मर्द नामाहुतिमयं व्यादितास्यं महामुनि: । तस्य दन्तसहस््रं तु बभूव शतयोजनम्
marda nāmāhutimayaṃ vyāditāsyaṃ mahāmuniḥ | tasya dantahasraṃ tu babhūva śatayojanam ||
Cyavana dit : «Le grand sage, par une oblation jetée dans le feu—faite de l’offrande elle-même—fit surgir un être nommé Marda, se tenant là, la bouche grande ouverte. Dans sa bouche se trouvaient mille dents, chacune haute de cent yojanas.»
च्यवन उवाच
The episode underscores that tapas and righteous ritual power can restrain even the gods; pride and coercion invite corrective consequences, while dharma-backed austerity commands moral authority.
A great sage performs an oblation into fire and produces a terrifying being named Marda, described with an enormous gaping mouth and colossal teeth—an omen-like force meant to threaten and subdue divine opposition (notably Indra in the broader passage).