Shloka 33
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
पादोनेनापि धर्मेण गच्छेत् त्रेतायुगे तथा । द्वापरे तु द्विपादेन पादेन त्वधरे युगे
pādonenāpi dharmeṇa gacchet tretāyuge tathā | dvāpare tu dvipādena pādena tvadhare yuge ||
胡马特塞那说：“纵使达摩减去一分，特雷塔时代仍可循行；至于德瓦帕拉时代，达摩仅存二分而立；而在后来的迦梨时代，它只剩一分支撑。此教诲表明：世间的道德承载力随诸纪元而递减，因此行持伦理之努力，当结合时代正法稳固度日益衰弱的背景来理解。”
हुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is portrayed as progressively diminishing across the yugas: in Tretā it is reduced by one quarter, in Dvāpara it stands on two quarters, and in the later age (Kali) it remains on only one quarter. The verse frames ethical life as harder and less stable as time declines.
Humatsena is explaining a doctrinal point about the yugas within the Shānti Parva’s broader instruction on dharma: the world’s moral foundation weakens over cosmic time, affecting how righteousness can be maintained in different ages.