Shloka 16
Manoḥ Carita
The Account of Manu Vaivasvata and the Mātsyaka Flood Narrative
मृतो हायमुपानीत: कथं जीवितमाप्तवान् । किमेतत् तपसो वीर्य येनायं जीवित: पुनः,“ये मरे हुए मुनि यहाँ कैसे लाये गये और किस प्रकार इन्हें जीवन मिला? क्या यह तपस्याकी ही शक्ति है, जिससे फिर ये जीवित हो गये?
mṛto hāyam upānītaḥ kathaṃ jīvitam āptavān | kim etat tapaso vīryaṃ yenāyaṃ jīvitaḥ punaḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “This one was dead—how was he brought here, and how did he regain life? Is it the potency of austerity that has done this, by which he has been made alive again?”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the traditional Mahābhārata idea that tapas (austerity and disciplined spiritual practice) can generate extraordinary potency, prompting reflection on the ethical and spiritual sources of power rather than mere physical causation.
Mārkaṇḍeya expresses astonishment that someone who had died has been brought back and revived, and he asks whether this reversal of death has occurred through the force of ascetic practice.