Shloka 34
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
अध्वनि क्षीणगात्राश्न पांसुपादावगुण्ठिता: । तेषामेव श्रमार्तानां यो हान्न॑ं कथयेद् बुध:
adhvani kṣīṇagātrāś ca pāṃsupādāvaguṇṭhitāḥ | teṣām eva śramārtānāṃ yo hānnam kathayed budhaḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Worn out in their limbs on the road, their feet covered with dust, those very people are afflicted by exhaustion. A wise person should speak of (and provide) food for them—relief that answers their immediate suffering.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes practical compassion as dharma: when people are visibly exhausted from travel, the wise prioritize immediate relief—especially food—rather than mere words or delay.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes travelers weakened on the road, dust-covered and distressed by fatigue, and instructs that a discerning person should address their need for food—highlighting the duty of care toward those in hardship.