Shloka 4
अपेत्य राष्ट्राद् वसतां तु तेषा- मृषि: पुराणोडतिथिराजगाम । तमाश्रमं तीव्रसमृद्धतेजा मार्कण्डेय: श्रीमतां पाण्डवानाम्,राज्यसे दूर होकर वनमें निवास करनेवाले श्रीमान् पाण्डवोंके उस आश्रमपर उद्दीप्त तेजस्वी पुरातन महर्षि मार्कण्डेयजी अतिथिके रूपमें आये
apetya rāṣṭrād vasatāṃ tu teṣām ṛṣiḥ purāṇo ’tithir ājagāma | tam āśramaṃ tīvrasamṛddhatejā mārkaṇḍeyaḥ śrīmatāṃ pāṇḍavānām ||
Vaiśampāyana said: After they had been driven far from the kingdom and were living in the forest, an ancient sage came to them as a guest. The venerable Mārkaṇḍeya—radiant with intense, well-established spiritual power—arrived at the hermitage of the illustrious Pāṇḍavas. The episode underscores how, even in exile and loss, righteousness is sustained through honoring holy guests and receiving guidance from the wise.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights atithi-dharma and the sustaining power of righteousness in adversity: even when stripped of kingdom and comfort, the Pāṇḍavas’ life in the forest remains anchored in honoring holy guests and receiving wisdom from realized sages.
While the Pāṇḍavas live in exile away from their kingdom, the ancient sage Mārkaṇḍeya—renowned for great spiritual radiance—arrives at their forest hermitage as a guest, setting the stage for counsel, stories, and moral instruction.