Shloka 16

Mārkaṇḍeya’s Consolation to the King: Exempla of Rāma and the Efficacy of Allies (मार्कण्डेयाश्वासनम्)

Devanagari script

अतिष्ठदेकपादेन सहस््रं परिवत्सरान्‌ | वायुभक्षो दशग्रीव: पञ्चाग्नि: सुसमाहित:,रावण सहस्रों वर्षोतक एक पैरसे खड़ा रहा। वह चित्तको एकाग्र रखकर पंचाग्निसेवन करता और वायु पीकर रहता था

Transliteration

atiṣṭhad ekapādena sahasraṁ parivatsarān | vāyubhakṣo daśagrīvaḥ pañcāgniḥ susamāhitaḥ ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: Daśagrīva (Rāvaṇa) stood on a single foot for a thousand years. Living only on air, he practiced the austerity of the five fires with a mind perfectly concentrated—an image of extreme tapas that, while powerful, also warns that spiritual force without righteous intention can become a source of danger to the world.

Word by Word

अतिष्ठत्stood

एकपादेनwith one foot

सहस्रम्a thousand

परिवत्सरान्years (cycles of years)

वायुभक्षःair-eating; living on air

दशग्रीवःthe ten-necked one (Rāvaṇa)

पञ्चाग्निःone practicing the five-fires austerity

सुसमाहितःwell-concentrated; fully composed

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Daśagrīva (Rāvaṇa)

pañcāgni (five fires austerity)

vāyu (air)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the immense potency of tapas (austerity) and mental concentration, while implicitly reminding that such power must be guided by dharma; otherwise, spiritual achievements can amplify ego and harm rather than uplift.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes Rāvaṇa’s extraordinary penance: standing on one foot for a thousand years, subsisting on air, and performing the five-fire austerity with unwavering concentration—setting the stage for the boons and consequences that follow from such tapas.