Shloka 38
Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon
तत:ः शड्खपदश्चापि पुत्रमात्मजमौरसम् । दिशां पाल॑ सुवर्णाभमध्यापयत भारत । सोडचन्तर्दथे ततो भूय: प्राप्ते त्रेतायुगे पुन:,भारत! फिर शंखपदने भी अपने औरस पुत्र दिक्पाल सुवर्णाभको इस धर्मका अध्ययन कराया। इसके बाद त्रेतायुग प्राप्त होनेपर वह धर्म फिर लुप्त हो गया
tataḥ śaṅkhapadaś cāpi putram ātmajam aurasam | diśāṃ pālaṃ suvarṇābham adhyāpayata bhārata | so 'ntardadhe tato bhūyaḥ prāpte tretāyuge punaḥ, bhārata, sa dharmaḥ punar luptaḥ abhavat ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Kemudian Śaṅkhapada pula mengajarkan dharma itu kepada putera sahnya, Suvarṇābha—yang menjadi penjaga arah mata angin—agar mempelajari dharma tersebut, wahai Bhārata. Sesudah itu, dharma itu lenyap; dan apabila zaman Tretā datang kembali, dharma yang sama sekali lagi tenggelam dalam kelam.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is preserved through deliberate instruction and lineage, yet it can still become obscured across the cycles of time (yugas). The verse highlights both the responsibility to transmit righteous knowledge and the recurring historical pattern of its decline.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Śaṅkhapada teaches the Dharma to his own son Suvarṇābha, who is described as a guardian of the directions. After completing this transmission, Śaṅkhapada disappears; later, with the advent of the Tretā Yuga, that Dharma again becomes lost from view.