Shloka 12
Manoḥ Carita
The Account of Manu Vaivasvata and the Mātsyaka Flood Narrative
ते तु तत् सर्वमखिलमाख्यायास्मै यथातथम् | नापश्यंस्तमृषिं तत्र गतासुं ते समागता:,उनके इस प्रकार पूछनेपर क्षत्रियोंने मुनिके वधका सारा समाचार उनसे ठीक-ठीक कह सुनाया और उन्हें साथ लेकर सभी उस स्थानपर आये जहाँ मुनिकी हत्या हुई थी। किंतु उन्होंने वहाँ मरे हुए मुनिकी लाश नहीं देखी
te tu tat sarvam akhilam ākhyāyāsmai yathātatham | nāpaśyaṁs tam ṛṣiṁ tatra gatāsuṁ te samāgatāḥ ||
They related to him the entire matter in full, exactly as it had happened, and together came to that very spot. Yet there they did not see the sage—now lifeless—for his body was nowhere to be found.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of truthful reporting (yathātatham) in the aftermath of wrongdoing: even when violence has occurred, one must narrate events accurately, without concealment or embellishment, as a basis for rightful judgment and restoration of dharma.
After explaining the entire incident exactly as it happened, the group goes to the place where the sage was killed. However, when they arrive, they do not find the dead sage’s body there, introducing a mystery that signals an extraordinary turn in the episode.