Shloka 40
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
युगान्ते मनुजव्याप्र भवन्ति बहुजन्तवः । न तथा घ्राणयुक्ताश्न सर्वगन्धा विशाम्पते
yugānte manujavyāprā bhavanti bahujantavaḥ | na tathā ghrāṇayuktāś ca sarvagandhā viśāmpate puruṣasiṃha rājan ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «À la fin d’un âge (yuga), maintes espèces d’êtres vivants viendront au monde, et même ceux qui ont l’odorat ne percevront plus les parfums tels qu’ils sont. Ô seigneur des peuples, ô lion parmi les hommes, ô roi — alors toutes les senteurs perdront leur pleine vigueur.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse points to yuga-ending degeneration: even basic faculties like smell and the potency of fragrances diminish, underscoring impermanence and the waning of worldly qualities as cosmic time declines.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes omens/conditions of the yuga’s end to a king, noting that many creatures arise and that sensory perception—specifically the apprehension of fragrance—becomes weakened or distorted.