Shloka 6
Adhyāya 188: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of Yuga-Decline and the Restoration Motif
Kali-yuga to Kalki
त॑ कदाचित् तपस्यन्तमार्द्रचीरजटाधरम् | चीरिणीतीरमागम्य मत्स्यो वचनमत्रवीत्,(वही बालक वैवस्वत मनुके नामसे प्रसिद्ध हुआ।) एक दिनकी बात है, मनु भीगे चीर और जटा धारण किये चीरिणी नदीके तटपर तपस्या कर रहे थे। उस समय एक मत्स्य आकर इस प्रकार बोला--
taṁ kadācit tapasyantam ārdracīrajaṭādharam | cīriṇītīram āgamya matsyo vacanam abravīt ||
マールカンデーヤは語った。「ある時、マヌがチーリニー河の岸辺で苦行に没していた—湿った樹皮衣をまとい、髪をジャターのように結い固めて—そこへ一匹の魚が岸に寄り、彼にこう語りかけた……」
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up a dharmic test: an ascetic devoted to tapas is approached by a vulnerable creature seeking engagement. It implies that true righteousness is not only personal austerity but also readiness to respond ethically—through compassion, protection, and right action—when another being comes for help.
Mārkaṇḍeya narrates that Manu is performing austerities on the bank of the Cīriṇī river, wearing damp bark-cloth and matted hair. A fish comes to the riverbank and begins speaking to him, initiating the next development of the episode.