Shloka 11
Āraṇyaka Parva, Adhyāya 233 — Pandavas Mobilize; Arjuna’s Conciliation and the Onset of Combat
स्कन्ददेव! आप ब्राह्मणहितैषी, ब्रह्मात्मज, ब्रह्मवेत्ता, ब्रह्मनिष्ठ, ब्रह्मज्ञानियोंमें श्रेष्ठ, ब्राह्मणप्रिय, ब्राह्मणोंके समान व्रतधारी, ब्रह्मज्ञ तथा ब्राह्मणोंके नेता हैं
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca: skandadeva! āp brāhmaṇa-hitaiṣī, brahmātmaja, brahma-vettā, brahma-niṣṭha, brahma-jñāniṣu śreṣṭha, brāhmaṇa-priya, brāhmaṇavat vrata-dhārī, brahma-jña tathā brāhmaṇānāṃ netā asi.
Dijo Mārkaṇḍeya: «¡Oh Señor Skanda! Eres bienhechor de los brāhmaṇas: nacido de Brahmā, conocedor del Brahman, firme en el Brahman, el primero entre quienes poseen el saber del Brahman. Eres querido por los brāhmaṇas; observas votos como los brāhmaṇas; tú mismo conoces el Brahman; y te alzas como guía y protector de la comunidad brāhmaṇa.»
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ideal divine leadership as grounded in brahma-jñāna (spiritual realization) and brāhmaṇa-hita (support of learning, ritual order, and ethical discipline). Authority is legitimized not merely by power but by steadfastness in truth (brahma-niṣṭhā) and protective guidance of the custodians of dharma.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses Skanda with a formal eulogy, listing honorific epithets that establish Skanda’s spiritual pedigree (son of Brahmā), his realization (knower of Brahman), and his social-ethical role (beloved leader and benefactor of Brahmins). This praise typically functions to invoke Skanda’s attention and favor before a request, teaching, or boon.