Shloka 40
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
युगान्ते मनुजव्याप्र भवन्ति बहुजन्तवः । न तथा घ्राणयुक्ताश्न सर्वगन्धा विशाम्पते,पुरुषसिंह राजन! युगान्तकालमें बहुतसे जीव-जन्तु उत्पन्न हो जायँगे। सब प्रकारके सुगन्धित पदार्थ नासिकाको उतने गन्धयुक्त नहीं प्रतीत होंगे
yugānte manujavyāprā bhavanti bahujantavaḥ | na tathā ghrāṇayuktāś ca sarvagandhā viśāmpate puruṣasiṃha rājan ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai harimau di antara manusia! Pada akhir suatu yuga, banyak jenis makhluk hidup akan muncul. Wahai pelindung rakyat, wahai singa di antara manusia, wahai raja—pada masa itu bahkan mereka yang memiliki indra penciuman tidak lagi menangkap wewangian sebagaimana adanya; daya semua aroma pun meredup.”
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.