Shloka 49

कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः

Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma

Devanagari script

नरश्रेष्ठल धनके लोभसे ब्रह्मचारी भी आश्रमोंमें दम्भपूर्ण आचारको अपनायेंगे और मद्यपान करके गुरुपत्नीगमन करेंगे। लोग अपने शरीरके मांस और रक्त बढ़ानेवाले इहलौकिक कर्मांमें ही लगे रहेंगे ।। बहुपाषण्डसंकीर्णा: परान्नगुणवादिन: । आश्रमा मनुजव्यात्र भविष्यन्ति युगक्षये,नरश्रेष्ठ) युगान्तकालमें सभी आश्रम अनेक प्रकारके पाखण्डोंसे व्याप्त और दूसरोंसे मिले हुए भोजनका ही गुणगान करनेवाले होंगे

Transliteration

bahupāṣaṇḍasaṅkīrṇāḥ parānna-guṇavādinaḥ | āśramā manuja-vyāghra bhaviṣyanti yugakṣaye ||

Translation

Waiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai harimau di antara manusia, pada akhir zaman semua āśrama akan dipenuhi berbagai macam kepalsuan dan kesesatan. Orang-orang akan memuji dan mengejar makanan yang diperoleh dari orang lain; inti dharma āśrama akan mengering, sehingga tanda lahiriah menggantikan pengendalian batin, dan dharma merosot menjadi nafsu makan serta kemunafikan.”

Word by Word

बहुmany

पाषण्डheresy, hypocrisy, heterodox practice

संकीर्णाःmixed, filled, crowded

परother’s, belonging to another

अन्नfood

गुणquality, merit

वादिनःpraisers, those who speak of

आश्रमाḥāśramas (stages/orders of life)

मनुजhuman

व्याघ्रtiger (best of men) [vocative epithet]

भविष्यन्तिwill be, will become

युगage, epoch

क्षयेat the end, in the decline

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

manuja-vyāghra (addressed hero/king)

āśramas (orders of life)

yugakṣaya (end of the age)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that when dharma declines, religious life can become dominated by outward display, sectarian fraud, and dependence on sensual comforts—especially food—rather than inner discipline, truthfulness, and restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is describing signs of yuga-kṣaya (the end/waning of an age): the āśrama system and its disciplines will be corrupted by pāṣaṇḍa (deviant, hypocritical practices), and people will value material sustenance and social approval over genuine spiritual conduct.