Shloka 44
सावित्री-यमसंवादः
Sāvitrī’s Dialogue with Yama and the Restoration of Satyavān
दिदेश राक्षसीस्तत्र रक्षणे राक्षसाधिप: । प्रासासिशूलपरशुमुद्गरालातधारिणी:,राक्षसराज रावणने सीताकी रक्षाके लिये कुछ राक्षसियोंको नियुक्त कर दिया था, जो भाला, तलवार, त्रिशूल, फरसा, मुदू्गर और जलती हुई लुआठी लिये वहाँ पहरा देती थीं
dideśa rākṣasīs tatra rakṣaṇe rākṣasādhipaḥ | prāsāsiśūlaparaśumudgarālātadhāriṇīḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: There the lord of the Rākṣasas stationed Rākṣasī women as guards. Bearing spears, swords, tridents, axes, maces, and flaming brands, they kept watch—an image of coercive power set against the vulnerability of the captive, underscoring how adharma relies on intimidation and force rather than righteousness.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unrighteous power (adharma) sustains itself through fear, weaponry, and surveillance, contrasting with dharma which rests on moral legitimacy rather than coercion.
Mārkaṇḍeya narrates that the rākṣasa-king orders armed rākṣasī women to stand guard at that place, keeping strict watch with various weapons and firebrands—contextually, to prevent the captive Sītā from escaping or being approached.