Shloka 79
इन्द्रद्युम्नोपाख्यानम्
Indradyumna Upākhyāna: On Kīrti, Smṛti, and Restoration
कबन्धान्तर्हितो भानुरुदयास्तमने तदा । अकालवर्षी भगवान् भविष्यति सहस्रदूक्ू
kabandhāntarhito bhānur udayāstamane tadā | akālavarṣī bhagavān bhaviṣyati sahasradṛk ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Then the Sun, hidden within the ‘kabandha’ (a headless, obscuring form), will no longer be seen at sunrise or at sunset. The Blessed Lord will send rain out of season, and the thousand-eyed one (Indra) will act in a distorted, ominous manner.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma is disturbed, the world’s order is mirrored as disorder in nature—sunlight, seasons, and rains become irregular. The verse uses cosmic omens to warn that ethical and political imbalance has consequences that ripple through the environment and society.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes ominous portents: the Sun appears obscured (as if hidden within a kabandha) so that normal markers of time—sunrise and sunset—are disrupted, and rains fall out of season. The mention of ‘Sahasradṛk’ points to Indra’s role in rain and weather, suggesting a broader cosmic disturbance.