Shloka 3
Duryodhana’s Śaraṇāgati and the Pāṇḍavas’ Resolve
Gandharva Encounter
स्वाह्मोवाच दक्षस्याहं प्रिया कन्या स्वाहा नाम महाभुज । बाल्यात्प्रभृति नित्यं च जातकामा हुताशने,स्वाहा बोली--महाबाहो! मैं प्रजापति दक्षकी प्रिय पुत्री हूँ, मेरा नाम स्वाहा है। मैं बचपनसे ही सदा अग्निदेवके प्रति अनुराग रखती आयी हूँ
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | svāhā uvāca dakṣasyāhaṃ priyā kanyā svāhā nāma mahābhuja | bālyātprabhṛti nityaṃ ca jātakāmā hutāśane ||
Svāhā nói: “Hỡi bậc dũng mãnh! Ta là ái nữ của Prajāpati Dakṣa, tên là Svāhā. Từ thuở ấu thơ, ta luôn mang lòng khát vọng và gắn bó sâu nặng với Hutāśana (Thần Agni).”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames desire as a powerful inner force that can persist from early life; ethically, it invites reflection on how personal longing—especially toward the divine—should be understood, acknowledged, and guided within dharmic boundaries rather than denied or left unchecked.
Within Markandeya’s narration, Svāhā introduces herself to a heroic listener, identifying her parentage as Dakṣa’s daughter and confessing that she has long harbored love/desire for Agni (Hutāśana), setting up the ensuing episode about her relationship with the fire-god.