Shloka 19
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
उच्छिन्नकृषिगोरक्षा निवृत्तविपणापणा । निवृत्तयूपसम्भारा विप्रणष्टमहोत्सवा
ucchinna-kṛṣi-gorakṣā nivṛtta-vipaṇāpaṇā | nivṛtta-yūpa-sambhārā vipraṇaṣṭa-mahotsavā ||
毗湿摩说道：“在那衰败之时，农耕与护牛之业尽毁；市肆贸易停滞。以祭柱（yūpa）为标志的一切祭仪筹备皆告终止，盛大的吉祥庆典亦随之消失。这正是一幅社会图景：支撑达摩于公共生活中的诸柱——生计、交换、祭祀与共同庆典——悉皆崩塌，昭示道德与礼制的瓦解。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is sustained not only by private virtue but also by public institutions—productive livelihood (kṛṣi), protection of cattle (gorakṣā), fair exchange (markets), and Vedic-sacrificial culture (yūpa/yajña). When these supports collapse, society’s moral and spiritual order visibly deteriorates.
Bhishma is describing a period of widespread degeneration: farming and cattle-care fail, commerce stops, sacrificial arrangements are abandoned, and major festivals vanish—portraying the outward signs of a deeper breakdown of dharma in the realm.