Shloka 43
Śakaṭa-bhañjana, Naming by Garga, Dāmodara and Yamala-arjuna, and the Move to Vṛndāvana
मार्गा बभूवुर् अस्पष्टा नवशष्पचयावृताः अर्थान्तरम् अनुप्राप्ताः प्रजडानाम् इवोक्तयः
mārgā babhūvur aspaṣṭā navaśaṣpacayāvṛtāḥ arthāntaram anuprāptāḥ prajaḍānām ivoktayaḥ
The paths of right conduct grew indistinct, as though overgrown with thick clumps of fresh grass; and words, too, slipped into other meanings—like the talk of the dull‑witted—so that truth could no longer be clearly known.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Concept: When discernment declines, the path of right conduct becomes overgrown and even words slip into distorted meanings, making truth hard to grasp.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Practice clarity in speech and study (svādhyāya), and keep a steady ethical routine so that ‘paths’ do not become overgrown by negligence.
Vishishtadvaita: True meaning (tātparya) is safeguarded by śāstra and sampradāya; right understanding supports loving surrender to the Lord.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It signals dharma becoming hard to discern and practice—righteous living is obscured by worldly growth and neglect, like a road hidden by grass.
He portrays language itself slipping into distorted senses, so teachings and testimony lose precision—mirroring the mental dullness of the age and making truth difficult to establish.
Even as Kali-yuga obscures dharma and truth, the Purana frames Vishnu as the sustaining Supreme Reality whose sovereignty ultimately enables restoration of order across yuga cycles.