Shloka 47
पितृभक्तो5सि राजर्षे मार्कण्डेय इवापर: । तेन मृत्युस्तव वशे स्थितो भृत्य इवानतः,राजर्ष! आप दूसरे मार्कण्डेयके समान पितृभक्त हैं; इसलिये मृत्यु विनीत दासीके समान आपके वशमें हो गयी है
pitṛbhakto 'si rājarṣe mārkaṇḍeya ivāparaḥ | tena mṛtyus tava vaśe sthito bhṛtya ivānataḥ ||
Vāsudeva disse: “Ó sábio régio, és devoto dos Pitṛs como um outro Mārkaṇḍeya. Por isso a própria Morte permanece sob teu domínio, humilhada como um servo obediente.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises pitṛbhakti—steadfast devotion to one’s ancestors and ancestral duty—as a powerful form of dharma. Such integrity and reverence are portrayed as generating spiritual merit and protection so great that even Death is metaphorically ‘subdued,’ emphasizing the ethical ideal that faithful duty and humility bring extraordinary auspicious results.
Vāsudeva addresses a rājarṣi and commends him for being as devoted to the Pitṛs as the sage Mārkaṇḍeya. Using a strong image, he declares that because of this devotion, Mṛtyu (Death) stands under the king’s control like a bowed servant—an honorific way of indicating exceptional longevity, protection, or immunity from untimely death due to dharmic conduct.