Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 21
Kāla-vibhāga: The Divisions of Time from Atom to Brahmā, and the Lord Beyond Time
धर्मश्चतुष्पान्मनुजान् कृते समनुवर्तते । स एवान्येष्वधर्मेण व्येति पादेन वर्धता ॥ २१ ॥
dharmaś catuṣ-pān manujān kṛte samanuvartate sa evānyeṣv adharmeṇa vyeti pādena vardhatā
اے وِدُر! ست یُگ میں دھرم چاروں پاؤں پر قائم تھا اور انسان اسے پوری طرح نبھاتے تھے؛ مگر دوسرے یُگوں میں ادھرم بڑھنے کے ساتھ دھرم ایک ایک پاؤں کم ہوتا جاتا ہے۔
In the Satya millennium, complete execution of religious principles prevailed. Gradually, the principles of religion decreased by one part in each of the subsequent millenniums. In other words, at present there is one part religion and three parts irreligion. Therefore people in this age are not very happy.
FAQs
This verse explains that dharma is complete in Satya-yuga but in subsequent yugas it diminishes quarter by quarter as adharma correspondingly increases.
He uses the image of a four-legged support to show dharma’s full strength in Satya-yuga and its progressive weakening in later ages, where one “leg” is lost in each yuga.
Recognize that adharma naturally expands in Kali-yuga, so consciously strengthen truthfulness, cleanliness, mercy, and austerity—and anchor life in bhakti to remain steady.