Shloka 19
उत्तङ्कोपाख्यानप्रारम्भः — Uttanka’s Tapas, Viṣṇu-stuti, and the Dhundhumāra Prophecy
Opening
धर्मे त्वया55त्मा संयोज्यो नित्यं धर्मभूतां वर । धर्मात्मा हि सुखं राजन प्रेत्य चेह च नन्दति,धर्मात्माओंमें श्रेष्ठ महाराज! तुम्हें अपने-आपको सदा धर्ममें ही लगाये रखना चाहिये; क्योंकि धर्मात्मा मनुष्य इस लोक और परलोकमें भी बड़े सुखसे रहता है
dharme tvayātmā saṃyojyo nityaṃ dharmabhūtāṃ vara | dharmātmā hi sukhaṃ rājan pretya ceha ca nandati ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O best among the righteous, you should always yoke your own self to dharma. For, O king, a person whose very nature is dharma lives happily—both here in this world and, after death, in the world beyond.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should continually discipline and align the self with dharma; such a dharmic character yields well-being both in worldly life and in the afterlife.
The sage Mārkaṇḍeya addresses a king and offers ethical counsel, emphasizing sustained commitment to dharma as the foundation of lasting happiness.