Shloka 14

इन्द्रद्युम्नोपाख्यानम्

Indradyumna Upākhyāna: On Kīrti, Smṛti, and Restoration

Devanagari script

व्याजैर्धर्म चरिष्यन्ति धर्मवैतंसिका नरा: । सत्य॑ संक्षेप्स्यते लोके नरै: पण्डितमानिभि:

Transliteration

vyājair dharmaṁ cariṣyanti dharmavaitāṁsikā narāḥ | satyaṁ saṁkṣepsyate loke naraiḥ paṇḍitamānibhiḥ ||

Translation

قال ماركاندييا: «سيعمل أناسٌ من مُزخرفي الدَّرما ومُحرّفيها بالاستقامة عبر الذرائع والأعذار المصطنعة. وفي العالم ستُقتطع الحقيقة وتُضغط على أيدي قومٍ لا يملكون إلا الزهو بأنهم “علماء”.»

Word by Word

• व्याजैः: by pretexts, by pretences
• व्याजैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याज
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• धर्मम्: dharma, righteousness
• धर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• चरिष्यन्ति: will practice, will conduct (themselves)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर्
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), Third, Plural

• धर्मवैतंसिकाः: those who make a show/ornament of dharma (hypocritical moralists)
• धर्मवैतंसिकाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मवैतंसिक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नराः: men, people
• नराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• संक्षेप्स्यते: will be curtailed, will be reduced
• Type: Verb
• Root: संक्षिप्
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), Third, Singular, Ātmanepada (passive sense)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• नरैः: by men
• नरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• पण्डितमानिभिः: by those who think themselves learned
• पण्डितमानिभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पण्डितमानिन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that when people treat dharma as a tool for appearances, they justify actions through pretexts rather than integrity; such self-proclaimed ‘wise’ persons end up diminishing truth in society.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya is describing a degeneration of conduct: people will outwardly ‘practice dharma’ but only through excuses and legalistic maneuvering, while truthfulness declines under the influence of pretended scholarship.