Shloka 16
मुच्यतां जानकी सीता न मे मोक्ष्यसि कर्हिचित् । अराक्षसमिमं लोकं कर्तास्मि निशितै: शरै:,“जनकनन्दिनी सीताको छोड़ दो, अन्यथा कभी मेरे हाथसे जीवित नहीं बचोगे। मैं अपने तीखे बाणोंद्वारा इस संसारको राक्षसोंसे सूना कर दूँगा'
mucyatāṃ jānakī sītā na me mokṣyasi karhicit | arākṣasam imaṃ lokaṃ kartāsmi niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Release Jānakī Sītā at once; otherwise you will never escape alive from my hands. With my razor-sharp arrows I shall make this world free of rākṣasas.” The utterance frames a moral ultimatum: the protection of an innocent woman and the restraint of predatory power are presented as non-negotiable duties, even if enforcing them requires violent resistance against the wicked.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a dharmic imperative: the innocent must be protected and wrongdoing confronted. It legitimizes force as a last resort when used to restrain predatory violence (here symbolized by rākṣasas) and to restore moral order.
Mārkaṇḍeya issues a direct command to release Jānakī Sītā and threatens decisive retaliation. He vows to use his sharp arrows to purge the world of rākṣasas if the captor refuses, escalating the situation into a moral and martial confrontation.