Shloka 64
कलियुग-प्रवृत्तिः, सप्तर्षि-गणना, धरणीगीताः, च वंश-समाप्तिः
Kali-yuga onset, Saptarṣi reckoning, Dharaṇī-gītā, and closure of the dynastic account
पृथुः समस्तान् प्रचचार लोकान् अव्याहतो यो ऽरिविदारिचक्रः स कालवाताभिहतो विनष्टः क्षिप्तं यथा शाल्मलितूलम् अग्नौ
pṛthuḥ samastān pracacāra lokān avyāhato yo 'rividāricakraḥ sa kālavātābhihato vinaṣṭaḥ kṣiptaṃ yathā śālmalitūlam agnau
Pṛthu—whose power-wheel shattered his foes and who moved unobstructed through all the worlds—was at last struck by the wind of Kāla and destroyed, like the silky cotton of the śālmali tree flung into fire.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Illustration that even the cakravartin Pṛthu is destroyed by the ‘wind of time’ like śālmali cotton in fire.
Teaching: Historical
Quality: authoritative
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: Even one who ranges unobstructed through all worlds and crushes enemies is annihilated by Kāla, as easily as silk-cotton thrown into fire.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Use the metaphor to weaken pride in power/achievement and cultivate humility, service, and devotion as the stable refuge.
Vishishtadvaita: Worldly lordship is contingent within the Lord’s cosmic order; true sovereignty is śaraṇāgati to Viṣṇu, the ruler of Kāla.
Dharma Exemplar: Rājadharma (protector-kingship)
Key Kings: Pṛthu
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi
FAQs
It declares that even a universally victorious king is ultimately overcome by Time, which functions as the inescapable ruler over embodied existence.
Through a vivid simile: despite unhindered dominion, a king’s life and power end abruptly when Time strikes—underscoring the Purana’s moral instruction within genealogy.
Though not named in the verse, the Purana’s framework treats Kāla as operating under the Supreme—Vishnu—so the passage steers the listener from royal power toward the higher sovereignty of the Divine.