Shloka 37

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

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

Devanagari script

देवापिः पौरवो राजा मरुश् चेक्ष्वाकुवंशजः महायोगबलोपेतौ कलापग्रामसंश्रयौ

Transliteration

devāpiḥ pauravo rājā maruś cekṣvākuvaṃśajaḥ mahāyogabalopetau kalāpagrāmasaṃśrayau

Translation

Devāpi, the Paurava king, and Maru, born of the Ikṣvāku line—both endowed with the mighty power of yoga—abide in the village of Kalāpa.

Word by Word

• देवापिः: Devāpi
• देवापिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवापि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पौरवः: descendant of Puru
• पौरवः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पौरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of देवापिः)

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मरुः: Maru
• मरुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• इक्ष्वाकुवंशजः: born in the Ikshvaku lineage
• इक्ष्वाकुवंशजः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इक्ष्वाकु + वंशज (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (इक्ष्वाकोः वंशजः) विशेषण (मरुः)

• महायोगबलोपेतौ: endowed with great yogic power
• महायोगबलोपेतौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + योग + बल + उपेत (कृदन्त; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विशेषण (देवापिः-मरुः) ; उपेत = उप + इ (धातु) भूतकृदन्त

• कलापग्रामसंश्रयौ: dwelling in the village Kalāpa
• कलापग्रामसंश्रयौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कलापग्राम + संश्रय (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कलापग्रामस्य संश्रयौ) विशेषण (तौ)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Exceptional kings who remain through yogic power as links in dynastic continuity

Teaching: Historical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Through mahāyoga-bala, disciplined rulers can transcend ordinary time and remain established for a future dharmic purpose.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate steadiness (dhāraṇā), vows, and self-mastery so that one’s life serves long-range dharmic ends rather than short-term gain.

Vishishtadvaita: Yogic capacities function under Bhagavān’s governance; extraordinary longevity and purpose are instruments of divine order within the world.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: Tapas-yukta rājadharma (ascetic kingship preserving righteous sovereignty)

Key Kings: Devāpi, Maru

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Devāpi
• Maru
• Puru (Paurava lineage)
• Ikṣvāku (Solar dynasty)
• Kalāpa (village/region)

FAQs

What is the significance of Devāpi and Maru residing in Kalāpa in the Vishnu Purana?

It signals the Purāṇic idea that certain exemplary kings endure through yogic power, remaining as preservers of lineage and dharma across Yuga changes rather than disappearing from history.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the survival of royal lineages across the Yugas?

By presenting figures like Devāpi and Maru as mahāyogins who continue to exist in seclusion, Parāśara frames genealogy as divinely upheld continuity within Vishnu’s ordered time-cycle.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇa’s premise is that Vishnu is the supreme regulator of time, dharma, and kingship—so the endurance of righteous rulers is ultimately grounded in his cosmic sovereignty.