Shloka 83
Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)
चतुष्पात् सकलो धर्मों भविष्यत्यत्र वै सुरा: । ततस्त्रेतायुगं नाम त्रयी यत्र भविष्यति
catuṣpāt sakalo dharmo bhaviṣyaty atra vai surāḥ | tatas tretāyugaṃ nāma trayī yatra bhaviṣyati |
वैशम्पायन बोले— “देवगण! इस सत्ययुग में धर्म अपने चारों चरणों सहित पूर्ण रूप से प्रतिष्ठित रहेगा। इसके बाद त्रेतायुग आएगा, जिसमें वेदत्रयी का प्रवाह प्रबल होगा।”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a yuga-based ethical framework: in Satya-yuga, dharma stands complete in all four parts, while in the subsequent Tretā-yuga the religious-ethical life is characterized by the prominence of the Veda-trayī. It implies that moral and spiritual conditions vary by cosmic age, and dharma’s fullness is not constant across time.
Vaiśampāyana is describing the succession of world-ages (yugas) to the gods, stating first the condition of Satya-yuga—where dharma is fully intact—and then announcing the coming of Tretā-yuga, marked by the spread and authority of the three Vedas.