Shloka 32
मातापितृपूजन-प्रधानधर्मः (Primacy of Filial Service) — Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of the Vyādha’s Instruction
ददाह भरतश्रेष्ठ सर्वलोकभवाय वै | सो<स्त्रेण दग्ध्वा राजर्षि: कुवलाश्वञो महासुरम्
dadāha bharataśreṣṭha sarvalokabhavāya vai | so 'streṇa dagdhvā rājarṣiḥ kuvalāśvo mahāsuram ||
Mārkaṇḍeya nói: “Hỡi bậc ưu tú trong dòng Bharata, vì phúc lợi của mọi thế giới, vị vương thánh Kuvalāśva đã thiêu đốt đại A-tu-la ấy; dùng vũ khí mà nung cháy hắn, ngài dẹp tan mối họa đe dọa lợi ích chung.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the king’s violent act as dharmic when undertaken for sarvaloka-bhava—universal welfare. Power and weapons are ethically justified only when used to remove a grave threat and restore order, not for personal gain.
Mārkaṇḍeya recounts how the royal sage Kuvalāśva destroyed a formidable Asura by means of an astra. The act is presented as a protective deed performed for the good of all worlds.