Shloka 23
इन्द्रद्युम्नोपाख्यानम्
Indradyumna Upākhyāna: On Kīrti, Smṛti, and Restoration
सरित्तीरेषु कुद्दालैर्वापयिष्यन्ति चौषधी: । ताश्चाप्पल्पफलास्तेषां भविष्यन्ति युगक्षये,नदियोंके किनारेकी भूमिको कुदालोंसे खोदकर लोग वहाँ अनाज बोयेंगे। उन अनाजोंमें भी युगान्तकालके प्रभावसे बहुत कम फल लगेंगे
sarittīreṣu kuddālair vāpayiṣyanti cauṣadhīḥ | tāś cāppalpaphalās teṣāṃ bhaviṣyanti yugakṣaye ||
Disse Mārkaṇḍeya: “Nas margens dos rios, as pessoas cavarão a terra com pás e semearão. Contudo, sob a influência opressiva do fim da era, até essas colheitas darão apenas frutos escassos.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that in an age of dharmic decline, outcomes no longer match effort: even diligent labor (digging and sowing) yields meager results, reflecting a broader moral and cosmic imbalance.
Mārkaṇḍeya is describing signs of the yuga’s end: people cultivate land along rivers by digging with tools and planting crops, but the harvest becomes poor and scant due to the degenerative conditions of the time.