Shloka 193
मातापितृपूजन-प्रधानधर्मः (Primacy of Filial Service) — Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of the Vyādha’s Instruction
अर्णवं खानयामास कुवलाश्वो महीपति: । कुरुनन्दन! उस समय भगवान् नारायणके तेजसे परिपुष्ट हो राजा कुवलाश्व अपने उन पुत्रोंके साथ वहाँ जा पहुँचे और शीघ्र ही चारों ओरसे उस बालुकामय समुद्रको खुदवाने लगे
arṇavaṃ khānayāmāsa kuvalāśvo mahīpatiḥ | kurunandana! tadā bhagavan-nārāyaṇa-tejasā paripuṣṭo rājā kuvalāśvaḥ svaiḥ putraiḥ saha tatra samupāgamat, śīghraṃ ca sarvataḥ taṃ bālukāmayaṃ samudraṃ khānayituṃ pravavṛte |
Markandeya said: “O delight of the Kurus, King Kuvalāśva, strengthened by the splendor of Lord Nārāyaṇa, arrived there together with his sons. Without delay, they set to work from every side, digging out that sea made of sand. The episode highlights how royal resolve, when aligned with divine support and disciplined effort, can confront even seemingly impossible obstacles.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores that determined action (puruṣakāra) becomes especially effective when grounded in dharma and supported by devotion to the divine; obstacles that appear insurmountable can be met through disciplined, collective effort empowered by higher grace.
Mārkaṇḍeya narrates to Yudhiṣṭhira that King Kuvalāśva, empowered by Nārāyaṇa’s radiance, arrives with his sons and immediately begins excavating a ‘sea of sand’ from all sides—an extraordinary undertaking that sets the stage for the ensuing events of the legend.