Shloka 17

कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना

Devanagari script

सुवर्णमणिरत्नादौ वस्त्रे चोपक्षयं गते कलौ स्त्रियो भविष्यन्ति तदा केशैर् अलंकृताः

Transliteration

suvarṇamaṇiratnādau vastre copakṣayaṃ gate kalau striyo bhaviṣyanti tadā keśair alaṃkṛtāḥ

Translation

কলিযুগত যেতিয়া সোণ, মণি-ৰত্ন আৰু উত্তম বস্ত্ৰো কমি যাব, তেতিয়া অলংকাৰৰ অভাৱত নাৰীয়ে মুখ্যতঃ নিজৰ চুলিৰে সজিব।

Word by Word

• सुवर्णमणिरत्नादौ: in (matters of) gold, gems, jewels, etc.
• सुवर्णमणिरत्नादौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + मणि (प्रातिपदिक) + रत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (suvarṇa-maṇi-ratna) + आदि; 'आदौ' = 'आदि' loc. sg.

• वस्त्रे: in clothing
• वस्त्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• उपक्षयम्: diminution, decline
• उपक्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गते: when (there is) decline/having gone to decline
• गते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √गम् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• कलौ: in Kali (age)
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• स्त्रियः: women
• स्त्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• भविष्यन्ति: will become/will be
• भविष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• केशैः: with hair
• केशैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• अलंकृताः: adorned
• अलंकृताः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अलंकृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; अलं + √कृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Material scarcity in Kali-yuga and its social/cultural effects

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: As prosperity and luxuries diminish in Kali-yuga, external ornamentation declines and people adapt with substitutes, revealing the fragility of status built on possessions.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Use scarcity as a prompt for simplicity and generosity; shift identity from consumption to virtue and devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: Material wealth (Sri) is meaningful when aligned with dharma and service; when it fades, the enduring value is the soul’s relation to the Lord.

Vaishnava Theology

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

FAQs

What is the significance of material scarcity in Kali-yuga in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse treats scarcity of ornaments and clothing as an outward marker of Kali-yuga’s broader decline—when prosperity diminishes, social customs and visible standards of refinement also change.

How does Sage Parāśara explain social change in Kali-yuga?

Parāśara lists observable, everyday shifts—like reduced access to gold, gems, and good garments—to show how Kali-yuga reshapes society through loss of wealth and resources, not merely through abstract moral decline.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even while describing Kali-yuga’s deterioration, the Purana’s framework implies that cosmic order remains under Vishnu’s sovereignty; the yugas unfold as part of a larger divine regulation of time and dharma.