Shloka 7
Sāvitrī–Satyavān Vivāha: Kanyāpradāna and Āśrama-Śīla (सावित्री-सत्यवान्विवाहः)
बाणवेगं हि कस्तस्य शक्त: सोढ़ं महात्मन: । प्रत्रज्यायां हि मे हेतु: स एव पुरुषर्षभ:
bāṇavegaṃ hi kastasya śaktaḥ soḍhuṃ mahātmanaḥ | pratrajyāyāṃ hi me hetuḥ sa eva puruṣarṣabhaḥ ||
Disse Mārkaṇḍeya: «Quem poderia suportar o ímpeto das flechas daquele grande de alma? De fato, a própria razão de eu ter-me voltado e recuado foi ele somente — o touro entre os homens.»
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights prudent discernment: recognizing overwhelming force and choosing withdrawal is not necessarily cowardice but a rational response to extraordinary power, especially when the opponent is a truly eminent hero.
Mārkaṇḍeya explains that he withdrew because a particular great warrior’s arrow-force was unbearable; he identifies that very ‘best of men’ as the decisive cause of his retreat.