Shloka 22
Adhyāya 227: Duryodhana’s Deliberation and the Ghoṣa-yātrā Pretext
Dvaita-vana
तमप्रतिबलं दृष्टवा विषण्णवदनास्तु ता:,परंतु स्कन्दका अप्रतिम बल देखकर उनके मुखपर उदासी छा गयी। वे सोचने लगीं --“इस वीरको पराजित करना असम्भव है।' ऐसा निश्चय होनेपर वे उन्हींकी शरणमें गयीं और बोलीं--“महाबली कुमार! तुम हमारे पुत्र हो जाओ, हमें माता मान लो
tam apratibalaṃ dṛṣṭvā viṣaṇṇavadanās tu tāḥ | parantu skandakaṃ apratima-balaṃ dṛṣṭvā mukheṣv udāsīnatā samapadyata | te cintayām āsuḥ—“asya vīrasya parājayo ’sambhavaḥ” iti | evaṃ niścitya tāḥ tasyaiva śaraṇaṃ jagmuḥ, ūcuś ca—“mahābali kumāra! tvaṃ asmākaṃ putro bhava; asmān mātṝn manyasva” iti |
Mārkaṇḍeya said: Seeing him as one whom they could not withstand, the women’s faces fell into dejection. When they beheld Skandaka, whose strength was incomparable, they reflected, “It is impossible to defeat this hero.” Having come to that decision, they sought refuge in him and said, “O mighty prince, become our son; accept us as your mothers.” The episode frames surrender not as weakness but as a dharmic choice when violence is futile—turning from hostility to protection through kinship and supplication.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When opposition is futile and violence would be fruitless, dharma may lie in seeking refuge and transforming enmity into a protective relationship. The women choose śaraṇāgati—appealing to the hero’s capacity to protect rather than escalating conflict.
The women see Skandaka’s unmatched strength, become disheartened at the prospect of defeating him, conclude it is impossible, and therefore approach him for protection, asking him to become their son and to regard them as mothers.