Shloka 5
Kali-yuga’s Degradation, the Advent of Kalki, and the Reset of the Yuga Cycle
अनाढ्यतैवासाधुत्वे साधुत्वे दम्भ एव तु । स्वीकार एव चोद्वाहे स्नानमेव प्रसाधनम् ॥ ५ ॥
anāḍhyataivāsādhutve sādhutve dambha eva tu svīkāra eva codvāhe snānam eva prasādhanam
Orang yang tidak berharta akan dianggap tidak suci, dan kemunafikan akan diterima sebagai kebajikan. Perkahwinan akan diatur hanya dengan persetujuan lisan, dan seseorang menyangka dirinya layak tampil di khalayak hanya kerana telah mandi.
The word dambha indicates a self-righteous hypocrite — someone not so much concerned with being saintly as with appearing saintly. In the Age of Kali there is a rather large number of self-righteous, hypocritical religious fanatics claiming to have the only way, the only truth and the only light. In many Muslim countries this mentality has resulted in brutal repression of religious freedom and thus destroyed the opportunity for enlightened spiritual dialectic. Fortunately, in much of the Western world there is a system of free religious expression. Even in the West, however, self-righteous hypocrites consider sincere and saintly followers of other disciplines to be heathens and devils.
FAQs
This verse says that in Kali-yuga people will judge virtue by wealth, accept hypocrisy as holiness, reduce marriage to mere consent, and treat bathing as the main standard of refinement.
Śukadeva speaks to Parīkṣit to prepare him (and future listeners) to recognize the age’s moral confusion—so one does not mistake external markers like wealth, show, or ritual cleanliness for true dharma and devotion.
Do not evaluate spiritual character by status or appearances; look for genuine humility, truthfulness, compassion, and devotion, and treat relationships and self-care as supports for dharma—not substitutes for inner integrity.