Shloka 12
कलौ धर्मसुलभता — व्यासोपाख्यानम् एवं संकीर्तन-प्रधानता
कलिः साध्व् इति यत् प्रोक्तं शूद्रः साध्व् इति योषितः यच् चाह भगवान् साधु धन्याश् चेति पुनः पुनः
kaliḥ sādhv iti yat proktaṃ śūdraḥ sādhv iti yoṣitaḥ yac cāha bhagavān sādhu dhanyāś ceti punaḥ punaḥ
In the age of Kali, whatever is proclaimed to be “good” is called good merely by assertion: the Śūdra is repeatedly hailed as “virtuous,” and a woman is repeatedly hailed as “virtuous”; and whatever the Lord declares again and again—“This is good; these are blessed”—that too is echoed and repeated, as though repetition itself were proof.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Concept: कलियुग में ‘साधु’ का मानदण्ड शब्द-प्रचार और सामाजिक प्रतिध्वनि से विकृत हो जाता है; सत्य-धर्म का निर्णय शास्त्र-युक्ति और सदाचार से होना चाहिए, न कि केवल पुनरुक्ति से।
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: लोक-मत/सोशल-echo से प्रभावित हुए बिना, अपने नैतिक निर्णयों को शास्त्रीय विवेक, करुणा, और दीर्घकालीन फल (consequences) के आधार पर परखिए।
Vishishtadvaita: ‘भगवान्’ द्वारा घोषित ‘साधु/धन्य’ का प्रमाण—ईश्वर-वाक्य/शास्त्र-प्रामाण्य को सर्वोपरि मानना, क्योंकि धर्म का नियामक परमेश्वर है।
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse highlights a Kali-yuga symptom: virtue is treated as a label granted by repetition or fashion rather than by dharmic conduct, signaling confusion in moral authority.
Parāśara describes a world where praise and public declaration replace discernment—people call things ‘good’ because they are said to be good, not because they align with dharma.
Even as human standards become unstable in Kali-yuga, Bhagavān remains the ultimate measure of dharma; the text points to the Lord’s sovereignty over true goodness and blessedness.