Shloka 8
Adhyāya 188: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of Yuga-Decline and the Restoration Motif
Kali-yuga to Kalki
दुर्बलं बलवन्तो हि मत्स्या मत्स्यं विशेषतः । आस्वदन्ति सदा वृत्तिविहिता न: सनातनी,“बलवान मत्स्य विशेषत: दुर्बल मत्स्यको अपना आहार बना लेते हैं, यह सदासे हमारी मत्स्य-जातिकी नियत--वृत्ति है
durbalaṃ balavanto hi matsyā matsyaṃ viśeṣataḥ | āsvadanti sadā vṛttivihitā naḥ sanātanī ||
قال ماركاندييا: «حقًّا إن القوي من السمك يأكل الضعيف—وفي عالم السمك خاصةً، السمك يفترس السمك. وهذه سنّتنا القديمة منذ الأزل، قد قُدِّرت لنا رزقًا وطبعًا».
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse expresses the ‘law of the fish’ (matsya-nyāya): where there is no restraining order or protection, the strong naturally prey upon the weak. It highlights the ethical need for dharma, governance, or restraint to prevent a world ruled solely by power.
Mārkaṇḍeya, speaking within the Vana Parva discourse, uses the example of fish to illustrate a harsh natural principle: in an unregulated setting, the powerful consume the powerless. The statement functions as a moral-political illustration within his teaching.