Shloka 55

कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः

Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma

Devanagari script

अल्पायुषो दरिद्राश्न॒ धर्मिष्ठा मानवास्तथा । दीर्घायुष: समृद्धाश्व विधर्माणो युगक्षये,युगान्तकालमें धर्मिष्ठ मानव अल्पायु तथा दरिद्र देखे जायँगे और अधर्मी मनुष्य दीर्घायु तथा समृद्धिशाली देखे जायँगे

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | alpāyuṣo daridrāś ca dharmiṣṭhā mānavās tathā | dīrghāyuṣaḥ samṛddhāś ca vidharmāṇo yugakṣaye ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: Pada akhir zaman (yuga), bahkan orang-orang yang teguh dalam dharma akan tampak berumur pendek dan miskin; sedangkan mereka yang menyimpang dari dharma akan tampak panjang umur dan makmur.

Word by Word

अल्पायुषःshort-lived

दरिद्राःpoor

चand

धर्मिष्ठाःmost righteous

मानवाःmen, humans

तथाthus, likewise

दीर्घायुषःlong-lived

समृद्धाःprosperous

चand

विधर्माणःunrighteous people, those following adharma

युगक्षयेat the end of the age (yuga)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

mānavāḥ (human beings)

yuga (age)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

In an age of decline, external markers like wealth and longevity can become unreliable indicators of virtue: the righteous may suffer, while the unrighteous may flourish. The verse warns against judging dharma by worldly success and points to a broader breakdown of moral order at yugānta.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is describing characteristics of the yuga’s end—an inversion of expected moral outcomes—where dharmic people appear impoverished and short-lived, and adharmic people appear prosperous and long-lived.