Shloka 50

Matsya Purana — Characteristics of Dvāpara and Kali Yugas

Devanagari script

एवं संध्यांशके काले सम्प्राप्ते तु युगान्तिके तेषामधर्मिणां शास्ता भृगूणां च कुले स्थितः //

Transliteration

evaṃ saṃdhyāṃśake kāle samprāpte tu yugāntike teṣāmadharmiṇāṃ śāstā bhṛgūṇāṃ ca kule sthitaḥ //

Translation

Thus, when the twilight-fraction of the age arrived—at the very verge of the yuga’s end—there appeared a chastiser of those unrighteous ones, established in the lineage of the Bhṛgus.

Word by Word

• evaṃ: thus

• saṃdhyā-aṃśake: in the twilight-portion (transitional fraction) [of the age]

• kāle: at the time

• samprāpte: having arrived

• tu: indeed

• yugāntike: at the yuga’s end / in the end-time of the age

• teṣām: of those

• adharmiṇām: of the unrighteous / lawless

• śāstā: chastiser, punisher, regulator (upholder of order)

• bhṛgūṇām: of the Bhṛgus (Bhrigu lineage)

• ca: and

• kule: in the family/lineage

• sthitaḥ: situated, established, born/manifest.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) to Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution within the Matsya Purana’s Manu–Matsya dialogue framework)

Entities Mentioned

• Bhṛgu lineage (Bhṛgava/Bhṛgūṇām)
• Śāstā (the chastiser/upholder of discipline)
• Yugānta (end of the age)

Tags

• Yugānta
• Dharma
• Adharma
• Bhṛgu lineage
• Puranic prophecy

FAQs

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

It points to the yuga’s terminal “twilight” (saṃdhyā-aṃśa), a liminal end-time when adharma peaks and a corrective force arises; it implies moral and cosmic transition rather than describing physical pralaya directly.

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

By emphasizing a “śāstā” who restrains the unrighteous, it mirrors the king’s dharmic role as disciplinarian—protecting social order, punishing adharma, and restoring lawful conduct during periods of decline.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated; the verse is primarily ethical-esoteric, framing yugānta as a time that necessitates strict regulation and restoration of dharma rather than temple-building rules.