Shloka 37
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
क्षत्रियाश्षापि वैश्याश्ष विकर्मस्था नराधिप । अल्पायुष: स्वल्पबला: स्वल्पवीर्यपराक्रमा:
kṣatriyāś cāpi vaiśyāś ca vikarmasthā narādhipa | alpāyuṣaḥ svalpabalāḥ svalpavīryaparākramāḥ ||
বৈশম্পায়ন বললেন—হে নরাধিপ, ক্ষত্রিয় ও বৈশ্যরাও বিকর্মে প্রবৃত্ত হয়ে নিজেদের ধর্ম ত্যাগ করবে। লোকেরা হবে স্বল্পায়ু; তাদের শক্তি কমবে, আর তাদের তেজ ও পরাক্রম ক্ষীণ হবে।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When people—especially those responsible for protection and sustenance of society—abandon their own svadharma and take up improper roles (vikarma), the result is collective decline: reduced lifespan, strength, vitality, and valor. The verse frames social and ethical disorder as having tangible consequences for human flourishing.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating to a king, describes signs of societal degeneration: Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas will deviate from their prescribed duties and perform the work of other varṇas. This deviation is presented as a symptom and cause of weakening human capacities and the unraveling of righteous order.