Shloka 37
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
क्षत्रियाश्षापि वैश्याश्ष विकर्मस्था नराधिप । अल्पायुष: स्वल्पबला: स्वल्पवीर्यपराक्रमा:
kṣatriyāś cāpi vaiśyāś ca vikarmasthā narādhipa | alpāyuṣaḥ svalpabalāḥ svalpavīryaparākramāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô roi, même les kṣatriyas et les vaiśyas délaisseront leurs devoirs prescrits et prendront les tâches d’autres ordres. Dès lors, les hommes auront la vie courte ; leur force diminuera, et leur vitalité comme leur vaillance héroïque déclineront.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When people—especially those responsible for protection and sustenance of society—abandon their own svadharma and take up improper roles (vikarma), the result is collective decline: reduced lifespan, strength, vitality, and valor. The verse frames social and ethical disorder as having tangible consequences for human flourishing.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating to a king, describes signs of societal degeneration: Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas will deviate from their prescribed duties and perform the work of other varṇas. This deviation is presented as a symptom and cause of weakening human capacities and the unraveling of righteous order.