Shloka 17
मरुत्तोपाख्यान-प्रस्तावः — Genealogy to Marutta and the Logistics of Royal Sacrifice
तस्य कारन्धम: पुत्रस्त्रेतायुगमुखेड भवत् । इन्द्रादनवर: श्रीमान् देवैरपि सुदुर्जय:,करन्धमके त्रेतायुगके आरम्भमें एक कान्तिमान् पुत्र हुआ, जो कारन्धम कहलाया। वह इन्द्रसे किसी भी बातमें कम नहीं था। उसे परास्त करना देवताओंके लिये भी अत्यन्त कठिन था
tasya kārandhamaḥ putras tretāyuga-mukhe 'bhavat | indrād anavaraḥ śrīmān devair api sudurjayaḥ ||
Vyāsa said: At the very dawn of the Tretā-yuga, he had a son named Kārandhama. Radiant and illustrious, that son was in no way inferior to Indra; even the gods would have found him exceedingly difficult to defeat. The passage underscores the ideal of extraordinary royal prowess and splendor—power that commands respect even from celestial beings—while situating it within the grand chronology of the yugas.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ideal of exceptional kṣatriya potency and splendor: a ruler may become so eminent that he is described as ‘not inferior to Indra,’ implying that true greatness combines radiance (śrī), strength, and an almost divine level of authority.
Vyāsa continues a genealogical account, stating that at the start of the Tretā-yuga a son named Kārandhama was born, renowned for being Indra-like in excellence and so formidable that even the gods would struggle to conquer him.