Shloka 26
आत्मदर्शन-उपदेशः (Ātma-darśana Upadeśa) — Mind, Senses, and the All-pervading Self
वेदवादाश्वानुयुगं हसन्तीतीह न: श्रुतम् । आयूंषि चाशिषश्चैव वेदस्यैव च यत्फलम्
vyāsa uvāca | vedavādāśvānuyugaṃ hasantītiha naḥ śrutam | āyūṃṣi cāśiṣaś caiva vedasyaiva ca yat phalam |
毗耶娑说：我们在世间听闻，随着诸劫推移，吠陀的宣说竟渐被讥笑轻慢。人的寿命缩短；福祐与所求成就多遭阻碍；乃至研习与奉行吠陀之果报也日益减薄。此教诲揭示后世诸劫的道德衰败，并告诫人们：纵使能力日弱，亦当于法中坚住不移。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
As time moves through successive yugas, human capacity and reverence for Vedic dharma weaken: lifespans shorten, blessings and aims are harder to realize, and the spiritual efficacy (phala) of Vedic study and observance is experienced as diminished. The implied counsel is to persist in dharma even amid decline.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and the conditions of different ages, Vyāsa states a traditional observation about yuga progression: later ages bring reduced longevity and reduced effectiveness of Vedic practice, along with social ridicule of Vedic teachings.