Shloka 463
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
मिथ्या च नखरोमाणि धारयन्ति तदा द्विजा: । गृहस्थलोग करके भारसे डरकर लुटेरे बन जायाँगे। ब्राह्मण मुनियों-जैसी कपटपूर्ण आकृति धारण किये वैश्यवृत्तिसे जीविका चलायेंगे और झूठे दिखावेके लिये नख तथा दाढ़ी-मूछ धारण करेंगे
mithyā ca nakharomāṇi dhārayanti tadā dvijāḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “In that age, the twice-born will even keep their nails and hair in a deceitful manner—maintaining outward marks only for show. Overwhelmed by fear of the burdens of household life, people will turn to predatory ways; adopting hypocritical appearances like sages, they will live by mercantile means, and for false display they will grow nails and beard–moustache.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse criticizes hypocrisy: when inner discipline and dharma decline, people preserve only external religious markers (like hair, nails, beard) as a deceptive display, using them to gain social trust while pursuing improper livelihoods.
Vaiśampāyana is describing degenerative social and moral conditions characteristic of a dark age: fear, avoidance of rightful duties, and the adoption of false ascetic appearances by the twice-born for worldly gain.