Shloka 8
Āraṇyaka Parva, Adhyāya 233 — Pandavas Mobilize; Arjuna’s Conciliation and the Onset of Combat
खचारी ब्रह्मचारी च शूर: शरवणोद्धव: । विश्वामित्रप्रियश्वैव देवसेनाप्रियस्तथा,मार्कण्डेयजी बोले--राजन्! आग्नेय, स्कन्द, दीप्तकीर्ति, अनामय, मयूरकेतु, धर्मात्मा, भूतेश, महिषमर्दन, कामजित, कामद, कान्त, सत्यवाक्, भुवनेश्वर, शिशु, शीघ्र, शुचि, चण्ड, दीप्तवर्ण, शुभानन, अमोघ, अनघ, रौद्र, प्रिय, चन्द्रानन, दीप्तशक्ति, प्रशान्तात्मा, भद्गरकृत, कूटमोहन, षष्ठीप्रिय, धर्मात्मा, पवित्र, मातृवत्सल, कन्याभर्ता, विभक्त, स्वाहेय, रेवतीसुत, प्रभु, नेता, विशाख, नैगमेय, सुदुश्चर, सुव्रत, ललित, बाल- क्रीडनकप्रिय, आकाशचारी, ब्रह्मचारी, शूर, शंखणोद्धव, विश्वामित्रप्रिय, देवसेनाप्रिय, वासुदेवप्रिय, प्रिय और प्रियकृत--ये कार्तिकेयजीके दिव्य नाम हैं। जो इनका पाठ करता है, वह धन, कीर्ति तथा स्वर्गलोक प्राप्त कर लेता है; इसमें संशय नहीं है
kha-cārī brahmacārī ca śūraḥ śaravaṇodbhavaḥ | viśvāmitra-priyaś caiva deva-senā-priyas tathā ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O King, (Kārttikeya) is called ‘Sky-goer’, ‘Brahmacārin’, ‘Hero’, ‘Born from the reed-bed’, ‘Beloved of Viśvāmitra’, and ‘Beloved of Devasenā’.” In context, these are honorific epithets that praise Skanda’s disciplined conduct, valor, and divine origins; the recitation of such names is presented as a devotional act that cultivates merit, fame, and auspicious destiny.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames devotional remembrance through divine names as a meritorious practice, highlighting ideals embodied by Kārttikeya—discipline (brahmacarya), courage (śaurya), and divine origin—suggesting that honoring such virtues supports ethical and auspicious living.
Mārkaṇḍeya is reciting a sequence of Kārttikeya’s divine names/epithets to the king as part of a larger hymn-like catalogue, where each title recalls a specific attribute, relationship, or mythic origin of the deity.