Shloka 2
भद्रवटगमनम् — स्कन्देन महिषदानवनिग्रहः
Bhadravaṭa Procession and Skanda’s Neutralization of Mahiṣa
अचरन्त तपस्तीव्रं पुत्रार्थ बहुवार्षिकम् । पुत्रं लभेम धर्मिष्ठं यशसा ब्रह्मणा समम्
acarant tapas tīvraṁ putrārthaṁ bahuvārṣikam | putraṁ labhema dharmiṣṭhaṁ yaśasā brahmaṇā samam ||
Mārkaṇḍeya nói: “Vì mong có con trai, chúng ta đã tu khổ hạnh nghiêm khắc suốt nhiều năm, cầu nguyện được ban một người con chí công chí chính—danh tiếng sánh ngang Brahmā.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ideal that even when seeking worldly blessings (like progeny), one should desire a child grounded in dharma and virtue, and pursue the goal through disciplined tapas rather than mere craving.
Mārkaṇḍeya recounts a past episode: he (speaking in a collective sense) undertook long, intense austerities with the specific wish to obtain a son distinguished by righteousness and renowned like Brahmā.