Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 31

Kali-yuga’s Degradation, the Advent of Kalki, and the Reset of the Yuga Cycle

Devanagari script

यदा देवर्षय: सप्त मघासु विचरन्ति हि । तदा प्रवृत्तस्तु कलिर्द्वादशाब्दशतात्मक: ॥ ३१ ॥

Transliteration

yadā devarṣayaḥ sapta maghāsu vicaranti hi tadā pravṛttas tu kalir dvādaśābda-śatātmakaḥ

Translation

عندما تمرّ السبعُ رِشِيّاتِ الإلهيّات (سَبتَرشي) بمنزلة القمر «مَغها»، يبدأ عصرُ كَلي؛ ومدّتُه ألفٌ ومئتا سنةٍ من سنيّ الآلهة.

Synonyms

• यदा: when
• यदा: काल-सम्बन्ध (temporal correlator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यदा-तदा सम्बन्धे (correlative temporal adverb: ‘when’)

• देवर्षयः: the divine sages
• देवर्षयः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव-ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (देवानां ऋषयः / देव-ऋषयः = divine sages)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: कर्ता-विशेषण (numerical qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (indeclinable numeral) विशेषण (देवर्षयः)

• मघासु: in (the asterism) Maghā(s)
• मघासु: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मघा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; नक्षत्रनाम

• विचरन्ति: move about/wander
• विचरन्ति: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-चर् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• हि: indeed
• हि: सम्बन्धसूचक (emphasis/causal nuance)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/particle (indeed/for)

• तदा: then
• तदा: काल-सम्बन्ध (temporal correlator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यदा-तदा सम्बन्धे (then)

• प्रवृत्तः: set in/commenced
• प्रवृत्तः: कर्ता-विशेषण (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-√वृत् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (कलिः)

• तु: but/and
• तु: सम्बन्धसूचक (discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/particle

• कलिः: Kali
• कलिः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• द्वादशाब्दशतात्मकः: consisting of twelve hundred years
• द्वादशाब्दशतात्मकः: कर्ता-विशेषण (subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश-अब्द-शत-आत्मक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (कलिः); समासः तत्पुरुष (द्वादशानाम् अब्द-शतानाम् आत्मकः = consisting of twelve hundred years)

Characters & Entities

• Saptaṛṣi (the Seven Sages)
• Kali

FAQs

When does Kali-yuga begin according to Srimad Bhagavatam?

This verse states that Kali begins when the seven divine sages (Saptaṛṣi) are moving through the nakṣatra Maghā.

Why does Śukadeva Gosvāmī describe the Saptaṛṣi and Maghā nakṣatra while speaking to King Parīkṣit?

He is giving Parīkṣit a precise, traditional time-marker for the onset and course of Kali-yuga, linking cosmic chronology with the king’s present historical moment.

How can understanding Kali-yuga’s timeline help in modern devotional life?

It encourages urgency and clarity: knowing the age’s influence, one can consciously take shelter of bhakti—hearing, chanting, and remembering the Lord—to stay protected from Kali’s degrading effects.