Shloka 31
Yoga-Sleep, Cosmic Dissolution, and the Lotus of Creation
with Mārkaṇḍeya’s Vision
तस्य तावच्छती संध्या द्विगुणा परिकीर्तिता । द्वाभ्यामधर्मः पादाभ्यां त्रिभिर्धर्मो व्यवस्थितः
tasya tāvacchatī saṃdhyā dviguṇā parikīrtitā | dvābhyāmadharmaḥ pādābhyāṃ tribhirdharmo vyavasthitaḥ
En esa era, su período crepuscular (saṃdhyā) se dice de igual medida, y su crepúsculo final (saṃdhyāṃśa) se proclama doble. Con dos pies se sostiene el adharma, mientras con tres pies permanece firme el dharma.
Unspecified (context-dependent narration within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa 39)
Concept: In each yuga, dharma and adharma manifest in measurable proportions; moral order is not random but structured by cosmic time.
Application: Treat moral decline as a call to strengthen personal dharma—truthfulness, restraint, and devotion—especially in transitional ‘twilight’ phases of life and society.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A vast cosmic wheel of time turns in the sky, segmented into yugas with luminous junction-bands labeled sandhyā and sandhyāṃśa. Below it, a symbolic bull of dharma stands firm on three legs while a shadowy figure of adharma steadies itself on two, the balance rendered as a sacred diagram of moral physics.","primary_figures":["Dharma (as a bull)","Adharma (shadow-form)","Kāla (personified time, optional)","Vishnu (subtle presiding presence, optional)"],"setting":"Celestial expanse with mandala-like yuga-wheel, faint stars, and a horizon of creation-mist","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["sapphire blue","gold leaf","smoky indigo","ivory white","crimson accents"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a grand kāla-mandala with concentric yuga rings, gold leaf haloing the sandhyā bands; Dharma as a white bull with three jeweled legs, Adharma as a dark silhouette with two legs; ornate borders, rich reds and greens, gem-studded ornaments, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate cosmic mandala floating over a cool twilight sky; refined linework on the dharma-bull, soft gradients for sandhyā junctions, lyrical clouds and distant Himalayan-like horizons, restrained gold highlights.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, flat yet vibrant pigments; Dharma-bull with stylized eyes and patterned body, yuga-wheel as a temple-mandala behind; dominant reds/yellows/greens with deep blue background, mural-wall texture.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central circular yuga-mandala framed by lotus vines; Dharma-bull near a lotus pond, peacocks at the border; deep blues and gold, intricate floral borders, devotional diagram aesthetic with rhythmic repetition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple bell","conch shell (distant)","silence between phrases","soft drone (tanpura)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: tāvat + śatī = tāvacchatī (Scutva Sandhi); dvābhyām + adharmaḥ = dvābhyāmadharmaḥ (Samyoga); tribhiḥ + dharmaḥ = tribhirdharmaḥ (Visarga to 'r').
FAQs
It uses the common Purāṇic metaphor of dharma as a four-footed support that changes by age: here dharma remains mostly stable (three parts), while adharma is present but lesser (two parts), indicating a mixed moral condition.
They are the transitional junctions at the beginning and end of an age (yuga). Purāṇas often quantify these as fixed proportions of the yuga’s duration to describe gradual moral and cosmic change rather than sudden shifts.
Even when dharma is predominant, adharma can still arise; therefore vigilance, self-discipline, and adherence to righteous conduct are necessary in every age.