Shloka 69
Rāma–Jāmadagnya-janma-kāraṇa and Kṣatra-kṣaya
Paraśurāma’s origins and the depletion/restoration of kṣatriya lineages
अवर्तन्त द्विजाग्ग्राणां दारेषु भरतर्षभ । भरतश्रेष्ठ! फिर तो स्वेच्छाचारी वैश्य और शाटद्र श्रेष्ठ द्विजोंकी स्त्रियोंके साथ अनाचार करने लगे ।। ६८ $ ।। अराजके जीवलोके दुर्बला बलवत्तरै:
avartanta dvijāgrāṇāṁ dāreṣu bharatarṣabha |
Vāsudeva said: “O bull among the Bharatas, when governance collapses and law is not upheld, men of the lower orders—unrestrained—began to violate the wives of the foremost brāhmaṇas. In such lawlessness, the weak become prey to the strong, and social and moral boundaries are trampled.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage warns that when righteous rule and enforcement of dharma collapse (arājaka), moral restraints erode: the strong exploit the weak, and even protected social institutions like marriage and the honor of the virtuous are violated. It underscores the king’s duty to uphold order and protect the vulnerable.
Vāsudeva describes symptoms of a lawless society: people of lower status, acting without restraint, begin committing sexual misconduct against the wives of eminent brāhmaṇas—an example used to illustrate how anarchy leads to widespread social and ethical breakdown.