Shloka 24
कलौ धर्मसुलभता — व्यासोपाख्यानम् एवं संकीर्तन-प्रधानता
भक्ष्याभक्ष्येषु नास्यास्ति पेयापेयेषु वै यतः नियमो मुनिशार्दूलास् तेनासौ साध्व् इतीरितम्
bhakṣyābhakṣyeṣu nāsyāsti peyāpeyeṣu vai yataḥ niyamo muniśārdūlās tenāsau sādhv itīritam
O tigerhafte Weisen, in ihm gibt es keine Regel der Selbstzucht hinsichtlich dessen, was zu essen oder nicht zu essen ist, ebenso wenig hinsichtlich dessen, was zu trinken oder nicht zu trinken ist; darum nennt man ihn nach dem verdrehten Maßstab des Kali-Yuga einen „sādhu“.
Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Kali-yuga lakṣaṇas: inversion of values and degradation of dharma
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: In Kali-yuga, social language can perversely praise the unrestrained, showing how dharma becomes inverted when discrimination about purity and restraint collapses.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Treat popular approval as unreliable; evaluate conduct by śāstric standards of self-restraint (yama-niyama) rather than by social labels.
Vishishtadvaita: Implied need for śāstra-guided living as service to the Lord who is the inner ruler of moral order, even when society’s judgments fail.
FAQs
This verse treats the loss of restraint in eating and drinking as a clear symptom of Kali-yuga, showing how personal discipline is foundational to dharma and social order.
Parāśara indicates that standards become distorted: a person lacking basic discernment about permissible and impermissible consumption may still be praised as ‘sādhu,’ revealing a collapse of ethical judgment.
By highlighting Kali-yuga’s disorder, the Purana implicitly points to Vishnu as the supreme governor of cosmic order (dharma), under whose will decline and eventual restoration of righteousness unfold.