Shloka 11
अरण्यकपर्व — मार्कण्डेयकथिते रामविजयः, सीताशुद्धिः, अयोध्याप्रत्यागमनवर्णनम्
Rāma’s victory, Sītā’s vindication, and return to Ayodhyā as told by Mārkaṇḍeya
पितामहो रावणस्य साक्षाद् देव: प्रजापति: । स्वयम्भू: सर्वलोकानां प्रभु: स्रष्टा महातपा:
pitāmaho rāvaṇasya sākṣād devaḥ prajāpatiḥ | svayambhūḥ sarvalokānāṁ prabhuḥ sraṣṭā mahātapāḥ ||
ਰਾਵਣ ਦਾ ਪਿਤਾਮਹ ਸਾਕਸ਼ਾਤ ਦੇਵ ਪ੍ਰਜਾਪਤੀ—ਸਵਯੰਭੂ, ਸਭ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਦਾ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ, ਮਹਾਤਪਸਵੀ ਅਤੇ ਸ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਟੀਕਰਤਾ—ਬ੍ਰਹਮਾ ਹੀ ਸੀ।
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that even if one’s ancestry is supremely exalted—reaching to Brahmā himself—moral worth depends on one’s own adherence to dharma, not on pedigree.
Mārkaṇḍeya is explaining Rāvaṇa’s origins, identifying his grandsire as Prajāpati Svayambhū Brahmā, thereby situating Rāvaṇa within a cosmic genealogy while setting up reflection on how such origins contrast with later unrighteous actions.