Shloka 34
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
“त्रेतायुग आनेपर धर्मका प्रचार एक चौथाई कम हो जाता है, द्वापरमें धर्मके दो ही पैर रह जाते हैं; परंतु कलियुगमें तो धर्मका चतुर्थ भाग ही शेष रह जाता है ।।
tretāyuge ānepare dharmasya pracāraḥ pādonaḥ bhavati; dvāpare dharmasya dvau eva pādau tiṣṭhataḥ; kaliyuge tu dharmasya caturtha-bhāga-mātraḥ śiṣyate. tathā kaliyuge prāpte rājño duścaritena ca kāla-viśeṣasya prabhāvena ca dharmasya ṣoḍaśī kalā-mātrā śeṣā bhaviṣyati.
Sinabi ni Humatsena: “Sa panahon ng Tretā, ang paglaganap at lakas ng dharma ay nababawasan ng isang-kapat; sa Dvāpara, dalawang ‘paa’ na lamang ng dharma ang natitira; ngunit sa Kali, isang-kapat na bahagi na lamang ng dharma ang nalalabi. At pagdating ng Kali-yuga, dahil sa tiwaling asal ng hari at dahil sa natatanging puwersa ng panahong iyon mismo, isang-ikalabing-anim na bahagi na lamang ng dharma ang matitira. Ang aral: ang kaayusang moral ay humihina hindi lamang dahil sa hilig ng isang yugto ng panahon, kundi dahil din sa maling gawi ng mga pinuno na nagpapabilis at nagpapalalim sa pagbagsak na iyon.”
हुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma progressively weakens across the yugas, and in Kali it becomes extremely small; this decline is driven both by the inherent influence of the age (kāla) and by the ruler’s immoral conduct, implying that ethical leadership can either preserve or hasten the collapse of social righteousness.
Humatsena is explaining a doctrinal account of yuga-based moral degeneration, using the metaphor of dharma’s ‘legs’ and fractional portions, and emphasizing that when Kali arrives, the king’s misrule together with the time’s power leaves only a tiny remnant of dharma.