Shloka 85
इन्द्रद्युम्नोपाख्यानम्
Indradyumna Upākhyāna: On Kīrti, Smṛti, and Restoration
रूक्षा वाचो विमोक्ष्यन्ति युगान्ते पर्युपस्थिते । मित्रसम्बन्धिनश्षापि संत्यक्ष्यन्ति नरास्तदा
rūkṣā vāco vimokṣyanti yugānte paryupasthite | mitra-sambandhinaḥ śāpī santyakṣyanti narās tadā ||
Dijo Mārkaṇḍeya: «Cuando se acerque el fin de la era, los hombres soltarán palabras ásperas y crueles. Entonces, aun los unidos por amistad y parentesco se abandonarán unos a otros: los hombres se apartarán pese a sus lazos».
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that moral decline shows itself first in speech and relationships: when people normalize harsh words, even friendship and kinship weaken. Ethical restraint in speech (vāg-dharma) is presented as a safeguard for social harmony.
Mārkaṇḍeya is describing the approaching ‘end of the age’ (yugānta) and listing its symptoms. Here he highlights two signs: uncontrolled cruel speech and the breakdown of loyalty among friends and relatives.