कल्की विष्णुयशा नाम द्विज: कालप्रचोदित: । उत्पत्स्यते महावीर्यों महाबुद्धिपराक्रम:,सम्भूत: सम्भलग्रामे ब्राह्मणावसथे शुभे । (महात्मा वृत्तसम्पन्न: प्रजानां हितकृन्नूप ।) राजन! युगान्तके समय कालकी प्रेरणासे सम्भल नामक ग्राममें किसी ब्राह्मणके मंगलमय गृहमें एक महान् शक्तिशाली बालक प्रकट होगा, जिसका नाम होगा विष्णुयशा कलल््की। वह महान् बुद्धि एवं पराक्रमसे सम्पन्न महात्मा, सदाचारी तथा प्रजावर्गका हितैषी होगा। (वह बालक ही भगवान्का कल्की अवतार कहलायेगा)
kalkī viṣṇuyaśā nāma dvijaḥ kālapracoditaḥ | utpatsyate mahāvīryo mahābuddhiparākramaḥ, sambhūtaḥ sambhalagrāme brāhmaṇāvasathe śubhe | (mahātmā vṛttasampannaḥ prajānāṃ hitakṛn nṛpa |)
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “At the urging of Time, a twice-born Brahmin named Viṣṇuyaśā—Kalkī—will be born, a man of great valor, great intelligence, and mighty prowess. He will arise in the village called Sambhala, in the auspicious dwelling of a Brahmin. O king, he will be a noble-souled man, rich in right conduct, and devoted to the welfare of the people.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
The verse links legitimate power to ethical character: the ideal agent of renewal is described not only as mighty and intelligent but also as vṛtta-sampanna (morally disciplined) and prajānāṃ hitakṛt (working for the people’s welfare). It frames historical change as governed by Kāla (Time), yet insists that restoration of order is inseparable from dharmic conduct.
Mārkaṇḍeya, speaking to the king (Yudhiṣṭhira), delivers a prophecy about a future birth: a Brahmin named Viṣṇuyaśā, called Kalkī, will arise in the village of Sambhala at the end of an age, characterized by valor, intelligence, and righteous concern for the populace.