Shloka 14

इन्द्रद्युम्नोपाख्यानम्

Indradyumna Upākhyāna: On Kīrti, Smṛti, and Restoration

Devanagari script

व्याजैर्धर्म चरिष्यन्ति धर्मवैतंसिका नरा: । सत्य॑ संक्षेप्स्यते लोके नरै: पण्डितमानिभि:

Transliteration

vyājair dharmaṁ cariṣyanti dharmavaitāṁsikā narāḥ | satyaṁ saṁkṣepsyate loke naraiḥ paṇḍitamānibhiḥ ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya nói: “Những kẻ chỉ biết tô vẽ và xoay trở Dharma sẽ hành ‘chính đạo’ bằng những cớ ngụy tạo và lời bào chữa sắp đặt. Trong đời, chân lý sẽ bị cắt xén và nén lại bởi những người chỉ tự phụ rằng mình là ‘bậc học giả’.”

Word by Word

• व्याजैः: by pretexts, by pretences
• व्याजैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याज
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• धर्मम्: dharma, righteousness
• धर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• चरिष्यन्ति: will practice, will conduct (themselves)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर्
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), Third, Plural

• धर्मवैतंसिकाः: those who make a show/ornament of dharma (hypocritical moralists)
• धर्मवैतंसिकाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मवैतंसिक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नराः: men, people
• नराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• संक्षेप्स्यते: will be curtailed, will be reduced
• Type: Verb
• Root: संक्षिप्
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), Third, Singular, Ātmanepada (passive sense)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• नरैः: by men
• नरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• पण्डितमानिभिः: by those who think themselves learned
• पण्डितमानिभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पण्डितमानिन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that when people treat dharma as a tool for appearances, they justify actions through pretexts rather than integrity; such self-proclaimed ‘wise’ persons end up diminishing truth in society.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya is describing a degeneration of conduct: people will outwardly ‘practice dharma’ but only through excuses and legalistic maneuvering, while truthfulness declines under the influence of pretended scholarship.