Shloka 3
Kali-yuga’s Degradation, the Advent of Kalki, and the Reset of the Yuga Cycle
दाम्पत्येऽभिरुचिर्हेतुर्मायैव व्यावहारिके । स्त्रीत्वे पुंस्त्वे च हि रतिर्विप्रत्वे सूत्रमेव हि ॥ ३ ॥
dāmpatye ’bhirucir hetur māyaiva vyāvahārike strītve puṁstve ca hi ratir vipratve sūtram eva hi
夫婦の結びつきは表面的な魅力だけが理由となり、商いの成功は欺きに依る。女らしさ男らしさは性の巧みさで量られ、聖紐を着けているだけでブラーフマナと呼ばれる。
Just as human life as a whole has a great and serious purpose — namely spiritual liberation — fundamental human institutions such as marriage and child-rearing should also be dedicated to that great objective. Unfortunately, in the present age the satisfaction of the sex impulse has become the overriding, if not the exclusive, reason for marriage.
FAQs
This verse says that in Kali-yuga, marriage will be based mainly on personal attraction rather than dharma, character, and sacred responsibility.
Śukadeva warns Parīkṣit about the coming degradation of values in the age of Kali, so the king (and listeners) understand the need to take shelter of bhakti rather than rely on weakening social standards.
Evaluate relationships and identity by character, integrity, and spiritual practice—not by mere attraction, social illusion, or external religious markers.