Shloka 11
इन्द्रद्युम्नोपाख्यानम्
Indradyumna Upākhyāna: On Kīrti, Smṛti, and Restoration
त्रिभिरंशैरधर्मस्तु लोकानाक्रम्य तिष्ठति । तामसं युगमासाद्य तदा भरतसत्तम
tribhir aṁśair adharmas tu lokān ākramya tiṣṭhati | tāmasaṁ yugam āsādya tadā bharatasattama ||
Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: “Apabila zaman beralih menjadi Yuga Tāmasa—gelap dan berat—maka Adharma, dengan tiga bahagian kekuatannya, akan meliputi seluruh alam dan berdiri sebagai yang berkuasa, wahai yang terbaik dalam keturunan Bharata.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that in a dark age (tāmasa yuga), adharma expands and becomes dominant, implying that ethical order is not constant but fluctuates with time; vigilance and commitment to dharma become especially necessary when moral confusion spreads widely.
Mārkaṇḍeya is describing the condition of the world in a degenerate epoch: adharma, described as prevailing with “three parts,” overruns the worlds and stands established, and he addresses his listener as “best of the Bharatas.”