Shloka 23

Devanagari script

अशक्यो<यं विचिन्त्यैवं तमेव शरणं ययु: । ऊचुश्नैनं त्वमस्माकं पुत्रो भव महाबल,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

Transliteration

aśakyo ’yaṃ vicintyāivaṃ tam eva śaraṇaṃ yayuḥ | ūcuś cainaṃ tvam asmākaṃ putro bhava mahābala ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: Reflecting thus, they concluded, “This one cannot be overcome.” Therefore they went to him alone for refuge and said to him, “O mighty one, become our son; accept us as your mothers.” The passage highlights a turn from rivalry to surrender, where recognition of superior strength leads to seeking protection and forming a moral bond of kinship rather than persisting in futile hostility.

Word by Word

अशक्यःimpossible (to be done/overcome)

अयम्this (one)

विचिन्त्यhaving reflected/considered

एवम्thus, in this way

तम्him

एवindeed, just

शरणम्refuge, shelter

ययुःthey went

ऊचुःthey said

एनम्to him / this one (him)

त्वम्you

अस्माकम्of us, our

पुत्रःson

भवbe (become)

महाबलO mighty one

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda (implied by context as the mighty youth addressed)

the women/mothers (unnamed group in this verse)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When opposition is futile and harmful, wisdom lies in humility and seeking rightful refuge; ethical resolution can come through surrender and re-framing relationships (from enemies to protectors/kin).

What is happening in the narrative?

A group, seeing the unmatched strength of the addressed hero (contextually Skanda), abandons the attempt to defeat him, approaches him for protection, and requests that he accept them as mothers by becoming their son.