Shloka 10

कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना

Devanagari script

वर्णाश्रमाचारवती प्रवृत्तिर् न कलौ नृणाम् न साम-ऋग्यजुर्वेदविनिष्पादनहैतुकी

Transliteration

varṇāśramācāravatī pravṛttir na kalau nṛṇām na sāma-ṛgyajurvedaviniṣpādanahaitukī

Translation

In the age of Kali, among men, there will no longer be a living order grounded in the disciplines of varṇa and āśrama; nor will there remain the true impetus that establishes and sustains the proper practice of the Sāma, Ṛg, and Yajur Vedas.

Word by Word

• वर्णाश्रमाचारवती: endowed with varṇa-āśrama conduct
• वर्णाश्रमाचारवती: Visheshana (Adjectival to प्रवृत्तिः/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्ण + आश्रम + आचार + वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (समाहार/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) ‘वर्णाश्रमाणां आचारः’ + वती (possessing)

• प्रवृत्तिः: practice; observance
• प्रवृत्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रवृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — practice/observance (subject)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (particle of negation)

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — in Kali (age)

• नृणाम्: of people
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — of men/people

• न: nor; not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• सामऋग्यजुर्वेदविनिष्पादनहैतुकी: having as its cause the performance of Sāma, Ṛg, Yajur Vedas
• सामऋग्यजुर्वेदविनिष्पादनहैतुकी: Visheshana (Adjectival to प्रवृत्तिः/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सामन् + ऋक् + यजुस् + वेद + विनिष्पादन + हैतुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध) ‘साम-ऋक्-यजुर्वेदस्य विनिष्पादनस्य हेतुः’ (causal/for performance)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Concrete symptoms of Kali-yuga affecting dharma and Vedic practice

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: diagnostic and cautionary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Kali-yuga is marked by the breakdown of varṇāśrama disciplines and the weakening of the motivating force for Vedic study and correct performance.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Preserve what is possible: maintain personal vows, seek qualified teachers, support authentic recitation/study, and prioritize bhakti as a stabilizing dharma in degraded times.

Vishishtadvaita: Affirms dharma and Vedic practice as real means within the Lord’s order; when these supports weaken, devotion and surrender become crucial as accessible stabilizers.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Varna
• Ashrama
• Sama Veda
• Rig Veda
• Yajur Veda
• Vedas

FAQs

What is the significance of varṇa-āśrama dharma in the Vishnu Purana’s description of Kali-yuga?

This verse treats varṇa-āśrama conduct as a key framework of social and spiritual order, and marks Kali-yuga by its disappearance as a stable, guiding norm.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the decline of Vedic tradition in Kali-yuga?

He states that the motivating cause for the proper establishment and functioning of the three Vedas (Sāma, Ṛg, Yajur)—their correct performance, transmission, and authority—fails among people in Kali.

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

Even as dharma and Vedic discipline wane in Kali, the Purana’s broader teaching frames Vishnu as the supreme ground of cosmic order—whose sovereignty remains constant despite cyclical moral decline.