Manava Dharmashastra 1.82

1.82

kṛtayugādanyeṣu yugeṣvāgamādvedākhyāddharmaḥ pādaśaḥ yugeyuge pādenāvaropito vyapanītaḥ | antarhitā vedaśākhāḥ, puruṣāṇāṃ grahaṇāvadhāraṇāśaktivaikalyāt |
yo'pyadyatve dharmo jyotiṣṭomādiḥ pracarati so'pi cauryādibhiḥ pādaśo hīyate | ṛtvijāṃ yajamānānāṃ dātṝṇāṃ sampradānānāṃ caitairdoṣairyuktatvānna yathāvidhi dharmo niṣpadyate | phalamato yathoktaṃ na prāpyate| tena dharmāpāyahetūnāṃ caurikādīnāṃ na yugairyathāsaṅkhyaṃ sambandhaḥ sarveṣāmadyopalambhāt |

In the other Cycles, virtue fell off from the scriptures, foot by foot; and on account of theft, falsehood and fraud, virtuous acts deteriorated foot by foot—(82).

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
In the Cycles other than the Kṛta;—‘from the scriptures,’ called ‘Veda’;—‘virtue’—‘foot by foot’—by one foot in each succeeding Cycle,—‘fell off,’ was carried away;—the Vedic Texts disappeared, by reason of the deterioration in the powers of learning and assimilating of men (le arning the texts).

The ‘virtuous acts’—in the form of the Jyotiṣṭoma and other sacrifices, that are performed now a days,—these also ‘deteriorated foot by foot’ on account of ‘theft’ &c.; i.e., since Priests, Sacrifices, Bestowers and Recipients of gifts, are all beset with the said evils, the virtuous act is not accomplished in the proper manner, and hence the result mentioned (as accruing from that act) also is not attained. In as much as this is the real meaning, we do not take ‘theft’ and the rest as applied to each of the three Cycles respectively; specially as all of them (theft &c.,) are found prevalent even now a days (in Kali)—(82).