Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 23

Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Tested by Indra and Blessed by Nara-Nārāyaṇa

Devanagari script

हुत्वाग्निं समुपासीनं दद‍ृशु: शक्रकिङ्करा: । मीलिताक्षं दुराधर्षं मूर्तिमन्तमिवानलम् ॥ २३ ॥

Transliteration

hutvāgniṁ samupāsīnaṁ dadṛśuḥ śakra-kiṅkarāḥ mīlitākṣaṁ durādharṣaṁ mūrtimantam ivānalam

Translation

Os servos de Indra viram o sábio sentado em meditação, após oferecer as oblações prescritas no fogo do sacrifício. Com os olhos fechados em transe, ele parecia invencível, como o fogo personificado.

Synonyms

• hutvā: having offered
• hutvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √hu (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), avyaya; ‘having offered (into fire)’

• agnim: fire
• agnim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; object of hutvā

• samupāsīnam: seated, engaged in worship/meditation
• samupāsīnam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-upa-āsīna (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √ās ‘to sit’)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; past participle/PPP in sense ‘seated in meditation/attending’; qualifies implied ‘him’ (the sage) as object of dadṛśuḥ

• dadṛśuḥ: they saw
• dadṛśuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person, Plural; parasmaipada

• śakra-kiṅkarāḥ: Indra’s attendants
• śakra-kiṅkarāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakra + kiṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; ‘servants of Śakra (Indra)’

• mīlita-akṣam: with eyes closed
• mīlita-akṣam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mīlita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √mīl ‘to close’) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; ‘with closed eyes’

• durādharṣam: unassailable
• durādharṣam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + ādharṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; ‘hard to assail’

• mūrtimantam: embodied
• mūrtimantam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mūrtimat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; ‘embodied, having form’

• iva: as if, like
• iva: Sambandha/Upamā (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle of comparison (उपमावाचक-अव्यय)

• analam: fire
• analam: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; object of comparison with mūrtimantam

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Śakra-kiṅkarāḥ (Indra’s servants)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the power of tapasya and meditation?

This verse portrays a worshiper who, after offering into the sacred fire, sits absorbed with closed eyes and becomes “durādharṣa”—so spiritually potent that even Indra’s servants perceive him as formidable, like embodied fire.

Why do Indra’s servants appear in stories of austerity in the Bhagavatam?

Indra’s attendants often appear when intense austerity threatens to alter cosmic balances; here they witness the ascetic’s concentrated worship and recognize a power that is difficult to oppose.

Practical application of becoming 'durādharṣa' (unassailable) in modern life?

Steady daily sādhana—worship, disciplined habits, and focused meditation—builds inner strength and clarity, making one less shaken by distractions, fear, and external pressures.