Shloka 8

मैत्रेयप्रश्नः—पुराणसंहिताप्रतिज्ञा च

Maitreya’s Questions and Parāśara’s Resolve to Teach

Devanagari script

कल्पान् कल्पविकल्पांश् च चतुर्युगविकल्पितान् कल्पान्तस्य स्वरूपं च युगधर्मांश् च कृत्स्नशः

Transliteration

kalpān kalpavikalpāṃś ca caturyugavikalpitān kalpāntasya svarūpaṃ ca yugadharmāṃś ca kṛtsnaśaḥ

Translation

Teach me the kalpas and their variations, the divisions of the four yugas, the true nature of dissolution at a kalpa’s end, and fully the dharmas of each yuga.

Word by Word

• kalpān: aeons (kalpas)
• kalpān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• kalpavikalpān: kalpas and variations (vikalpas)
• kalpavikalpān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa + vikalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; 'कल्पाश्च विकल्पाश्च'

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• caturyugavikalpitān: divided into four-yuga cycles
• caturyugavikalpitān: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur + yuga + vikalpita (प्रातिपदिक; √kḷp/कल्प् (धातु) से कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त-विशेषण (past participle): 'चतुर्युगैः विकल्पिताः/विभक्ताः'

• kalpāntasya: of the end of a kalpa
• kalpāntasya: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; कल्पस्य अन्तः (end of a kalpa)

• svarūpam: essential form, nature
• svarūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; स्वं रूपम् (own nature/form)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• yugadharmān: the dharmas of the yugas
• yugadharmān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; युगस्य धर्माः (duties/characteristics of the ages)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kṛtsnaśaḥ: completely, in entirety
• kṛtsnaśaḥ: Prakaraṇa (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛtsnaśas (अव्यय; कृत्स्न + शस्)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/सम्पूर्णता-वाचक (adverb: wholly, in full)

Speaker

Maitreya (questioning Sage Parasara)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Maitreya

Topic: Kalpas and their variations; four-yuga divisions; nature of dissolution at kalpa-end; complete yuga-dharmas

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: probing, encyclopedic

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Kalpa

Yuga: Satya/Treta/Dvapara/Kali

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dharma is time-conditioned: each yuga has characteristic norms, and cosmic cycles culminate in periodic dissolution.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Align practice with enduring virtues (satya, dayā, śauca) while recognizing historical change; cultivate detachment by contemplating kalpa-scale impermanence.

Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic order and dissolution proceed under the supreme Lord’s governance, implying a purposeful, Lord-sustained universe rather than an autonomous mechanism.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Jagat Karana: Yes

FAQs

What is the significance of kalpa and yuga cycles in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames the Vishnu Purana’s cosmology as a disciplined account of time—kalpas and the four-yuga cycle—so that dharma and history can be understood within a recurring cosmic order.

How does Sage Parasara explain yuga-dharma in the dialogue with Maitreya?

Maitreya explicitly requests a complete account of yuga-dharma, setting up Parasara’s systematic explanation of how conduct, spiritual capacity, and societal norms shift across Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

By asking about creation cycles, dissolution, and dharma across ages, the verse implicitly points to Vishnu as the sovereign principle who upholds cosmic order through time—governing origination, maintenance, and reabsorption.