Shloka 1
Karṇa’s Counsel on Śrī
Fortune) and the Proposed Display before the Exiled Pāṇḍavas (कर्णवचनम् / श्रीप्रदर्शन-प्रस्तावः
हू... “5 (>9) #2<..# #25--7 पज्चविशर्त्याधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: स्वाहाका मुनिपत्नियोंके रूपोंमें अग्निके साथ समागम
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | śivā bhāryā tvāṅgirasaḥ śīla-rūpa-guṇānvitā | tasyāḥ sā prathamaṃ rūpaṃ kṛtvā devī janādhipa |
Disse Mārkaṇḍeya: “Ó senhor dos homens, Śivā, esposa de Aṅgiras, era dotada de boa conduta, beleza e nobres qualidades. Assumindo primeiro a sua forma, a deusa Svāhā aproximou-se de Agni.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds śīla (ethical conduct) and guṇa (virtue) as defining traits even in mythic narratives, setting up a contrast between genuine virtue (Śivā’s qualities) and the moral complexity of assuming another’s form—an act that raises questions about desire, consent, and dharma in later developments of the episode.
Mārkaṇḍeya begins recounting the episode leading to Skanda’s origin: Svāhā approaches Agni by first taking on the appearance of Śivā, the virtuous wife of the sage Aṅgiras, and thus initiates the sequence of events described in the chapter.