Shloka 14
उत्तङ्कोपाख्यानप्रारम्भः — Uttanka’s Tapas, Viṣṇu-stuti, and the Dhundhumāra Prophecy
Opening
शुश्रूषायां रता: शूद्रास्तथा वर्णत्रयस्य च । सत्ययुगके वैश्य सदा न्यायपूर्वक व्यापार करनेवाले होंगे। ब्राह्मण यजन-याजन, अध्ययन-अध्यापन, दान और प्रतिग्रह--इन छः कर्माँमें तत्पर रहेंगे। क्षत्रिय बल-पराक्रममें अनुराग रखेंगे तथा शूद्र ब्राह्मण आदि तीनों वर्णोकी सेवामें लगे रहेंगे || १३ ई ।। एष धर्म: कृतयुगे त्रेतायां द्वापरे तथा,धर्मका यह स्वरूप सत्ययुगमें अक्षुण्ण रहेगा। त्रेता, द्वापर तथा कलियुगमें धर्मकी जैसी स्थिति रहेगी, उसका वर्णन तुमसे किया जा चुका है। पाण्डुनन्दन! तुम्हें सम्पूर्ण लोककी युग-संख्याका ज्ञान भी हो चुका है
śuśrūṣāyāṁ ratāḥ śūdrās tathā varṇatrayasya ca | eṣa dharmaḥ kṛtayuge tretāyāṁ dvāpare tathā ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “In the Kṛta (Satya) Yuga, the Śūdras are devoted to service, and likewise the three higher varṇas remain established in their respective duties. This is the form of dharma in the Kṛta Yuga; and in the Tretā and Dvāpara Yugas as well, dharma is spoken of according to its condition. The state of dharma in the Kali Yuga has already been described to you. O son of Pāṇḍu, you have also come to know the full reckoning of the ages of the world.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma as a yuga-dependent social and ethical order: in the Kṛta (Satya) Yuga, each varṇa is portrayed as firmly established in its proper duty, with Śūdras especially characterized by devoted service; the broader teaching is that dharma’s manifestation varies across the ages.
Sage Mārkaṇḍeya continues instructing a Pāṇḍava (addressed as ‘son of Pāṇḍu’) about the nature of dharma across the four yugas, summarizing the Kṛta Yuga’s ideal order and indicating that the conditions of later yugas (including Kali) have already been explained.