Shloka 37
इन्द्रद्युम्नोपाख्यानम्
Indradyumna Upākhyāna: On Kīrti, Smṛti, and Restoration
कलियुगका अन्त आनेपर न तो कोई किसीसे कन्याकी याचना करेगा और न कोई कन्यादान ही करेगा। उस समयके वर-कन्या स्वयं ही एक-दूसरेको चुन लेंगे ।। राजानश्नाप्यसंतुष्टा: परार्थान् मूढचेतस: । सर्वोपायैहरिष्यन्ति युगान्ते पर्युपस्थिते,कलियुगकी समाप्तिके समय असंतोषी तथा मूढ़चित्त राजा भी सब तरहके उपायोंसे दूसरोंके धनका अपहरण करेंगे
rājānaś cāpy asantuṣṭāḥ parārthān mūḍha-cetasaḥ | sarvopāyair hariṣyanti yugānte paryupasthite ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “When the end of the age draws near, even kings—restless with discontent and clouded in judgment—will, by every possible stratagem, seize the wealth of others.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that in times of moral decline (yugānta/Kali-yuga conditions), even those entrusted with protection—kings—may become driven by dissatisfaction and delusion, using any pretext to confiscate others’ property. It highlights how loss of dharma corrupts governance and normalizes exploitation.
Mārkaṇḍeya is describing signs of the approaching end of the age: social and political order deteriorates, and rulers themselves turn predatory, resorting to every stratagem to take the wealth of their subjects or rivals.