Shloka 4
त॑ मन्त्रिणा हतं श्रुव्वा ससहायं सबान्धवम् | न्यवेदयन् यथावृत्तं विद्रुतं च द्विषद्बलम्,उन्होंने यह भी निवेदन किया कि “उसके सहायक और बन्धु-बान्धव भी मन्त्रीके ही हाथों मर चुके हैं। शत्रुकी सारी सेना पलायन कर गयी है। यह यथावत् वृत्तान्त सुनकर सब लोगोंका एकमतसे यह निश्चय हुआ है कि हमें पूर्व नरेशपर ही विश्वास है। उन्हें दिखायी देता हो या न दीखता हो, वे ही हमारे राजा हों”
taṁ mantriṇā hataṁ śrutvā sa-sahāyaṁ sa-bāndhavam | nyavedayan yathāvṛttaṁ vidrutaṁ ca dviṣad-balam ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: Hearing that he had been slain by the minister—together with his allies and kinsmen—they reported the events exactly as they had occurred, adding that the enemy host had fled in rout. On receiving this truthful account, the people, with one accord, resolved to place their trust in the former king alone: whether he could be seen or not, he alone should be their sovereign. The passage underscores a communal ethic of fidelity to legitimate rule and the moral weight of accurate testimony in times of political upheaval.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच