Shloka 28

कलियुग-प्रवृत्तिः, सप्तर्षि-गणना, धरणीगीताः, च वंश-समाप्तिः

Kali-yuga onset, Saptarṣi reckoning, Dharaṇī-gītā, and closure of the dynastic account

Devanagari script

यावत् स पादपद्माभ्यां पस्पर्शेमां वसुंधराम् तावत् पृथ्वीपरिष्वङ्गे समर्थो नाभवत् कलिः

Transliteration

yāvat sa pādapadmābhyāṃ pasparśemāṃ vasuṃdharām tāvat pṛthvīpariṣvaṅge samartho nābhavat kaliḥ

Translation

So long as He—whose feet are like lotuses—continued to touch this earth, so long was Kali powerless to take the world into his embrace; for in the very presence of the Lord, the age of strife could not assert its dominion.

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Adverbial (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यावत्तावत्-सम्बन्धे कालपरिमाणवाचक (correlative ‘as long as’)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पादपद्माभ्याम्: with (his) lotus-feet
• पादपद्माभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद-पद्म (प्रातिपदिक; पाद+पद्म)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; तत्पुरुष (पादयोः पद्मे इव)

• पस्पर्श: touched
• पस्पर्श: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• इमाम्: this
• इमाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वसुंधराम्: the earth
• वसुंधराम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुंधरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Adverbial (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यावत्तावत्-सम्बन्धे परिमाणवाचक (correlative ‘so long/that long’)

• पृथ्वीपरिष्वङ्गे: in the embrace/hold of the earth
• पृथ्वीपरिष्वङ्गे: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथ्वी-परिष्वङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक; पृथ्वी+परिष्वङ्ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पृथिव्याः परिष्वङ्गः = embrace/hold of the earth)

• समर्थः: capable
• समर्थः: Karta (Subject complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (capable)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• अभवत्: was/became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कलिः: Kali
• कलिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Why Kali could not prevail while the Lord was present on earth

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: compassionate

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: He remained upon earth to protect the world from Kali’s ascendancy until His līlā concluded.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Restraint of adharma and preservation of dharmic order by the Lord’s immediate presence

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The manifest presence of Bhagavān is itself a shield: where His lotus-feet abide, Kali’s power cannot dominate.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate ‘presence of the Lord’ through daily arcana, nāma-japa, and remembrance, making one’s life a protected space amid Kali’s pressures.

Vishishtadvaita: Divine immanence: the world is upheld and purified by the Lord’s tangible nearness; grace operates within embodied reality, not apart from it.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: shanta

Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Kali
• Earth (Pṛthvī/Vasundharā)

FAQs

What is the significance of Kali being 'unable to embrace the earth' in the Vishnu Purana?

It teaches that Kali-yuga is not merely a calendar era but a moral-spiritual force whose power is checked when the Lord is manifest; disorder cannot fully dominate while divine presence sustains dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the yuga transition in this passage?

By linking cosmic time to divine proximity: the onset and strength of Kali are portrayed as contingent upon the Lord no longer physically touching the earth, emphasizing yugas as dharma-conditions governed by the Supreme.

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

Vishnu is affirmed as the supreme regulator of time and morality—His presence preserves order, and Kali’s influence is secondary and subordinate to His will.