Shloka 29
Dharma-vyādha on Parental Worship
Pitṛ-mātṛ-śuśrūṣā as Paramadaivata
बले रूपे च शौर्ये च न शमे च समो<स्ति नौ । धर्मे तपसि दाने च शीलसच्त्वदमेषु च,बल, रूप, शौर्य और मनोनिग्रहमें हमारी समता करनेवाला कोई नहीं है। धर्म, तपस्या, दान, शील, सत्त्व तथा इन्द्रियसंयममें भी हमारी कहीं तुलना नहीं है
Mārkaṇḍeya uvāca: bale rūpe ca śaurye ca na śame ca samo 'sti nau | dharme tapasi dāne ca śīla-sattva-dameṣu ca ||
マールカンデーヤは言った。「力においても、美においても、武勇においても――さらには自制においてさえ――我らに等しい者はない。正法、苦行、施し、品行、内なる清浄、そして諸根の制御においてもまた、いかなる所にも我らに比すべき者はいない。」
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse lists classical virtues—strength, valor, self-restraint, dharma, austerity, charity, good conduct, purity, and sense-control—while also illustrating how claiming unmatched excellence can signal pride; ethically, it invites reflection on whether virtues are to be cultivated for inner discipline and service rather than for self-exaltation.
Mārkaṇḍeya speaks in a didactic context, presenting a declaration of superiority in both worldly qualities (strength, beauty, heroism) and spiritual-moral qualities (dharma, tapas, dāna, śīla, sattva, dama), setting up a moral contrast often used in Mahābhārata storytelling to test or instruct listeners about virtue and ego.