Shloka 78

Matsya Purana — Characteristics of Dvāpara and Kali Yugas

Devanagari script

यथा कृतयुगे पूर्वम् एकवर्णमभूत्किल तथा कलियुगस्यान्ते शूद्रीभूताः प्रजास्तथा //

Transliteration

yathā kṛtayuge pūrvam ekavarṇamabhūtkila tathā kaliyugasyānte śūdrībhūtāḥ prajāstathā //

Translation

Just as it is said that in the former Kṛta Yuga there was a single social order (one varṇa), so too, at the end of the Kali Yuga, the people likewise become as though reduced to the condition of Śūdras.

Word by Word

• yathā: just as

• kṛtayuge: in the Kṛta Yuga

• pūrvam: formerly/at first

• ekavarṇam: of one varṇa, a single social order

• abhūt: was/it came to be

• kila: indeed/it is said

• tathā: so/likewise

• kaliyugasya: of the Kali Yuga

• ante: at the end

• śūdrībhūtāḥ: having become like Śūdras, śūdra-ized

• prajāḥ: the people/subjects

• tathā: thus/likewise

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (context: yuga-lakshana instruction)

Entities Mentioned

• Kṛta Yuga
• Kali Yuga
• Varṇa
• Śūdra
• Prajā (subjects/people)

Tags

• Kali Yuga
• Yuga-Lakshana
• Varna-Dharma
• Social Decline
• Matsya Purana Teachings

FAQs

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

This verse is not about cosmic dissolution (pralaya); it describes yuga-lakṣaṇa—how society transforms across ages, especially the moral and social leveling said to occur toward the end of Kali.

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

By portraying end-of-Kali social degradation, it implies a king’s duty to protect dharma, education, and social stability, and a householder’s duty to uphold conduct (ācāra), truthfulness, and responsible livelihood even when standards decline.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct vastu/temple-architecture rule is stated here; the verse functions as a diagnostic marker of the age, which indirectly frames why puranic ritual discipline and dharmic regulation are emphasized in Kali.