Shloka 36
कलौ धर्मसुलभता — व्यासोपाख्यानम् एवं संकीर्तन-प्रधानता
ततस् त्रितयम् अप्य् एतन् मम धन्यतमं मतम् धर्मसंसाधने क्लेशो द्विजातीनां कृतादिषु
tatas tritayam apy etan mama dhanyatamaṃ matam dharmasaṃsādhane kleśo dvijātīnāṃ kṛtādiṣu
Therefore, this triad of the earlier ages is, in my judgment, the most blessed state; for in the Kṛta and the succeeding yugas, the twice-born fulfill dharma only through strenuous effort and strict discipline.
Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Comparative difficulty of dharma across yugas, especially for the twice-born in Kṛta and subsequent ages
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: analytical
Concept: The earlier yugas are ‘blessed’ in purity, yet dharma for the twice-born there requires greater rigor, implying that spiritual attainment depends on disciplined effort suited to the age.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Adopt age-appropriate discipline: keep modest, sustainable vows (study, restraint, charity) rather than imitating extreme austerities unsuited to one’s context.
Vishishtadvaita: Different yuga-conditions modulate the embodied soul’s capacities; grace and duty operate through time without negating the soul’s dependence on the Lord.
FAQs
It points to the three yugas prior to Kali—Kṛta, Tretā, and Dvāpara—treated as comparatively more auspicious phases of the cosmic cycle in which dharma is more attainable and stable.
He frames dharma as something that requires ‘kleśa’ (strenuous effort) for the twice-born in Kṛta and the succeeding ages, indicating that dharma is realized through disciplined practice rather than mere social identity.
The yuga-cycle and the rise and fall of dharma are presented as part of a divinely governed cosmic order; Vishnu remains the sovereign ground of reality through whom time, moral order, and their transformations are sustained.