Shloka 463
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
मिथ्या च नखरोमाणि धारयन्ति तदा द्विजा: । गृहस्थलोग करके भारसे डरकर लुटेरे बन जायाँगे। ब्राह्मण मुनियों-जैसी कपटपूर्ण आकृति धारण किये वैश्यवृत्तिसे जीविका चलायेंगे और झूठे दिखावेके लिये नख तथा दाढ़ी-मूछ धारण करेंगे
mithyā ca nakharomāṇi dhārayanti tadā dvijāḥ |
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Naquela era, os ‘duas-vezes-nascidos’ (dvija) até conservarão unhas e cabelos de modo enganoso—mantendo sinais exteriores apenas para exibição. Temendo o peso da vida doméstica, os homens tornar-se-ão predadores; com aparência hipócrita de sábios, viverão por meios mercantis, e, por falsa ostentação, deixarão crescer unhas, barba e bigode.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse criticizes hypocrisy: when inner discipline and dharma decline, people preserve only external religious markers (like hair, nails, beard) as a deceptive display, using them to gain social trust while pursuing improper livelihoods.
Vaiśampāyana is describing degenerative social and moral conditions characteristic of a dark age: fear, avoidance of rightful duties, and the adoption of false ascetic appearances by the twice-born for worldly gain.