Shloka 18
Adhyāya 227: Duryodhana’s Deliberation and the Ghoṣa-yātrā Pretext
Dvaita-vana
अविषदह्ाबलं स्कन्दं जहि शक्राशु माचिरम् । यदि वा न निहंस्येन देवेन्द्रोडयं भविष्यति
aviṣahā-balaṁ skandaṁ jahi śakrāśu mā ciram | yadi vā na nihanyasye nara-indro ’yaṁ bhaviṣyati ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O Śakra (Indra), quickly strike down Skanda, whose strength is unbearable—do not delay. For if you do not slay him, this one will become the lord of men (a rival sovereign), eclipsing your own supremacy.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the anxiety that unchecked power can overturn established order: delay in confronting a rising force may lead to loss of sovereignty. Ethically, it frames a warning about timely action in governance and the consequences of hesitation when a threat is perceived.
Mārkaṇḍeya urges Indra (Śakra) to act immediately against Skanda, describing him as irresistibly powerful. He warns that if Indra does not kill him, Skanda (or the one indicated as ‘this’) will become a ‘nara-indra’—a dominant ruler—implying a challenge to Indra’s supremacy.