Shloka 33
वनवासिनो भविष्यन्ति ग्राम्याहारपरिग्रहाः भिक्षवश् चापि मित्रादिस्नेहसंबन्धयन्त्रणाः
vanavāsino bhaviṣyanti grāmyāhāraparigrahāḥ bhikṣavaś cāpi mitrādisnehasaṃbandhayantraṇāḥ
Sa darating na panahon, maging ang mga naninirahan sa gubat ay mamumuhay na parang taga-nayon—kapit sa lutong pagkain at mga pag-aari; at maging ang mga pulubing banal ay mabibigkis sa bitag ng paglingap at ugnayang panlipunan sa mga kaibigan at iba pa.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Signs of Kali-yuga and the decline of dharma
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: External renunciation without inner dispassion becomes bondage through attachment to food, possessions, and social ties.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Cultivate simplicity, mindful consumption, and non-possessiveness; test spiritual practice by reduction of craving and dependency.
Vishishtadvaita: Detachment is meaningful when offered to the Lord as śeṣatva (dependence), not as mere outward lifestyle.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse marks Kali Yuga’s inversion of dharma: even renunciants meant to live simply become possessive and indulgent, showing the era’s pervasive moral and spiritual decline.
He depicts affection and social ties (sneha-saṃbandha) as a “constraint” that ensnares even mendicants, implying that inner detachment—not mere outward dress—is the true measure of renunciation.
By outlining the predictable decay across yuga cycles, the text frames Vishnu as the supreme governor of cosmic order, under whose sovereignty dharma rises and falls—and to whom refuge is ultimately directed when human discipline weakens.