Shloka 33
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
ब्राह्मणा: सर्वभक्षाश्न॒ भविष्यन्ति कलौ युगे । अजपा ब्राह्मणास्तात शूद्रा जपपरायणा:,(सहस्र चतुर्युगके अन्तिम) कलियुगके अन्तिम भागमें ब्राह्मण यज्ञ, स्वाध्याय, दण्ड और मृगचर्मका त्याग कर देंगे और (भनक्ष्याभक्ष्यका विचार छोड़कर) सब कुछ खाने- पीनेवाले हो जायँगे। तात! ब्राह्मण तो जपसे दूर भागेंगे और शूद्र वैदिक मन्त्रोंके जपमें संलग्न होंगे
brāhmaṇāḥ sarvabhakṣāśn̥a bhaviṣyanti kalau yuge | ajapā brāhmaṇās tāta śūdrā japaparāyaṇāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “In the Kali age, brahmins will become indiscriminate eaters, consuming whatever is available. O dear one, brahmins will abandon the discipline of sacred recitation, while śūdras will become devoted to mantra-japa.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Kali Yuga as a period of inversion and decline in dharmic standards: those expected to uphold restraint, purity, and Vedic discipline (brahmins) abandon key practices like japa and become lax, while those not traditionally associated with Vedic recitation (śūdras) take up japa. The ethical thrust is a warning about erosion of duty and the confusion of social-religious norms.
Vaiśampāyana is describing future characteristics of the Kali age as part of a broader discourse on yuga-dharma (the changing nature of righteousness across ages). This line highlights behavioral and religious-role reversals as signs of the age’s degeneration.