Shloka 27
कलियुग-प्रवृत्तिः, सप्तर्षि-गणना, धरणीगीताः, च वंश-समाप्तिः
Kali-yuga onset, Saptarṣi reckoning, Dharaṇī-gītā, and closure of the dynastic account
यदैव भगवद्विष्णोर् अंशो यातो दिवं द्विज वसुदेवकुलोद्भूतस् तदैवात्रागतः कलिः
yadaiva bhagavadviṣṇor aṃśo yāto divaṃ dvija vasudevakulodbhūtas tadaivātrāgataḥ kaliḥ
O brāhmaṇa, at the very moment that the manifested portion of Bhagavān Viṣṇu—born in the lineage of Vasudeva—departed for the heavenly realm, at that very same time Kali arrived here into the world.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya; addressing him as dvija)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Causal link between Bhagavān’s departure and Kali’s manifestation in the world
Teaching: Historical
Quality: revealing
Yuga: Kali
Manvantara: Vaivasvata
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: He descended in the Vāsudeva lineage to lighten the earth’s burden and re-establish dharma, and upon His departure Kali gained entry into the world.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Protection of dharma through the Lord’s presence and the completion of His earthly mission
Concept: The Lord’s manifest presence restrains adharma; when He withdraws His visible līlā, Kali’s influence becomes operative, making devotion the essential refuge.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: In times of decline, intensify nāma-smaraṇa, satsanga, and dharma-practice rather than relying on external stability.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān is both transcendent and historically present; His līlā within the world-body (jagat as His śarīra) directly conditions the moral-spiritual climate.
Vamsha: Chandra
Key Kings: Vasudeva
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Vyuha Form: Vasudeva
FAQs
This verse states that Kali’s influence begins precisely when the visible, protecting presence of Viṣṇu’s incarnation withdraws, marking a yuga transition and the decline of dharma in the world-order.
Parāśara presents the shift as immediate and consequential: the departure of Viṣṇu’s aṃśa (Kṛṣṇa) and the arrival of Kali occur simultaneously, underscoring a cosmological law of cycles rather than a gradual accident.
It affirms Viṣṇu as the Supreme Reality whose incarnate manifestation sustains dharma; Kṛṣṇa’s departure signals the end of that manifest guardianship, while Viṣṇu’s transcendence remains unchanged.