Shloka 37
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
क्षत्रियाश्षापि वैश्याश्ष विकर्मस्था नराधिप । अल्पायुष: स्वल्पबला: स्वल्पवीर्यपराक्रमा:
kṣatriyāś cāpi vaiśyāś ca vikarmasthā narādhipa | alpāyuṣaḥ svalpabalāḥ svalpavīryaparākramāḥ ||
وَیشَمپایَن نے کہا—اے نرادھپ! کشتری اور ویش بھی بدکرداری میں پڑ کر اپنا اپنا دھرم چھوڑ دیں گے۔ لوگ کم عمر ہوں گے؛ ان کی قوت گھٹ جائے گی، اور ان کی توانائی اور بہادری کا پرَاکرم بھی ماند پڑ جائے گا۔
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When people—especially those responsible for protection and sustenance of society—abandon their own svadharma and take up improper roles (vikarma), the result is collective decline: reduced lifespan, strength, vitality, and valor. The verse frames social and ethical disorder as having tangible consequences for human flourishing.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating to a king, describes signs of societal degeneration: Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas will deviate from their prescribed duties and perform the work of other varṇas. This deviation is presented as a symptom and cause of weakening human capacities and the unraveling of righteous order.