Shloka 26
आत्मदर्शन-उपदेशः (Ātma-darśana Upadeśa) — Mind, Senses, and the All-pervading Self
वेदवादाश्वानुयुगं हसन्तीतीह न: श्रुतम् । आयूंषि चाशिषश्चैव वेदस्यैव च यत्फलम्,त्रेता आदि युगोंमें वेदोंका स्वाध्याय और मनुष्योंकी आयु घटने लगती है, ऐसा सुना गया है। उनकी कामनाओंकी सिद्धिमें भी बाधा पड़ती है और वेदाध्ययनके फलमें भी न्यूनता आ जाती है
vyāsa uvāca | vedavādāśvānuyugaṃ hasantītiha naḥ śrutam | āyūṃṣi cāśiṣaś caiva vedasyaiva ca yat phalam |
Vyāsa said: We have heard it said in this world that, as the ages proceed, the proclamations of the Veda come to be treated with derision. Human lifespans diminish; blessings and desired attainments meet with obstruction; and even the fruits of Vedic study and practice become reduced. The teaching underscores the moral decline of later yugas and the need for steadiness in dharma despite weakening capacities.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
As time moves through successive yugas, human capacity and reverence for Vedic dharma weaken: lifespans shorten, blessings and aims are harder to realize, and the spiritual efficacy (phala) of Vedic study and observance is experienced as diminished. The implied counsel is to persist in dharma even amid decline.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and the conditions of different ages, Vyāsa states a traditional observation about yuga progression: later ages bring reduced longevity and reduced effectiveness of Vedic practice, along with social ridicule of Vedic teachings.