Shloka 12
इन्द्रद्युम्नोपाख्यानम्
Indradyumna Upākhyāna: On Kīrti, Smṛti, and Restoration
चतुर्थाशेन धर्मस्तु मनुष्यानुपतिष्ठति । आयुर्वीर्यमथो बुद्धिर्बलं तेजश्च॒ पाण्डव
caturthāṁśena dharmas tu manuṣyān upatiṣṭhati | āyur vīryam atho buddhir balaṁ tejaś ca pāṇḍava ||
Mārkaṇḍeya nói: “Trong thời đại này, Dharma chỉ còn trụ nơi loài người bằng một phần tư. Cùng với đó, hỡi Pāṇḍava, thọ mệnh, dũng lực, trí tuệ, sức mạnh và quang huy cũng đều suy giảm.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that when Dharma declines to only a quarter of its full presence, human capacities also wane—longevity, courage, discernment, strength, and inner/outer splendor—implying that ethical order sustains both personal excellence and social vitality.
Mārkaṇḍeya is instructing a Pāṇḍava (typically Yudhiṣṭhira) in a reflective, didactic context, describing the condition of an age in which righteousness is reduced and, correspondingly, human virtues and powers diminish.