Shloka 35
कलियुग-प्रवृत्तिः, सप्तर्षि-गणना, धरणीगीताः, च वंश-समाप्तिः
Kali-yuga onset, Saptarṣi reckoning, Dharaṇī-gītā, and closure of the dynastic account
ब्राह्मणाः क्षत्रिया वैश्याः शूद्राश् च द्विजसत्तम युगे युगे महात्मानः समतीताः सहस्रशः
brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ śūdrāś ca dvijasattama yuge yuge mahātmānaḥ samatītāḥ sahasraśaḥ
O best of the twice-born, in every age, again and again, thousands of great-souled ones have arisen and passed on—among Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and even Śūdras.
Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Royal lineages and the continuity of dharma across yugas; noting that greatness arises in all varnas
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Across every yuga, mahātmās arise in all varṇas, showing that spiritual excellence is not confined to birth but to dharma.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Honor virtue and devotion wherever they appear; cultivate sāttvika conduct and devotion without caste-pride.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān’s grace and lordship operate through all embodied beings, allowing dharmic excellence to manifest in any social station.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It emphasizes that history is cyclical—across every yuga, innumerable exemplary beings arise and pass away, showing dharma’s recurring presence through time.
By stating that mahātmās have appeared in all four varnas across the ages, Parāśara frames virtue and holiness as qualities proven by conduct and realization, not restricted to birth-status alone.
Though not named in the verse, the Purāṇic frame implies that the orderly recurrence of ages and the emergence of dharmic exemplars occurs within Viṣṇu’s supreme cosmic governance.