Shloka 8
Adhyāya 188: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of Yuga-Decline and the Restoration Motif
Kali-yuga to Kalki
दुर्बलं बलवन्तो हि मत्स्या मत्स्यं विशेषतः । आस्वदन्ति सदा वृत्तिविहिता न: सनातनी,“बलवान मत्स्य विशेषत: दुर्बल मत्स्यको अपना आहार बना लेते हैं, यह सदासे हमारी मत्स्य-जातिकी नियत--वृत्ति है
durbalaṃ balavanto hi matsyā matsyaṃ viśeṣataḥ | āsvadanti sadā vṛttivihitā naḥ sanātanī ||
Sinabi ni Mārkaṇḍeya: “Tunay ngang nilalamon ng malalakas na isda ang mahihina—sa mga isda, isda ang kumakain ng isda higit sa lahat. Ito ang aming sinaunang gawi, ang likas na kabuhayang itinakda sa amin mula pa noong una.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse expresses the ‘law of the fish’ (matsya-nyāya): where there is no restraining order or protection, the strong naturally prey upon the weak. It highlights the ethical need for dharma, governance, or restraint to prevent a world ruled solely by power.
Mārkaṇḍeya, speaking within the Vana Parva discourse, uses the example of fish to illustrate a harsh natural principle: in an unregulated setting, the powerful consume the powerless. The statement functions as a moral-political illustration within his teaching.