Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 76, Shloka 19
Adhyaya 76 — The Sixth Manvantara: Cakshusha Manu, the Child-Snatcher, and the Problem of Kinship
हृत्वा हृत्वा तृतीयन्तु भक्षयत्यतिनिर्घृणा ।
करोत्यानुदिनं सा नु परिवर्तन्तथान्ययोः ॥
hṛtvā hṛtvā tṛtīyantu bhakṣayatyatinirghṛṇā / karotyanudinaṃ sā nu parivartantathānyayoḥ
她一次又一次地偷换，而那第三个——最为无情的——便被她吞食。她日复一日如此行事，而另外两个则在各家之间被互相调换。
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FAQs
The verse highlights the ‘habit-form’ of adharma: cruelty becomes routine when unchecked. Ethically, it presses the need for timely intervention—delay normalizes harm.
Ākhyāna as dharma-upadeśa (instruction): the narrative shows how repetitive wrongdoing entrenches saṃskāra and spreads suffering.
The ‘rotation of the other two’ suggests the mind’s tendency to shuffle identities and excuses while the destructive core continues. The ‘third devoured’ is the sacrificed truth when self-deception persists.