Shloka 2

Matsya Purana — Characteristics of Dvāpara and Kali Yugas

Devanagari script

द्वापरादौ प्रजानां तु सिद्धिस्त्रेतायुगे तु या परिवृत्ते युगे तस्मिंस् ततः सा वै प्रणश्यति //

Transliteration

dvāparādau prajānāṃ tu siddhistretāyuge tu yā parivṛtte yuge tasmiṃs tataḥ sā vai praṇaśyati //

Translation

At the beginning of the Dvāpara Yuga, the siddhi (spiritual attainment) of people that existed in the Tretā Yuga—when that age turns over and changes—then indeed perishes.

Word by Word

• द्वापर-आदौ (dvāpara-ādau): at the beginning of Dvāpara

• प्रजानाम् (prajānām): of beings/people

• तु (tu): indeed/but

• सिद्धिः (siddhiḥ): attainment, perfected capability, spiritual success

• त्रेतायुगे (tretā-yuge): in the Tretā age

• तु (tu): indeed

• या (yā): which

• परिवृत्ते (parivṛtte): when turned over/when changed

• युगे (yuge): in the age

• तस्मिन् (tasmin): in that (changed age)

• ततः (tataḥ): then/from that point

• सा (sā): that (siddhi)

• वै (vai): certainly

• प्रणश्यति (praṇaśyati): is destroyed/perishes.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution for this discourse section)

Entities Mentioned

• Dvapara Yuga
• Treta Yuga
• Prajā (people)

Tags

• Yuga Dharma
• Spiritual Decline
• Siddhi
• Puranic Cosmology
• Ethics

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it explains cyclical time through Yuga transition, stating that a prior-age spiritual attainment (siddhi) declines when the next Yuga begins.

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

It implies that dharma-practice must be adapted to the Yuga: rulers and householders should not assume earlier-age capacities, but uphold achievable discipline, justice, and ritual according to the diminished conditions of the later age.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple-rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is the Yuga-based principle that the efficacy and intensity of practices (and results like siddhi) are time-conditioned in Purāṇic cosmology.