Shloka 53
Sūrya’s Counsel to Karṇa on Indra’s Intended Request
Kuṇḍala–Kavaca Discourse
विषण्णचेता: पप्रच्छ पुनरस्मानरिंदम । क: स राम: कथं सीता जटायुश्न॒ कथं हतः
viṣaṇṇacetāḥ papraccha punar asmān ariṃdama | kaḥ sa rāmaḥ kathaṃ sītā jaṭāyuś ca kathaṃ hataḥ ||
やがて、悲しみに心を沈めた敵伏せの者は、再び我らに問うた。「そのラーマとは何者か。シーターはいかなる様子か。ジャターユはどのようにして討たれたのか。」この偈は、嘆きが問いへと転じ、徳と喪失、そして正しき戦いへ至った因を明らかにせんとする姿を描く。
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sorrow is not merely to be endured; it can be refined into a disciplined search for truth. The verse shows grief turning toward dharmic inquiry—asking about the righteous person (Rāma), the vulnerable one (Sītā), and the cost of protection (Jaṭāyu’s death).
In Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration, a hero described as an enemy-subduer, distressed at heart, asks again for details: the identity and nature of Rāma, Sītā’s condition, and the circumstances of Jaṭāyu’s killing—setting up further explanation of the Rāma-story episode.