Shloka 17

इन्द्रद्युम्नोपाख्यानम्

Indradyumna Upākhyāna: On Kīrti, Smṛti, and Restoration

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणा: क्षत्रिया वैश्या: संकीर्यन्त: परस्परम्‌,ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय और वैश्य--से आपसमें संतानोत्पादन करके वर्णसंकर हो जायाँगे। वे सभी तपस्या और सत्यसे रहित हो शूद्रोंके समान हो जायँगे। अन्त्यज (चाण्डाल आदि) क्षत्रिय-वैश्य आदिके कर्म करेंगे और क्षत्रिय-वैश्य आदि चाण्डालोंके कर्म अपना लेंगे, इसमें संशय नहीं है

Transliteration

brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ saṅkīryantaḥ parasparam | brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ parasparaṃ santānotpādanena varṇasaṅkaraṃ gamiṣyanti | te sarve tapasā satyena ca rahitāḥ śūdravat bhaviṣyanti | antyajāḥ (cāṇḍālādayaḥ) kṣatriya-vaiśyādikarma kariṣyanti, kṣatriya-vaiśyādayaś ca cāṇḍālakarmāṇi grahīṣyanti—atra saṃśayo nāsti ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, and Vaiśyas, intermingling with one another, will beget offspring across boundaries and thus fall into social confusion (varṇa-saṅkara). Deprived of austerity and truthfulness, they will come to resemble Śūdras in conduct. Those deemed ‘outcast’ (such as Cāṇḍālas) will take up the duties of Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas, while Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas will adopt the occupations and practices associated with Cāṇḍālas—of this there is no doubt.”

Word by Word

• {'brāhmaṇāḥ': 'Brāhmaṇas

• the priestly/teaching class', 'kṣatriyāḥ': 'Kṣatriyas

• the ruling/warrior class', 'vaiśyāḥ': 'Vaiśyas

• the agrarian/mercantile class', 'saṅkīryantaḥ': 'mixing, intermingling, becoming blended', 'parasparam': 'with one another

• mutually', 'santānotpādana': 'begetting offspring

• procreation', 'varṇasaṅkara': 'confusion/mixture of social orders

• breakdown of inherited social roles', 'tapas': 'austerity

• disciplined spiritual effort', 'satya': 'truth

• truthfulness', 'rahita': 'devoid of

• lacking', 'śūdravat': 'like a Śūdra

• in the manner of the servant/labouring class (as a moral-social comparison here)', 'antyajāḥ': 'those ‘born at the end’

• outcast groups', 'cāṇḍāla': 'a term for an outcaste community

• often used as a marker of social exclusion in classical texts', 'karma (karmāṇi)': 'duties/occupations

• prescribed actions', 'saṃśaya': 'doubt'}

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Brāhmaṇa
• Kṣatriya
• Vaiśya
• Śūdra
• Antyaja
• Cāṇḍāla

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that when social roles and ethical disciplines collapse—especially truthfulness (satya) and austerity/self-restraint (tapas)—society falls into disorder (varṇa-saṅkara). The emphasis is less on birth alone and more on the erosion of dharma-markers: integrity, restraint, and proper conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya is describing a future degeneration of society: the traditional boundaries of varṇa and occupation blur, people abandon tapas and satya, and groups labeled ‘outcast’ take up higher-status roles while higher-status groups adopt stigmatized occupations—presented as a sign of moral and social upheaval.