Shloka 32
कलियुग-प्रवृत्तिः, सप्तर्षि-गणना, धरणीगीताः, च वंश-समाप्तिः
Kali-yuga onset, Saptarṣi reckoning, Dharaṇī-gītā, and closure of the dynastic account
यस्मिन् कृष्णो दिवं यातस् तस्मिन्न् एव तदाहनि प्रतिपन्नं कलियुगं तस्य संख्यां निबोध मे
yasmin kṛṣṇo divaṃ yātas tasminn eva tadāhani pratipannaṃ kaliyugaṃ tasya saṃkhyāṃ nibodha me
On the very day when Śrī Kṛṣṇa departed for heaven, Kali-yuga began. O sage, teach me the reckoning and measure of that age.
Maitreya (addressing Sage Parāśara)
Speaker: Maitreya
Topic: Chronology and measure (saṃkhyā) of Kali-yuga beginning with Kṛṣṇa’s departure
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: inquisitive
Yuga: Kali
Manvantara: Vaivasvata
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: He descended to remove oppressive adharma and, upon completing His līlā, withdrew, marking the transition of yugas.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Yuga-ordering (the regulated succession of ages) and the eventual restoration of dharma through cyclic time
Concept: Cosmic time (yuga) is anchored to the Lord’s līlā-manifestation; His departure signals a shift in dharma’s prevailing mode.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use awareness of temporal cycles to intensify sādhana and rely on śāstra when cultural supports weaken.
Vishishtadvaita: The Lord is both historical (līlā in time) and transcendent (controller of time), so chronology itself becomes a theological marker.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse marks Krishna’s departure as the chronological trigger for the commencement of Kali Yuga, anchoring later yuga calculations to a sacred historical moment.
Maitreya explicitly requests the saṃkhyā—i.e., the numerical measure and method of computing Kali Yuga—setting up Parāśara’s ensuing explanation of yuga duration and order.
Krishna’s departure functions as a cosmic hinge: when Bhagavān withdraws His manifest presence, the world enters Kali’s conditions—highlighting Vishnu’s sovereignty over time, dharma, and the yuga-cycle.