Shloka 1
Āraṇyaka-parva Adhyāya 277 — Sāvitrī-Upākhyāna: Aśvapati’s Vows and Sāvitrī’s Birth; Search for a Suitable Husband Begins
हि >> आय न () हि २ 7 षट्सप्तत्याधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: देवताओंका ब्रह्माजीके पास जाकर रावणके अत्याचारसे बचानेके लिये प्रार्थना करना तथा ब्रह्माजीकी आज्ञासे देवताओंका रीछ और वानरयोनिमें संतान उत्पन्न करना एवं दुन्दुभी गन्धर्वीका मन्थरा बनकर आना मार्कण्डेय उवाच ततो ब्रह्मर्षय: सर्वे सिद्धा देवर्षयस्तथा । हव्यवाहं पुरस्कृत्य ब्रह्माणं शरणं गता:,मार्कण्डेयजी कहते हैं--राजन! तत्पश्चात् रावणसे कष्ट पाये हुए ब्रह्मर्षि, देवर्षि तथा सिद्धगण अग्निदेवको आगे करके ब्रह्माजीकी शरणमें गये
Mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tato brahmarṣayaḥ sarve siddhā devarṣayas tathā | havyavāhaṃ puraskṛtya brahmāṇaṃ śaraṇaṃ gatāḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: Then all the Brahmarṣis, together with the Siddhas and the Devarṣis, placing Agni (the carrier of oblations) at their head, went to Brahmā for refuge. In the face of oppression, the righteous seek protection through lawful appeal and collective recourse to the highest authority, rather than through reckless retaliation.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When confronted by overwhelming wrongdoing, the wise uphold dharma by seeking refuge and redress through legitimate, higher moral authority (here, Brahmā), guided by sacred mediation (Agni), rather than acting from anger or despair.
Mārkaṇḍeya narrates that groups of exalted beings—Brahmarṣis, Devarṣis, and Siddhas—distressed by a tyrant’s oppression (contextually Rāvaṇa), approach Brahmā for protection, with Agni leading them as the ritual and divine intermediary.