Shloka 40
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
येषां तटाकानि महोदकानि वाप्यश्च कूपाश्च प्रतिश्रयाश्व अन्नस्य दानं मधुरा च वाणी यमस्य ते निर्वचना भवन्ति,जो लोग अगाध जलसे भरे हुए तालाब और पोखरे खुदवाते हैं, बावली, कुएँ तथा धर्मशालाएँ तैयार कराते हैं, अन्नका दान करते और मीठी बातें बोलते हैं, उन्हें यमराजकी बात भी नहीं सुननी पड़ती है अर्थात् यमराज उसे वचनमात्रसे भी दण्ड नहीं दे सकते
yeṣāṃ taṭākāni mahodakāni vāpyāś ca kūpāś ca pratiśrayāś ca | annasya dānaṃ madhurā ca vāṇī yamasya te nirvacanā bhavanti ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: Those who cause deep, water-filled tanks to be made—along with stepwells, wells, and shelters for travelers—who give food in charity and speak with gentle sweetness: for them, Yama’s jurisdiction becomes inoperative. In other words, they need not even hear Yama’s summons, for such merit places them beyond his punitive reach.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public-benefit gifts (water sources and shelters), food charity, and gentle speech are presented as powerful forms of dharma whose merit protects a person from Yama’s punitive authority—emphasizing that sustaining life, easing travel, and practicing kindness in word and deed are among the highest ethical acts.
Mārkaṇḍeya is instructing his listeners on the fruits of righteous conduct. He lists concrete, socially sustaining actions—building waterworks and shelters, giving food, and speaking kindly—and declares that such people are not subject to Yama’s summons or punishment, highlighting the moral economy of karma and merit.