मर्द नामाहुतिमयं व्यादितास्यं महामुनि: । तस्य दन्तसहस््रं तु बभूव शतयोजनम्
marda nāmāhutimayaṃ vyāditāsyaṃ mahāmuniḥ | tasya dantahasraṃ tu babhūva śatayojanam ||
Cyavana disse: “O grande sábio, por meio de uma oblação lançada ao fogo—formada da própria oferenda—fez surgir um ser chamado Marda, de pé, com a boca escancarada. Dentro de sua boca havia mil dentes, e cada um tinha cem yojanas de altura.”
च्यवन उवाच
The episode underscores that tapas and righteous ritual power can restrain even the gods; pride and coercion invite corrective consequences, while dharma-backed austerity commands moral authority.
A great sage performs an oblation into fire and produces a terrifying being named Marda, described with an enormous gaping mouth and colossal teeth—an omen-like force meant to threaten and subdue divine opposition (notably Indra in the broader passage).