Shloka 10
द्रौपदी–सत्यभामा संवादः
Draupadī and Satyabhāmā on ethical household conduct
दुर्बलानां तु भूतानामसून् यः सम्प्रयच्छति । तमनग्निं बलदं प्राहुः प्रथमं भानुतः सुतम्,जो दुर्बल प्राणियोंको प्राण एवं बल प्रदान करते हैं, उन्हें 'बलद' नामक अग्नि बताया जाता है। ये भानुके प्रथम पुत्र हैं
durbalānāṁ tu bhūtānām asūn yaḥ samprayacchati | tam anagniṁ baladaṁ prāhuḥ prathamaṁ bhānutaḥ sutam ||
Mārkaṇḍeya nói: “Ngọn Lửa thiêng ấy, đấng ban sinh khí và sức mạnh cho những hữu tình suy nhược, được gọi là Balada—‘Đấng Ban Sức Mạnh.’ Ngài được tuyên xưng là người con đầu lòng của Bhānu.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic ideal of sustaining life: the truly beneficent power is that which restores prāṇa (life-breath) and bala (strength) to the weak. It frames nourishment and protection of vulnerable beings as a sacred, cosmic function embodied by a divine form of Agni.
Mārkaṇḍeya is describing a specific divine manifestation of Fire named Balada. He identifies Balada’s function—reviving and strengthening weakened creatures—and situates him genealogically as the first son of Bhānu (the Sun), integrating the description into a broader mythic-cosmological account.