Shloka 32
वेन-पृथु-प्रादुर्भावः, राजधर्मः, पृथिवीदोहनम्
Vena–Pṛthu Episode and the Milking of Earth
तेषाम् उदीर्णवेगानां चौराणां मुनिसत्तमाः सुमहान् दृश्यते रेणुः परवित्तापहारिणाम्
teṣām udīrṇavegānāṃ caurāṇāṃ munisattamāḥ sumahān dṛśyate reṇuḥ paravittāpahāriṇām
ఓ మునిశ్రేష్ఠా, ఇతరుల ధనాన్ని దోచే ఆ దొంగలు ఉద్ధృత వేగంతో తిరుగుతుండగా, వారి వల్ల లేచే మహా ధూళిమేఘం కనిపిస్తుంది.
Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How severe was the disorder, and what did it look like?
Teaching: Historical
Quality: authoritative
FAQs
The verse uses vivid, worldly imagery—thieves raising a great dust-cloud—to signal rampant lawlessness and the visibility of adharma spreading through society.
Parāśara frames disorder as a symptom of declining dharma: when people take others’ wealth, the disturbance becomes unmistakable—like dust thrown up by fast-moving raiders.
Though not named in this line, the Purana’s underlying theology presents Vishnu as the supreme regulator of cosmic order; descriptions of adharma implicitly highlight the need for restoration of dharma under the Lord’s sovereignty.