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Shloka 54

कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः

Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma

धर्मिष्ठा: परिहीयन्ते पापीयान्‌ वर्धते जन: । धर्मस्य बलहानि: स्यादधर्मश्ष बली तथा,धर्मात्मा पुरुष हानि उठाते दीखेंगे और बड़े-बड़े पापी लौकिक दृष्टिसे उन्नतिशील होंगे। धर्मका बल घटेगा और अधर्म बलवान्‌ होगा

dharmiṣṭhāḥ parihīyante pāpīyān vardhate janaḥ | dharmasya balahāniḥ syād adharmaś ca balī tathā ||

قال فايشَمبايانا: «إنّ أشدّ الناس تمسّكًا بالدهرما سيُنتقصون ويُقصَون، بينما يزدهر أهلُ الإثم ويزدادون. وتضعف قوّة الدهرما، ويقوى الأدهرما كذلك».

धर्मिष्ठाःthe righteous (most dharmic)
धर्मिष्ठाः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootधर्मिष्ठ
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
परिहीयन्तेdecline / are diminished
परिहीयन्ते:
TypeVerb
Rootपरि-हा
FormPresent, Atmanepada, Third, Plural, Active (Atmanepada usage)
पापीयान्more sinful (people)
पापीयान्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootपापीयस्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
वर्धतेincreases / prospers
वर्धते:
TypeVerb
Rootवृध्
FormPresent, Atmanepada, Third, Singular, Active (Atmanepada usage)
जनःpeople / the populace
जनः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootजन
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
धर्मस्यof dharma
धर्मस्य:
TypeNoun
Rootधर्म
FormMasculine, Genitive, Singular
बलहानिःloss of strength
बलहानिः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootबलहानि
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
स्यात्would be / may occur
स्यात्:
TypeVerb
Rootअस्
FormOptative (Potential), Parasmaipada, Third, Singular
अधर्मस्यof adharma
अधर्मस्य:
TypeNoun
Rootअधर्म
FormMasculine, Genitive, Singular
बलीstrong / powerful
बली:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootबलिन्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
तथाlikewise / and so
तथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतथा

वैशम्पायन उवाच

V
Vaiśampāyana

Educational Q&A

The verse warns of a moral inversion: when society neglects the righteous and rewards the sinful, dharma loses its effective power and adharma becomes dominant—an ethical diagnosis of social decay.

Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, describes a condition of the world where the dhārmic are pushed aside and the wicked rise—setting a reflective, cautionary tone about the consequences of collective moral failure.