Shloka 60

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

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

Devanagari script

ययातिनहुषाद्यांश् च ज्ञात्वा निष्ठाम् उपागतान् महाबलान् महावीर्यान् अनन्तधनसंचयान्

Transliteration

yayātinahuṣādyāṃś ca jñātvā niṣṭhām upāgatān mahābalān mahāvīryān anantadhanasaṃcayān

Translation

Knowing that Yayāti, Nahuṣa, and the other kings had reached their appointed end, it was understood that those mighty, heroic rulers—heaped with immeasurable wealth—had also passed away in the onward course of Kāla, Time.

Word by Word

• ययाति-नहुष-आद्यान्: Yayāti, Nahuṣa and others
• ययाति-नहुष-आद्यान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ययाति (प्रातिपदिक) + नहुष (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (ययाति-नहुष-आदि = ‘ययाति-नहुष-प्रभृतयः’)

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

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Kriya (Adverbial action/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having known’

• निष्ठाम्: final state; end
• निष्ठाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• उपागतान्: having reached; attained
• उपागतान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (ययातिनहुषाद्यान्)

• महाबलान्: very strong
• महाबलान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महद् बलं येषाम्)

• महावीर्यान्: of great prowess
• महावीर्यान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + वीर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः

• अनन्त-धन-संचयान्: with endless stores of wealth
• अनन्त-धन-संचयान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + धन (प्रातिपदिक) + संचय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अनन्तं धनं यस्य सः/येषाम्; धनस्य संचयः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Historical exempla from royal lineages showing the inevitable end of worldly power under Kāla (Time).

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even the mightiest kings (e.g., Yayāti and Nahuṣa) reach their destined end; sovereignty and wealth cannot resist Kāla.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Contemplate the finitude of status and possessions to loosen egoic grasping and prioritize dharma and devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: Kāla as the Lord’s ordinance: the jīva’s finite achievements are subordinate to the supreme order upheld by Viṣṇu.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Vamsha: Chandra

Dharma Exemplar: Anityatā-bodha (awareness of impermanence)

Key Kings: Yayāti, Nahuṣa

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Yayati
• Nahusha
• Kings (Lunar dynasty rulers)

FAQs

What is the significance of Yayāti and Nahuṣa in the Vishnu Purana’s dynastic history?

They are pivotal figures in the Lunar dynasty narration, used to mark succession and to show how even renowned emperors ultimately reach their appointed end under Time.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the passing of mighty kings in this section?

By framing their greatness—power, valor, and wealth—against niṣṭhā (the final end), he emphasizes the orderly progression of lineage and the inevitability of cessation within worldly rule.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s dynastic flow implicitly rests on Vishnu as the sustaining Supreme Reality, with Time and order functioning under his sovereignty.