Shloka 40
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
युगान्ते मनुजव्याप्र भवन्ति बहुजन्तवः । न तथा घ्राणयुक्ताश्न सर्वगन्धा विशाम्पते
yugānte manujavyāprā bhavanti bahujantavaḥ | na tathā ghrāṇayuktāś ca sarvagandhā viśāmpate puruṣasiṃha rājan ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「ユガの終わりには、さまざまな生きものが数多く現れ、嗅覚を備える者でさえ香りを本来のままには感じ取れなくなる。おお民の主よ、人中の獅子よ、王よ——その時、あらゆる香は十全の力を失うのだ。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse points to yuga-ending degeneration: even basic faculties like smell and the potency of fragrances diminish, underscoring impermanence and the waning of worldly qualities as cosmic time declines.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes omens/conditions of the yuga’s end to a king, noting that many creatures arise and that sensory perception—specifically the apprehension of fragrance—becomes weakened or distorted.