Shloka 12
चतुर्थाशेन धर्मस्तु मनुष्यानुपतिष्ठति । आयुर्वीर्यमथो बुद्धिर्बलं तेजश्च॒ पाण्डव
caturthāṁśena dharmas tu manuṣyān upatiṣṭhati | āyur vīryam atho buddhir balaṁ tejaś ca pāṇḍava ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “In this age, Dharma abides among human beings only by a quarter. Along with it, O Pāṇḍava, lifespan, valor, intelligence, strength, and splendor also diminish.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that when Dharma declines to only a quarter of its full presence, human capacities also wane—longevity, courage, discernment, strength, and inner/outer splendor—implying that ethical order sustains both personal excellence and social vitality.
Mārkaṇḍeya is instructing a Pāṇḍava (typically Yudhiṣṭhira) in a reflective, didactic context, describing the condition of an age in which righteousness is reduced and, correspondingly, human virtues and powers diminish.