Shloka 49
मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः
Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association
चतुर्णां यत्र वर्णानां मैत्रेयात्यन्तसंकरः तत्रास्या साधुवृत्तीनाम् उपघाताय जायते
caturṇāṃ yatra varṇānāṃ maitreyātyantasaṃkaraḥ tatrāsyā sādhuvṛttīnām upaghātāya jāyate
O Maitreya, wherever an extreme intermixture of the four varṇas arises, there the noble ways of conduct are struck down, and dharma is wounded at its root.
Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How varṇa-saṃkara undermines sādhu-vṛtti and damages dharma in society
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Extreme varṇa-saṃkara is taught to cause the upaghāta (destruction) of sādhu-vṛtti, collapsing the settled conduct that protects dharma.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Support institutions and habits that preserve ethical conduct—education, mentorship, and accountability—so social roles do not dissolve into exploitation.
Vishishtadvaita: Social dharma is presented as a limb of cosmic order ultimately grounded in the Lord; when conduct collapses, devotion and right action both become obstructed.
FAQs
This verse treats extreme varṇa-saṅkara as a key sign of societal decline, because it undermines stable dharmic duties and damages the established conduct of the virtuous (sādhu-vṛtti).
Speaking to Maitreya, Parāśara frames moral decay as a breakdown of ordered duties and norms; when social roles become confused beyond measure, righteous practice loses its support and is “struck down.”
Even when dharma is harmed through social disorder, the Vishnu Purana’s larger framework presents Vishnu as the supreme governor of cosmic order—dharma’s ultimate ground and the source by which order is restored across yuga cycles.