Shloka 44
Adhyāya 188: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of Yuga-Decline and the Restoration Motif
Kali-yuga to Kalki
घूर्णते चपलेव स्त्री मत्ता परपुरंजय । नैव भूमिर्न च दिश: प्रदिशो वा चकाशिरे
ghūrṇate capaleva strī mattā parapuraṃjaya | naiva bhūmir na ca diśaḥ pradiśo vā cakāśire ||
Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: “Wahai penakluk kota-kota musuh, perahu itu berpusing-pusing seperti perempuan yang berubah-ubah dalam keadaan mabuk; tidak kelihatan jelas bumi, tidak juga arah mata angin, bahkan penjuru-penjuru di antaranya.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses vivid imagery of intoxicated unsteadiness to convey how overwhelming distress or shock can cloud perception so completely that even basic orientation—earth and directions—seems to vanish; it cautions that inner turmoil can distort one’s grasp of reality.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes a woman (implied from context) in a state of delirium or extreme agitation, staggering and unable to perceive the ground or the directions clearly, while addressing the listener as “conqueror of enemy cities.”