Shloka 55
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
अल्पायुषो दरिद्राश्न॒ धर्मिष्ठा मानवास्तथा । दीर्घायुष: समृद्धाश्व विधर्माणो युगक्षये,युगान्तकालमें धर्मिष्ठ मानव अल्पायु तथा दरिद्र देखे जायँगे और अधर्मी मनुष्य दीर्घायु तथा समृद्धिशाली देखे जायँगे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | alpāyuṣo daridrāś ca dharmiṣṭhā mānavās tathā | dīrghāyuṣaḥ samṛddhāś ca vidharmāṇo yugakṣaye ||
Vaiśampāyana said: At the end of the age (yuga), even those people who are steadfast in dharma will be seen as short-lived and poor; while those who act contrary to dharma will be seen as long-lived and prosperous. The verse highlights a moral inversion in times of decline, where outward success no longer reliably reflects inner righteousness.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.