Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 50, Shloka 43
Adhyaya 50 — Mind-Born Progeny, Svayambhuva Manu’s Lineage, and Brahmā’s Ordinance to Duḥsaha (Alakṣmī’s Retinue)
ब्रह्मोवाच तवाश्रयो गृहं पुंसां जनश्चाधार्मिको बलम् ।
पुष्टिं नित्यक्रियाहान्या भवान् वत्स ! गमिष्यति ॥
brahmovāca tavāśrayo gṛhaṃ puṃsāṃ janaścādhārmiko balam | puṣṭiṃ nityakriyāhānyā bhavān vatsa! gamiṣyati ||
Brahmā said: “Your refuge is the houses of men, and the adharmic person is your strength. Through neglect of the daily rites, dear one, you will gain nourishment and vigor.”
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FAQs
Neglect of nitya-karmas (daily disciplines such as cleanliness, offerings, prayer, respectful conduct) is depicted as actively empowering destructive forces. The ‘adhārmika person’ becomes the ecosystem in which deprivation and disorder thrive.
Falls under dharma-śikṣā (ethical/ritual instruction) rather than the five formal purāṇic topics; it is a moral application embedded in narrative.
‘House’ can also mean the body-mind complex; when daily inner disciplines are abandoned, tamas gains strength and becomes ‘at home,’ feeding on omission rather than commission.