Shloka 4
Manvantara Administration: Appointment of Manus, Indras, and the Restoration of Dharma
चतुर्युगान्ते कालेन ग्रस्ताञ्छ्रुतिगणान्यथा । तपसा ऋषयोऽपश्यन्यतो धर्म: सनातन: ॥ ४ ॥
catur-yugānte kālena grastāñ chruti-gaṇān yathā tapasā ṛṣayo ’paśyan yato dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ
At the end of every cycle of four yugas, when the great saints see that, under the devouring power of time, the śruti tradition and the eternal duties of mankind have been misused, they reestablish the principles of dharma through austerity.
In this verse, the words dharmaḥ and sanātanaḥ are very important. Sanātana means “eternal,” and dharma means “occupational duties.” From Satya-yuga to Kali-yuga, the principles of religion and occupational duty gradually deteriorate. In Satya-yuga, the religious principles are observed in full, without deviation. In Tretā-yuga, however, these principles are somewhat neglected, and only three fourths of the religious duties continue. In Dvāpara-yuga only half of the religious principles continue, and in Kali-yuga only one fourth of the religious principles, which gradually disappear. At the end of Kali-yuga, the principles of religion, or the occupational duties of humanity, are almost lost. Indeed, in this Kali-yuga we have passed through only five thousand years, yet the decline of sanātana-dharma is very prominent. The duty of saintly persons, therefore, is to take up seriously the cause of sanātana-dharma and try to reestablish it for the benefit of the entire human society. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has been started according to this principle. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.3.51) :
FAQs
This verse explains that at the end of the four-yuga cycle, Time seems to "swallow" the śruti (Vedic revelations), but the sages recover and perceive eternal dharma again through tapasya.
Because tapasya purifies consciousness and strengthens spiritual insight, enabling the ṛṣis to re-access and re-establish the eternal principles of dharma even when society has forgotten them.
When spiritual knowledge feels obscured, sincere discipline—regular sādhanā, study, and self-control—helps one reconnect with timeless dharma and live with clarity despite the pressures of time.