Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेयजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! उन दोनों भाई श्रीराम और लक्ष्मणको पृथ्वीपर पड़े देख रावणकुमार इन्द्रजितने जिनके लिये देवताओंका वर प्राप्त था, उन बाणोंद्वारा उन्हें सब ओरसे बाँध लिया

Transliteration

Mārkaṇḍeya uvāca—Yudhiṣṭhira! tau ubhau bhrātarau Śrīrāma-Lakṣmaṇau pṛthivyāṃ patitau dṛṣṭvā Rāvaṇa-putra Indrajit, devatābhyo labdha-varaiḥ taiḥ bāṇaiḥ, tābhyāṃ sarvataḥ bandhanaṃ cakāra.

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, seeing the two brothers—Śrī Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa—fallen upon the earth, Indrajit, the son of Rāvaṇa, bound them on every side with those arrows for which he had obtained a boon from the gods.”

Word by Word

मार्कण्डेयःMarkandeya (sage)

उवाचsaid/spoke

युधिष्ठिरO Yudhishthira

तौthose two (them)

भ्रातरौtwo brothers

रामम्Rama

लक्ष्मणम्Lakshmana

भूमौon the ground

पतितौfallen/lying down

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

रावणपुत्रःRavana's son

इन्द्रजित्Indrajit

देवैःby/from the gods

दत्तवरैःendowed with boons (given boons)

तैःwith those

बाणैःwith arrows

सर्वतःfrom all sides

बबन्धbound/tied

तान्them

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Yudhiṣṭhira

Śrī Rāma

Lakṣmaṇa

Indrajit (Meghanāda)

Rāvaṇa

Devas (gods)

Bāṇas (arrows)

Pṛthivī (earth/ground)

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?

Even the righteous can face overpowering adversity when opponents wield extraordinary, divinely sanctioned powers; dharma is tested not only by victory but by steadfastness and restraint amid suffering and apparent defeat.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya narrates to Yudhiṣṭhira an episode from the Rāma story: Indrajit, empowered by boons, uses special arrows to bind Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa as they lie fallen on the battlefield, tightening the crisis before their eventual recovery.