Shloka 16
अरण्यकपर्व — मार्कण्डेयकथिते रामविजयः, सीताशुद्धिः, अयोध्याप्रत्यागमनवर्णनम्
Rāma’s victory, Sītā’s vindication, and return to Ayodhyā as told by Mārkaṇḍeya
ईशानेन तथा सख्यं पुत्र च नलकूबरम् । राजधानीनिवेशं च लड्कां रक्षोगणान्विताम्,पितामहने उनकी महादेवजीसे मैत्री करायी, उन्हें नलकूबर नामक पुत्र दिया तथा राक्षसोंसे भरी हुई लंकाको उनकी राजधानी बनायी
īśānena tathā sakhyaṃ putra ca nalakūbaram | rājadhānī-niveśaṃ ca laṅkāṃ rakṣogaṇānvitām ||
Wika ni Mārkaṇḍeya: “Bukod pa rito, siya’y ipinagkaibigan kay Īśāna (Śiva); pinagkalooban ng anak na lalaking nagngangalang Nalakūbara; at ang Laṅkā—na hitik sa mga pangkat ng rākṣasa—ay itinakda bilang kanyang kabiserang lunsod.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how political power and security in epic narrative are often framed as outcomes of divine alliances and boons; such gifts (friendship with Śiva, heirs, a fortified capital) carry ethical weight because they can be used either to uphold order or to intensify adharma depending on the recipient’s conduct.
Mārkaṇḍeya lists extraordinary endowments: an alliance with Īśāna (Śiva), the granting of a son named Nalakūbara, and the establishment of Laṅkā—populated by rākṣasa hosts—as a royal capital, describing the rise and empowerment of a formidable lineage/realm.