Shloka 58
इक्ष्वाकवो यदि वा मां त्यजेयु- विधिया मे यदि चेमे विशोडपि । नोत्ख्रक्ष्येडहं वामदेवस्य वाम्यौ नैवंविधा धर्मशीला भवन्ति,“यदि ये इक्ष्वाकुवंशके लोग तथा मेरे आज्ञापालक प्रजावर्गके मनुष्य भी मेरा त्याग कर दें, तो भी मैं वामदेवके इन वाम्य संज्ञक घोड़ोंको कदापि नहीं दूँगा; क्योंकि इनके-जैसे लोग धर्मात्मा नहीं होते हैं!
Ikṣvākavo yadi vā māṃ tyajeyur vidhiyā me yadi ceme viśod api | notkhraṣyed ahaṃ Vāmadevasya vāmyau naivaṃvidhā dharmaśīlā bhavanti ||
Raja berseru: “Sekalipun kaum Ikṣvāku meninggalkanku, dan sekalipun rakyat yang biasa menaati perintahku pun berpaling dariku, aku tetap tidak akan menyerahkan kuda-kuda ‘Vāmya’ milik Vāmadeva ini. Sebab orang-orang semacam itu bukanlah insan yang teguh pada dharma.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes steadfastness in dharma and principled refusal: even under social or political pressure (abandonment by lineage or subjects), one should not yield to demands associated with adharma; those who act in such a way are judged as not truly dharma-minded.
Mārkaṇḍeya voices a firm resolve not to give up Vāmadeva’s horses called Vāmya, declaring that even if influential groups (the Ikṣvākus and obedient subjects) were to desert him, he would not comply, because the people pressing such a claim are not dharma-śīla.