Shloka 3
Inauspicious Omens and Arjuna’s Return from Dvārakā
कालस्य च गतिं रौद्रां विपर्यस्तर्तुधर्मिण: । पापीयसीं नृणां वार्तां क्रोधलोभानृतात्मनाम् ॥ ३ ॥
kālasya ca gatiṁ raudrāṁ viparyastartu-dharmiṇaḥ pāpīyasīṁ nṛṇāṁ vārtāṁ krodha-lobhānṛtātmanām
Er sah, dass der Lauf der ewigen Zeit sich furchtbar gewandelt hatte und die Ordnung der Jahreszeiten verkehrt war. Die Menschen wurden sündhafter: mit Herzen voller Zorn, Gier und Lüge griffen sie zu schändlichen Erwerbsweisen.
When civilization is disconnected from the loving relation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, symptoms like changes of seasonal regulations, foul means of livelihood, greed, anger and fraudulence become rampant. The change of seasonal regulations refers to one season’s atmosphere becoming manifest in another season — for example the rainy season’s being transferred to autumn, or the fructification of fruits and flowers from one season in another season. A godless man is invariably greedy, angry and fraudulent. Such a man can earn his livelihood by any means, black or white. During the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, all the above symptoms were conspicuous by their absence. But Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was astonished to experience even a slight change in the godly atmosphere of his kingdom, and at once he suspected the disappearance of the Lord. Foul means of livelihood implies deviation from one’s occupational duty. There are prescribed duties for everyone, such as the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra, but anyone who deviates from his prescribed duty and declares another’s duty to be his own is following a foul and improper duty. A man becomes too greedy for wealth and power when he has no higher objective in life and when he thinks that this earthly life of a few years is all in all. Ignorance is the cause for all these anomalies in human society, and to remove this ignorance, especially in this age of degradation, the powerful sun is there to distribute light in the shape of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
FAQs
This verse describes worsening human conduct—people becoming dominated by anger, greed, and untruth—presented as a sign of time’s fierce influence and societal decline.
He is narrating ominous signs perceived in the world, indicating a major divine transition—connected with the Lord’s disappearance and the onset of darker conditions in the age.
It urges vigilance: recognize the pull of anger, greed, and dishonesty, and consciously choose dharma—truthfulness, self-control, and devotion—rather than being carried by the harsh current of time.