Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.11.21
धर्मश्चतुष्पान्मनुजान् कृते समनुवर्तते ।
स एवान्येष्वधर्मेण व्येति पादेन वर्धता ॥ २१ ॥
dharmaś catuṣ-pān manujān
[dharmash chatush-paan manujaan]
kṛte samanuvartate
[krite samanuvartate]
sa evānyeṣv adharmeṇa
[sa evaanyeshv adharmena]
vyeti pādena vardhatā
[vyeti paadena vardhataa]
Word-for-word
dharmaḥ
—
religion
catuḥ-pāt
—
complete four dimensions
manujān
—
mankind
kṛte
—
in the Satya-yuga
samanuvartate
—
properly maintained
saḥ
—
that
eva
—
certainly
anyeṣu
—
in other
adharmeṇa
—
by the influence of irreligion
vyeti
—
declined
pādena
—
by one part
vardhatā
—
gradually increasing proportionately.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dharmaś catuṣ-pān manujān
dharmaḥ
religion
catuḥ-pāt
complete four dimensions
manujān
mankind
kṛte samanuvartate
kṛte
in the Satya-yuga
samanuvartate
properly maintained
sa evānyeṣv adharmeṇa
saḥ
that
eva
certainly
anyeṣu
in other
adharmeṇa
by the influence of irreligion
vyeti pādena vardhatā
vyeti
declined
pādena
by one part
vardhatā
gradually increasing proportionately.
O Vidura, in the Satya millennium mankind properly and completely maintained the principles of religion, but in other millenniums religion gradually decreased by one part as irreligion was proportionately admitted.
Purport
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.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
In Satya-yuga complete dharma gives shelter to mankind. In each of the succeeding yugas, dharma decreases by a quarter because of the increase of adharma by a quarter.
In Satya-yuga, complete (catuḥpāt) dharma is aimed at mankind. Because adharma gradually increased by a fourth in the following yugas, dharma gradually decreased by a fourth.
Personal Guidance
The Lord is named here as the actual proprietor of everything we manage. The verse asks us to relax our grip on what was never ours and let Him hold it again.
Reflection Questions
- What in your life are you treating as 'mine' that the verse would call 'His'?
- What single attribute of the Lord, taken seriously today, would reorganize a corner of your life?
My note
Source: vedabase.io