Shloka 443
चित्रसेनगन्धर्वैः कौरवसंनिपातः
Citrasena and the Kaurava engagement
सस्मार तां देवसेनां या सा तेन विमोक्षिता । उस समय इन्द्रने स्कन्दको सेनापति पदपर अभिषिक्त करनेके पश्चात् उस कुमारी देवसेनाका स्मरण किया, जिसका उन्होंने केशीके हाथसे उद्धार किया था
sasmāra tāṁ devasenāṁ yā sā tena vimokṣitā |
Mārkaṇḍeya said: After Indra had installed Skanda as the commander of the gods’ army, he remembered that maiden Devasenā—the very one whom he had earlier rescued and set free from Keśī. The episode underscores a ruler’s duty to honor past obligations and to remember those who have been protected, not treating rescue as a momentary act but as an enduring responsibility.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as sustained responsibility: remembering and honoring those one has protected, and not letting power or new appointments erase prior duties and gratitude.
After Indra consecrates Skanda as the gods’ commander, he recalls Devasenā, the maiden he had previously freed from Keśī, setting up the next development in their story.