Shloka 22
Vyādha–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Śāpa, Vṛtta-Dharma, and Counsel Against Viṣāda
Grief
नैव यज्ञक्रिया: क॒श्रिन्न श्राद्ध नोपवासकम्
naiva yajñakriyāḥ kaścin na śrāddhaṃ nopavāsakam
قال ماركاندييا: «هنا لا يُقيم أحدٌ شعائرَ القربان (اليَجْنَة)؛ ولا تُقدَّم قرابينُ الشرادّها للأموات؛ ولا حتى يُلتَزَم بالصوم.»
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that dharma is sustained not only by grand ideals but also by regular disciplines—sacrificial duty, honoring ancestors through śrāddha, and self-restraint through fasting. Their absence indicates ethical and religious negligence.
Mārkaṇḍeya is describing a situation (or region/age) characterized by the non-performance of key religious practices—no yajña-rites, no śrāddha, and no fasting—thereby portraying a breakdown of customary dharmic life.