Shloka 75
इन्द्रद्युम्नोपाख्यानम्
Indradyumna Upākhyāna: On Kīrti, Smṛti, and Restoration
आचार्योड्पनिधिश्रैव भर्त्स्यते तदनन्तरम् । अर्थयुक््त्या प्रवत्स्यन्ति मित्रसम्बन्धिबान्धवा:
ācāryo 'panidhiś caiva bhartsyate tad-anantaram | artha-yuktyā pravatsyanti mitra-sambandhi-bāndhavāḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: “Selepas itu, bahkan guru dan penjaga harta yang diamanahkan pun akan dicerca. Sahabat, saudara-mara, dan kaum kerabat pula akan bertindak menurut ‘alasan kepentingan’—berhujah licik tentang keuntungan—bukan menurut yang benar.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that when society shifts from dharma to mere artha-yukti (expedient, self-serving reasoning), even sacred bonds—reverence for the teacher and trust in custodianship—collapse, and relationships become governed by advantage rather than righteousness.
Mārkaṇḍeya is describing a deteriorating moral climate: after earlier signs of decline, people begin to revile even respected figures like the ācārya and the trusted keeper of deposits, while friends and relatives justify actions through convenient arguments of profit and utility.