Shloka 3

Devanagari script

कोटीशतवृतो वापि गजो गवय एव च । वानरेन्द्रौ महावीर्यों पृथक्‌ पृथगदृश्यताम्‌,फिर महापराक्रमी वानरराज “गज” और “गवय' पृथक्‌-पृथक्‌ एक-एक अरब सेनाके साथ आते दिखायी दिये

Transliteration

koṭīśatavṛto vāpi gajo gavaya eva ca | vānarendrau mahāvīryau pṛthak pṛthag adṛśyatām ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: “Kemudian tampak—masing-masing datang berasingan—dua raja vanara yang gagah perkasa, Gaja dan Gavaya, masing-masing dikelilingi oleh ratusan koṭi pengikut.”

Word by Word

कोटि-शत-वृतःsurrounded by hundreds of crores

वाor/indeed (alternative/emphasis)

अपिalso/even

गजःGaja (name of the monkey-king)

गवयःGavaya (name of the monkey-king)

एवindeed/just

चand

वानर-इन्द्रौthe two lords of monkeys

महा-वीर्यौof great prowess

पृथक्separately

पृथक्each separately

अदृश्यताम्were seen/appeared

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Gaja (vānararāja)

Gavaya (vānararāja)

Vānara-s (monkey hosts/armies)

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 immense collective strength can assemble under capable leadership; ethically, it suggests that power gains meaning when aligned with a righteous purpose (dharma) and disciplined organization.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes the separate arrival/appearance of two powerful monkey leaders, Gaja and Gavaya, each accompanied by an enormous host, emphasizing the scale of forces gathering.