Mahabharata 3.200.2 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 200, Shloka 2
Dharma-vyādha on the Subtlety of Dharma, Karma, and the Continuity of the Jīva (Āraṇyaka-parva 200)
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! ऋषियों तथा पाण्डवोंने मार्कण्डेयजीसे पूछा --'भगवन्! कोई आपसे भी पहलेका उत्पन्न चिरजीवी इस जगतमें है या नहीं? ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca—janamejaya! ṛṣayaś ca pāṇḍavāś ca mārkaṇḍeyam apṛcchan—“bhagavan! ko ’pi tvatto ’pi pūrva-utpannaś cirajīvī ’smin jagati vidyate na vā?” sa tān uvāca—“asti khalu rājārṣir indradyumno nāma; kṣīṇa-puṇyas tridivāt pracyutaḥ. ‘kīrtis te vyucchinnā’ iti. sa mām upātiṣṭhad atha—‘pratyabhijānāti māṃ bhavān?’”
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。「ジャナメージャヤよ、仙人たちとパーンダヴァらはマールカンデーヤに問うた。『尊き御方よ、この世に、あなたよりも先に生まれ、なお長く生きる者はおりますか、いませんか。』彼は答えた。『まことにいる。かつてインドラデュムナという王仙がいた。功徳が尽きたとき、彼は天界より墜ち、“汝の世間の名声は断たれた”との宣告をもって退けられた。天上の界より落ちたのち、彼は私のもとへ来て、“あなたは私をお認めになりますか”と問うたのだ。』」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Merit (puṇya) is finite when tied to results; even heavenly status can end when merit is exhausted. Worldly fame (kīrti) is also fragile—its loss can precipitate decline—so dharma should be pursued for its intrinsic rightness rather than for reputation or reward.
The sages and the Pāṇḍavas ask Mārkaṇḍeya whether anyone older and long-lived exists. Mārkaṇḍeya answers by introducing the royal sage Indradyumna, who, after his merit ran out, fell from heaven with the declaration that his fame had vanished, and then approached Mārkaṇḍeya asking if he was recognized.
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