Shloka 35

Karṇa–Sūrya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dāna, and the Amoghā Śakti (कर्ण–सूर्यसंवादः)

Devanagari script

स माषराशिसदृशैर्ब भूव क्षणदाचरै: । कृतो निर्वानरों भूय: प्राकारो भीमदर्शनै:,उड़दके ढेर-जैसे काले-कलूटे उन भयंकर निशाचरोंने लड़कर पुनः उस चहारदीवारीको वानरोंसे सूनी कर दिया

Transliteration

sa māṣarāśisadṛśair babhūva kṣaṇadācaraiḥ | kṛto nirvānaro bhūyaḥ prākāro bhīmadarśanaiḥ ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: Those fearsome night-roaming demons, dark as heaps of black gram, fought and once again made the rampart devoid of monkeys—turning the fortification into a terrifying sight. The episode underscores how violence and hostility can undo hard-won defenses, and how vigilance is required when facing relentless, unrighteous aggression.

Word by Word

सःhe/that (wall/fortification)

माषराशि-सदृशैःby (ones) resembling heaps of black-gram

बभूवbecame / came to be

क्षणदा-चरैःby night-roamers (rākṣasas)

कृतःmade / rendered

निर्वानरःdevoid of monkeys

भूयःagain / once more

प्राकारःrampart / enclosing wall

भीम-दर्शनैःby (those) of terrible appearance

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

kṣaṇadācarāḥ (night-roaming demons/niśācarāḥ)

prākāra (rampart/fortification)

vānarāḥ (monkeys)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how destructive forces driven by adharma can repeatedly dismantle safeguards; it implies the ethical need for steadfast vigilance, unity, and preparedness when confronting persistent wrongdoing.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes fearsome night-roaming beings, black like heaps of urad, who fight and again clear the rampart of monkeys—leaving the fortification emptied of vānaras and frightening to behold.