Matsya Purana — Measures of Time: Caturyuga Computation, Shloka 48
त्रेतादौ संहता वेदाः केवलं धर्मसेतवः संरोधादायुषश्चैव व्यस्यन्ते द्वापरे च ते ऋषयस्तपसा वेदान् अहोरात्रमधीयते //
tretādau saṃhatā vedāḥ kevalaṃ dharmasetavaḥ saṃrodhādāyuṣaścaiva vyasyante dvāpare ca te ṛṣayastapasā vedān ahorātramadhīyate //
Zu Beginn des Tretā-Zeitalters bleiben die Veden geschlossen und ungeteilt und dienen allein als Brücken, die den Dharma tragen. Doch aufgrund von Beschränkung und verkürzter Lebensspanne werden sie im Dvāpara-Zeitalter in Teile geordnet. Dann studieren die ṛṣi durch tapas (Askese) die Veden bei Tag und bei Nacht.
FAQs
It does not describe cosmic pralaya directly; instead, it explains a yuga-based decline—shortened lifespan and increasing limitation—which leads to the Vedas being organized into divisions in Dvāpara for preservation and accessibility.
It frames dharma as sustained by scripture: as human capacity diminishes with time, rulers and householders must rely on organized śāstra and learned ṛṣis/teachers to maintain dharma—supporting education, recitation, and right practice rather than assuming earlier-yuga capacities.
No Vāstu or temple-rule detail is stated; the ritual takeaway is that Vedic study (svādhyāya) and disciplined practice (tapas) are presented as the means by which the Vedas—and thus ritual correctness—are maintained in later yugas.