Shloka 59
Sūrya’s Counsel to Karṇa on Indra’s Intended Request
Kuṇḍala–Kavaca Discourse
ततः पितरमाविश्य पुप्लवे5हं महार्णवम् । शतयोजनविस्तीर्ण निहत्य जलराक्षसीम्,“जब कोई भी समुद्रको लाँधघनेका साहस न कर सका, तब मैं अपने पिता वायुके स्वरूपमें प्रविष्ट होकर वह सौ योजन विस्तृत महासागर लाँध गया। उस समय समुद्रके जलमें एक राक्षसी रहती थी, जिसे अपने मार्गमें विघ्न डालनेपर मैंने मार डाला था
tataḥ pitaram āviśya puplave'haṃ mahārṇavam | śatayojanavistīrṇaṃ nihatya jalarākṣasīm ||
Entonces, entrando en la forma de mi padre—haciéndome uno con Vāyu—salté sobre el vasto océano, de cien yojanas de anchura. En aquellas aguas moraba una rākṣasī que quiso impedir mi paso; cuando se convirtió en obstáculo para la tarea, la abatí.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Determination and skillful means are praised: when a righteous objective faces an overwhelming barrier, one may seek higher support (here, identification with Vāyu) and proceed without fear. Ethically, violence is framed as reactive and limited—used to neutralize an active obstruction rather than for conquest.
Mārkaṇḍeya recounts that he assumed his father’s (Vāyu’s) form and leapt across a vast ocean said to be a hundred yojanas wide. During the crossing, a water-dwelling rākṣasī tried to hinder him, and he killed her to clear his path.