Shloka 14
Adhyāya 188: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of Yuga-Decline and the Restoration Motif
Kali-yuga to Kalki
अथ मत्स्यो मनु दृष्टवा पुनरेवाभ्यभाषत । भगवन् साधु मेउद्यान्यत् स्थानं सम्प्रतिपादय,तब एक दिन मत्स्यने मनुको देखकर फिर कहा--“भगवन्! अब आप मेरे लिये इससे अच्छा कोई दूसरा स्थान दीजिये”
atha matsyo manu dṛṣṭvā punar evābhyabhāṣata | bhagavan sādhu me udānyat sthānaṃ sampratipādaya ||
അപ്പോൾ മത്സ്യം മനുവിനെ കണ്ടിട്ട് വീണ്ടും പറഞ്ഞു—“ഭഗവൻ! ഇപ്പോൾ എനിക്കായി ഇതിലുപരി യോജിച്ച മറ്റൊരു സ്ഥലം ദയവായി ഏർപ്പെടുത്തുക.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma here is expressed as responsive care: when one has accepted responsibility for a living being, one must continue to provide appropriate protection as its needs grow, rather than abandoning it when circumstances change.
The fish, which Manu has been sheltering, has outgrown its current abode and asks Manu again to arrange a better, more suitable place for it—prompting Manu to take the next step in protecting it.