Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 18, Shloka 38
Adhyaya 18 — Arjuna Declines the Throne; Garga Directs Him to Dattatreya; The Gods Defeat the Daityas through Dattatreya’s Vision and the Movement of Lakshmi
तमेव विविशुर्दैत्याḥ कालयन्तो दिवौकसः ।
ददृशुश्च महात्मानं दत्तात्रेयं महाबलम् ॥
tam eva viviśur daityāḥ kālayanto divaukasaḥ | dadṛśuś ca mahātmānaṃ dattātreyaṃ mahābalam ||
वे दैत्य उसी स्थान में प्रविष्ट होकर स्वर्गवासियों को पीड़ित करने लगे; और वहाँ उन्होंने महात्मा, महाबली दत्तात्रेय को देखा।
FAQs
Aggression against the righteous (here, the celestials) leads the Daityas into the orbit of a higher spiritual power (Dattātreya). The verse sets up a contrast between brute force and the subtler force of dharma/tejas embodied by a mahātmā.
This passage is primarily Ākhyāna (narrative) supporting dharma-teaching, not a direct sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita unit, though it can be grouped under vaṃśānucarita-style moralized episodes about notable beings.
Dattātreya functions as the axis of higher consciousness before which lower impulses are exposed. The ‘entering’ of the Daityas symbolizes the intrusion of rajasic/tamasic tendencies into a sattvic field—where they become self-revealing.