Shloka 10
Yugapramāṇa–Kaliyuga-lakṣaṇa–Pralaya-kathā
Markandeya’s Account of Yugas, Kali Signs, and Dissolution
तत्र सम वाचं कल्याणीं धर्मकामार्थसंहिताम् । मयोक्तामन्यथा ब्रूयुस्ततस्ते वै निरर्थिकाम्,यदि मैं वहाँ जाकर धर्म, अर्थ और कामसे युता कल्याणमयी वाणी भी बोलूँगा तो वे उसे धर्म और अर्थके विपरीत ही बतायेंगे; निरर्थक सिद्ध करेंगे
tatra sama-vācaṃ kalyāṇīṃ dharma-kāmārtha-saṃhitām | mayoktām anyathā brūyus tatas te vai nirarthikām ||
There, even if I were to speak a balanced and auspicious speech—one grounded in dharma, artha, and kāma—yet they would twist my words into something else; and thus, indeed, they would render my statement futile and without effect.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even well-intentioned, balanced counsel grounded in dharma, artha, and kāma can become ineffective when listeners are determined to distort it; ethical speech requires receptive hearers to bear fruit.
Mārkaṇḍeya explains that if he were to go and speak an auspicious, well-balanced message, the others would reinterpret it in the opposite way and thereby make his words pointless.