Shloka 11
Adhyāya 188: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of Yuga-Decline and the Restoration Motif
Kali-yuga to Kalki
उदकान्तमुपानीय मत्स्यं वैवस्वतो मनु: । अलिज्जरे प्राक्षिपत् तं चन्द्रांशुसदृशप्रभम्
udakāntam upānīya matsyaṃ vaivasvato manuḥ | alijjare prākṣipat taṃ candrāṃśu-sadṛśa-prabham ||
Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: Vaivasvata Manu membawa ikan itu ke tepi air lalu menempatkan makhluk yang bercahaya laksana sinar bulan itu ke dalam sebuah tempayan.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma begins with compassionate attention to the small and helpless; Manu’s careful protection of the fish models responsible action and reverence for life, suggesting that ethical choices, even seemingly minor ones, can shape larger destinies.
Mārkaṇḍeya narrates how Manu takes a radiant fish to the waterside and places it into a jar, an early step in the well-known Matsya-Manu episode that leads toward the larger flood-related events.