Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 11
Ṛṣabhadeva’s Indifference to Siddhis, Vigilance Toward the Mind, and the Kali-yuga Rise of Anti-Vedic धर्म
ते च ह्यर्वाक्तनया निजलोकयात्रयान्धपरम्परयाऽऽश्वस्तास्तमस्यन्धे स्वयमेव प्रपतिष्यन्ति ॥ ११ ॥
te ca hy arvāktanayā nija-loka-yātrayāndha-paramparayāśvastās tamasy andhe svayam eva prapatiṣyanti.
Les gens de basse condition, par une ignorance grossière, instaurent une religion qui s’écarte des principes védiques; suivant leurs propres inventions mentales, ils chutent d’eux-mêmes dans les ténèbres les plus profondes.
In this connection, one may see Bhagavad-gītā, Chapter Sixteen, where there is a description of the downfall of the asuras (16.16 and 16.23).
FAQs
This verse warns that when people take comfort in a blind chain of imitation—following worldly life as tradition—they naturally fall deeper into ignorance instead of seeking true spiritual vision.
Because the descent is voluntary: by choosing material life and trusting misguided social patterns, one creates one’s own spiritual decline without needing an external force.
Do not accept beliefs or lifestyles merely because they are popular or inherited; seek guidance from genuine śāstra and saintly teachers, and align daily habits with devotion and self-realization.