Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 36
The Earth Laughs at World-Conquering Kings; Yuga-Dharma and the Remedy for Kali
पतिं त्यक्ष्यन्ति निर्द्रव्यं भृत्या अप्यखिलोत्तमम् । भृत्यं विपन्नं पतय: कौलं गाश्चापयस्विनी: ॥ ३६ ॥
patiṁ tyakṣyanti nirdravyaṁ bhṛtyā apy akhilottamam bhṛtyaṁ vipannaṁ patayaḥ kaulaṁ gāś cāpayasvinīḥ
召使いは財産を失った主人を、たとえその人が聖人であっても見捨てるでしょう。主人は役に立たなくなった召使いを見捨て、牛は乳が出なくなると捨てられるでしょう。
In India, the cow is considered sacred not because Indian people are primitive worshipers of mythological totems but because Hindus intelligently understand that the cow is a mother. As children, nearly all of us were nourished with cow’s milk, and therefore the cow is one of our mothers. Certainly one’s mother is sacred, and therefore we should not kill the sacred cow.
FAQs
This verse says that in Kali-yuga loyalty weakens—wives may abandon a penniless husband, masters may reject an unfortunate servant, and even family ties can break when hardship comes.
He is outlining the observable symptoms of Kali-yuga so Parīkṣit can understand the age’s decline in dharma and the urgency of taking shelter of bhakti as the sure path.
It warns against making relationships purely transactional; cultivate character, compassion, responsibility, and devotion—so duty and care remain steady even during financial or social downturns.