चतुर्युगान्ते कालेन ग्रस्ताञ्छ्रुतिगणान्यथा । तपसा ऋषयोऽपश्यन्यतो धर्म: सनातन: ॥ ४ ॥
catur-yugante kalena grastan chruti-ganan yatha tapasa rsayo ’pasyan yato dharmah sanatanah
- catuh-yuga-ante
- at the end of every four yugas (Satya, Dvapara, Treta and Kali)
- kalena
- in due course of time
- grastan
- lost
- sruti-ganan
- the Vedic instruction
- yatha
- as
- tapasa
- by austerity
- rsayah
- great saintly persons
- apasyan
- by seeing misuse
- yatah
- wherefrom
- dharmah
- occupational duties
- sanatanah
- eternal.
At the end of every four yugas, the great saintly persons, upon seeing that the eternal occupational duties of mankind have been misused, reestablish the principles of religion.