । बाल्यात्प्रभृति नित्यं च जातकामा हुताशने,स्वाहा बोली--महाबाहो! मैं प्रजापति दक्षकी प्रिय पुत्री हूँ, मेरा नाम स्वाहा है। मैं बचपनसे ही सदा अग्निदेवके प्रति अनुराग रखती आयी हूँ
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | svāhā uvāca dakṣasyāhaṃ priyā kanyā svāhā nāma mahābhuja | bālyātprabhṛti nityaṃ ca jātakāmā hutāśane ||
Svāhā dijo: «Oh, de poderosos brazos: soy la amada hija de Dakṣa, el Prajāpati; mi nombre es Svāhā. Desde mi niñez he llevado sin cesar deseo y honda devoción por Hutāśana (Agni).»
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames desire as a powerful inner force that can persist from early life; ethically, it invites reflection on how personal longing—especially toward the divine—should be understood, acknowledged, and guided within dharmic boundaries rather than denied or left unchecked.
Within Markandeya’s narration, Svāhā introduces herself to a heroic listener, identifying her parentage as Dakṣa’s daughter and confessing that she has long harbored love/desire for Agni (Hutāśana), setting up the ensuing episode about her relationship with the fire-god.