Shloka 27

Matsya Purana — Characteristics of Dvāpara and Kali Yugas

Devanagari script

पूर्णे वर्षसहस्रे द्वे परमायुस्तदा नृणाम् निःशेषे द्वापरे तस्मिंस् तस्य संध्या तु पादतः //

Transliteration

pūrṇe varṣasahasre dve paramāyustadā nṛṇām niḥśeṣe dvāpare tasmiṃs tasya saṃdhyā tu pādataḥ //

Translation

When two full thousand years have elapsed, that is the maximum lifespan of human beings at that time. And when that Dvāpara Yuga comes to its complete end, its twilight-period (yuga-sandhyā) is only one quarter in measure.

Word by Word

• pūrṇe: when completed/fully elapsed

• varṣa-sahasre: a thousand years

• dve: two

• paramāyuḥ: the supreme/maximum lifespan

• tadā: then/at that time

• nṛṇām: of humans

• niḥśeṣe: when entirely finished/at total cessation

• dvāpare: in Dvāpara (Yuga)

• tasmin: in that (time/age)

• tasya: of that (yuga)

• saṃdhyā: twilight/junction period (sandhyā)

• tu: indeed/and

• pādataḥ: by a quarter/one-fourth (in proportion).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in discourse to Vaivasvata Manu, describing yuga-time and human longevity)

Entities Mentioned

• Dvapara Yuga
• Yuga-sandhya
• Humans (nara)

Tags

• Yugas
• Timekeeping
• Human longevity
• Dharma decline
• Purana chronology

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it gives a chronological rule for yuga-measurement—human lifespan in a given age and the proportional length of the yuga’s twilight (sandhyā) at the end of Dvāpara.

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

By linking social conditions to yuga-time (shorter lifespans and transitional ‘sandhyā’ phases), it frames why kings and householders must adapt discipline and dharma-practice to declining capacities across ages—prioritizing righteous governance and efficient observance.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or iconographic rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is temporal—rites and dharma are to be understood within yuga divisions and their sandhyā junctions, which are treated as distinct transitional periods in Purāṇic time-reckoning.