Shloka 39
चित्रसेनगन्धर्वैः कौरवसंनिपातः
Citrasena and the Kaurava engagement
इष्टे: स्वाध्यायघोषैश्व देवतूर्यवरैरपि । देवगन्धर्वगीतैश्नल सर्वैरप्सरसां गणै:,उस समय अत्यन्त प्रिय लगनेवाले वेदमन्त्रोंकी ध्वनि सब ओर गूँज उठी, देवताओंके उत्तम वाद्य भी बजने लगे, देव और गन्धर्व गीत गाने लगे और समस्त अप्सराएँ नृत्य करने लगीं। ये तथा और भी बहुत-से देवगण एवं पिशाचसमूह विविध अलंकारोंसे अलंकृत, हर्षोत्फुल्ल और संतुष्ट हो स्कन्दको घेरकर खड़े थे
iṣṭaiḥ svādhyāya-ghoṣaiś ca devatūrya-varair api | deva-gandharva-gītaiś ca sarvair apsarasāṁ gaṇaiḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Then, on every side, the most delightful sounds arose—the resonant chanting of Vedic recitation and auspicious hymns. The finest celestial instruments were played; gods and Gandharvas sang; and the hosts of Apsarases danced. Many other divine beings as well as bands of Piśācas, adorned with varied ornaments, stood around Skanda—joyful, gratified, and exultant—honouring him with their presence.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how sacred sound (svādhyāya and auspicious chants) and disciplined celebration function as acts of reverence: the divine assembly honours Skanda not through violence but through ordered ritual, music, and collective joy—suggesting that dharmic authority is affirmed by harmony, purity, and right praise.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes a grand celestial scene: Vedic recitations resound, divine instruments play, gods and Gandharvas sing, and Apsarases dance, while various beings—adorned and delighted—stand encircling Skanda in honour and celebration.