Matsya Purana — Measures of Time: Caturyuga Computation, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

पूर्वं कृतयुगं नाम ततस्त्रेताभिधीयते द्वापरं च कलिश्चैव युगानि परिकल्पयेत् //

Transliteration

pūrvaṃ kṛtayugaṃ nāma tatastretābhidhīyate dvāparaṃ ca kaliścaiva yugāni parikalpayet //

Translation

Zuerst kommt das Zeitalter namens Kṛta (Satya); danach heißt es Tretā; dann folgen Dvāpara und Kali — so soll man die Yugas als viergliedrigen Zyklus begreifen.

Word by Word

• पूर्वं (pūrvam): first, at the beginning

• कृतयुगं (kṛta-yugam): the Kṛta/Satya Age

• नाम (nāma): by name, called

• ततस् (tatas): thereafter

• त्रेता (tretā): the Tretā Age

• अभिधीयते (abhidhīyate): is called, is designated

• द्वापरं (dvāparam): the Dvāpara Age

• च (ca): and

• कलिः (kaliḥ): the Kali Age

• च एव (ca eva): and indeed/also

• युगानि (yugāni): the ages, yugas

• परिकल्पयेत् (parikalpayet): should arrange/construct mentally, should conceptualize

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution within the Matsya Purana’s dialogue frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Kṛtayuga (Satya Yuga)
• Tretā Yuga
• Dvāpara Yuga
• Kali Yuga

Tags

• Yuga
• Cosmology
• Time cycles
• Dharma decline
• Puranic chronology

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it establishes the ordered framework of cosmic time (the four yugas) within which creation, preservation, and dissolution narratives are situated.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

By defining the four yugas, it implies that standards of conduct and governance are understood against a changing moral climate; kings and householders are taught to uphold dharma appropriate to the age, especially amid decline toward Kali.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No specific Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the verse provides the chronological scaffold often used to contextualize when rites, temple traditions, or dharma-standards are said to flourish or diminish across yugas.