Shloka 25
Vena’s Fall into Adharma and the Prelude to Pṛthu’s Birth
कलेश्चैव प्रवेशं तु वर्त्तयिष्यंति मानवाः । जैनधर्मं समाश्रित्य सर्वे पापप्रमोहिताः
kaleścaiva praveśaṃ tu varttayiṣyaṃti mānavāḥ | jainadharmaṃ samāśritya sarve pāpapramohitāḥ
Und wahrlich, die Menschen werden den Eintritt des Kali-Yuga herbeiführen; indem sie Zuflucht zur jainischen Lehre nehmen, werden alle durch Sünde betört.
Unspecified (context-dependent within Padma Purana dialogue frame)
Concept: Kali’s onset is marked by collective moral confusion and adoption of heterodox paths (as framed by this text), leading to sin-born delusion.
Application: Use discernment (viveka) in choosing teachers and practices; anchor ethics and devotion in tested scriptural sources and compassion rather than trend or polemic.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A prophetic sage points toward a horizon where the sun is eclipsed by a smoky veil labeled ‘Kali,’ while crowds drift toward austere, gray-toned shrines, their faces clouded by confusion. Above, unseen but implied, Viṣṇu’s cakra glimmers faintly, suggesting that the remedy lies beyond the gathering darkness.","primary_figures":["a prophetic ṛṣi","a king listening","symbolic personification of Kali (shadowy figure)","confused townspeople"],"setting":"edge of a city meeting a desolate plain; distant temples and broken yajña altars; a sky with ominous haze","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["ash gray","indigo night","dull copper","smoky violet","faint gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic prophecy scene with a sage and king in the foreground, heavy gold-leaf halo around the sage; in the background a darkened sun and a shadowy Kali figure; crowds moving toward stark, gray sanctums; ornate borders and gold embossing used to contrast dharma’s radiance against Kali’s gloom.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: panoramic landscape with a sage gesturing toward a darkening sky; small figures of townspeople walking in a line toward minimalist shrines; cool blues and grays with delicate detailing; a tiny, luminous Viṣṇu-cakra motif in the upper sky as a subtle counterpoint.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold, symbolic composition—Kali as a dark silhouette with red eyes at one side, sage and king at the other; strong black outlines, flat fields of red/yellow/green muted by gray washes; temple-wall iconographic clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central dark mandala representing Kali’s entry, surrounded by lotus borders that appear wilted; lower panel shows sage instructing king; peacocks rendered in subdued tones; a hidden śaṅkha-cakra pattern in the border foreshadowing Govinda’s protection."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["distant thunder","conch shell (faint)","wind over empty ground","low drum pulse"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कलेश्चैव = कलेः + च + एव; वर्त्तयिष्यंति = वर्त्तयिष्यन्ति (anusvāra spelling variant)
FAQs
It portrays the onset of Kali-yuga as being advanced by human actions and associates that decline with moral delusion (pāpa-pramoha).
Not from the verse alone. The speaker must be confirmed by the surrounding verses and the chapter’s dialogue frame in the Bhūmi-khaṇḍa.
The verse warns that when people collectively promote adharma and become morally confused, it accelerates societal and spiritual decline associated with Kali-yuga.