Shloka 45

Matsya Purana — Characteristics of Dvāpara and Kali Yugas

Devanagari script

अधर्माभिनिवेशित्वं तमोवृत्तं कलौ स्मृतम् भ्रूणहत्या प्रजानां न तथा ह्येवं प्रवर्तते //

Transliteration

adharmābhiniveśitvaṃ tamovṛttaṃ kalau smṛtam bhrūṇahatyā prajānāṃ na tathā hyevaṃ pravartate //

Translation

In the age of Kali, the settled attachment to adharma is remembered as a dark, tamasic disposition. Even the killing of embryos among people is no longer treated or regarded as it should be—so pervasive is this tendency.

Word by Word

• adharma: unrighteousness, irreligion

• abhiniveśitvam: clinging, deep-set fixation

• tamaḥ-vṛttam: tamasic conduct, darkness-born disposition

• kalau: in Kali-yuga

• smṛtam: is said/remembered in tradition

• bhrūṇa-hatyā: killing of an embryo/foetus

• prajānām: of people, among subjects

• na: not

• tathā: in that manner, to that extent

• hi: indeed

• evaṃ: thus

• pravartate: proceeds, prevails, becomes the norm

Speaker

• Suta (Purana-narrator) describing Kali-yuga characteristics (within the Matsya Purana’s discourse)

Tags

• Kali-yuga
• Adharma
• Ethics
• Social decline
• Tamas

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it characterizes Kali-yuga as an age where tamasic attachment to adharma becomes socially entrenched.

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

It implies that rulers and householders must actively restrain tamasic, adharma-driven social behavior through dharmic governance, education, and personal self-discipline, especially when wrongdoing becomes normalized.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu or temple-ritual rule is stated here; the verse functions as a moral diagnosis of Kali-yuga rather than a technical prescription.