Shloka 11
Āraṇyaka Parva, Adhyāya 233 — Pandavas Mobilize; Arjuna’s Conciliation and the Onset of Combat
स्कन्ददेव! आप ब्राह्मणहितैषी, ब्रह्मात्मज, ब्रह्मवेत्ता, ब्रह्मनिष्ठ, ब्रह्मज्ञानियोंमें श्रेष्ठ, ब्राह्मणप्रिय, ब्राह्मणोंके समान व्रतधारी, ब्रह्मज्ञ तथा ब्राह्मणोंके नेता हैं
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca: skandadeva! āp brāhmaṇa-hitaiṣī, brahmātmaja, brahma-vettā, brahma-niṣṭha, brahma-jñāniṣu śreṣṭha, brāhmaṇa-priya, brāhmaṇavat vrata-dhārī, brahma-jña tathā brāhmaṇānāṃ netā asi.
Wika ni Mārkaṇḍeya: “O Panginoong Skanda! Ikaw ay tagapagkalinga at tagapaghangad ng kabutihan ng mga brāhmaṇa—isinilang mula kay Brahmā, nakaaalam ng Brahman, matatag sa Brahman, at pinakadakila sa mga may kaalaman sa Brahman. Ikaw ay minamahal ng mga brāhmaṇa; tinutupad mo ang mga panatang tulad nila; ikaw mismo ay nakaaalam ng Brahman; at ikaw ang pinuno at tagapagtanggol ng pamayanang brāhmaṇa.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ideal divine leadership as grounded in brahma-jñāna (spiritual realization) and brāhmaṇa-hita (support of learning, ritual order, and ethical discipline). Authority is legitimized not merely by power but by steadfastness in truth (brahma-niṣṭhā) and protective guidance of the custodians of dharma.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses Skanda with a formal eulogy, listing honorific epithets that establish Skanda’s spiritual pedigree (son of Brahmā), his realization (knower of Brahman), and his social-ethical role (beloved leader and benefactor of Brahmins). This praise typically functions to invoke Skanda’s attention and favor before a request, teaching, or boon.