Shloka 18
Adhyāya 188: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of Yuga-Decline and the Restoration Motif
Kali-yuga to Kalki
विचेष्टितुं च कौन्तेय मत्स्यो वाप्यां विशाम्पते । मनुं मत्स्यस्ततो दृष्टवा पुनरेवाभ्यभाषत,नराधिप कुन्तीनन्दन! वह उस बावलीमें हिल-डुल भी नहीं पाता था। अतः मनुको देखकर वह पुनः बोला--
viceṣṭituṁ ca kaunteya matsyo vāpyāṁ viśāmpate | manuṁ matsyas tato dṛṣṭvā punar evābhyabhāṣata || narādhipa kuntīnandana! saḥ asyāṁ bāvalyāṁ hil-dul api na śaknoti sma; ataḥ manuṁ dṛṣṭvā saḥ punar uvāca—
Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: “Wahai putera Kuntī, wahai tuan manusia! Ikan itu tidak mampu bergerak pun di dalam kolam. Maka apabila melihat Manu, ikan itu berkata kepadanya sekali lagi.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic attentiveness: suffering and constraint in a weaker being becomes a direct ethical call to the righteous—especially rulers—to protect, assist, and act responsibly rather than remain indifferent.
In Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration, the fish is confined in a pond and cannot move freely. When Manu comes into view, the fish speaks to him again, setting up a request or instruction that advances the well-known Manu–Matsya episode.