Shloka 20
द्रौपदी–सत्यभामा संवादः
Draupadī and Satyabhāmā on ethical household conduct
शुक्लकृष्णगतिर्देवो यो बिभर्ति हुताशनम् । अकल्मष: कल्मषाणां कर्ता क्रोधाश्रितस्तु सः,जो दीप्तिमान् महापुरुष, शुक्ल और कृष्ण गतिके आधार हैं, जो अग्निका धारण- पोषण करते हैं, जिनमें किसी प्रकारका कल्मष अर्थात् विकार नहीं है तथापि जो समस्त विकारस्वरूप जगतके कर्ता हैं, यति लोग जिनको सदा महर्षि कपिलके नामसे कहा करते हैं, जो सांख्ययोगके प्रवर्तक हैं वे क्रोधस्वरूप अग्निके आश्रय कपिल नामक अनिन हैं। (ये मनुके चौथे पुत्र हैं)
śuklakṛṣṇagatir devo yo bibharti hutāśanam | akalmaṣaḥ kalmaṣāṇāṁ kartā krodhāśritas tu saḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya disse: “Aquele ser divino que é o curso e o amparo tanto do caminho luminoso quanto do sombrio, que porta e sustenta o fogo sagrado, que é sem mancha e, ainda assim, torna-se o artífice de tudo o que é manchado—ele habita na ira como fogo. É o radiante Grande Ser, conhecido entre os ascetas como o sábio Kapila, promulgador do Sāṅkhya e do Yoga.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a paradox central to Indian ethical and metaphysical thought: the highest principle can be intrinsically pure (akalmaṣa) while still functioning as the causal ground of a world marked by impurity and passion. Fire becomes the ethical symbol—purifying yet fierce—suggesting that cosmic agency can manifest as wrathful energy without being morally tainted in itself.
Mārkaṇḍeya is describing Kapila in exalted, cosmic terms—linking him with Agni and with the dual ‘bright/dark’ courses—while also identifying him as the authoritative sage associated with the origins of Sāṅkhya and Yoga. The passage functions as a theological-philosophical identification rather than a physical action scene.