Shloka 14

Matsya Purana — Yuga Durations

Devanagari script

तथा वर्षसहस्रं तु वर्षाणां द्वे शते अपि संध्यया सह संख्यातं क्रूरं कलियुगं स्मृतम् //

Transliteration

tathā varṣasahasraṃ tu varṣāṇāṃ dve śate api saṃdhyayā saha saṃkhyātaṃ krūraṃ kaliyugaṃ smṛtam //

Translation

Likewise, Kali-yuga is remembered as a cruel age, reckoned together with its twilight period (sandhyā) as one thousand years plus a further two hundred years.

Word by Word

• tathā: likewise

• varṣa-sahasram: a thousand years

• tu: indeed/and

• varṣāṇām: of years

• dve śate api: also two hundred

• sandhyayā saha: together with the sandhyā (twilight/junction period)

• saṃkhyātam: counted/reckoned

• krūram: cruel/harsh

• kali-yugam: the Kali age

• smṛtam: is remembered/is traditionally stated

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in discourse to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Kali-yuga
• Sandhyā

Tags

• Yugas
• KaliYuga
• CosmicTime
• PuranaChronology
• DharmaDecline

FAQs

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

It does not describe pralaya directly; it gives a time-measure for Kali-yuga, which is part of the Purāṇic framework used to situate great cosmic events (including pralayas) within yuga-cycles.

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

By calling Kali-yuga “cruel” and defining its span, the verse frames an age of moral decline in which kings and householders are urged elsewhere in the Matsya Purāṇa to uphold dharma more deliberately amid social and ethical deterioration.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No specific vāstu (architecture) or ritual procedure is stated here; the verse is primarily chronological, establishing the yuga-length used to time rites, traditions, and Purāṇic historical accounts.