Shloka 12
कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना
यत्र तत्र कुले जातो बली सर्वेश्वरः कलौ सर्वेभ्य एव वर्णेभ्यो योग्यः कन्यावरोधने
yatra tatra kule jāto balī sarveśvaraḥ kalau sarvebhya eva varṇebhyo yogyaḥ kanyāvarodhane
In the Kali age, a strong man—though born in any random family—will be treated as if he were the lord of all; and for the seizing of maidens, he will be deemed ‘fit’ regardless of caste or social order.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Kali-yuga’s moral inversion: illegitimate power and sexual exploitation disregarding dharma
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: severe and revelatory
Concept: In Kali-yuga, social legitimacy shifts from dharma to mere strength, and adharma—especially exploitation—gets falsely treated as acceptable.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Do not equate power with righteousness; protect the vulnerable, build communities with clear ethical accountability, and anchor conduct in śāstra-guided compassion and restraint.
Vishishtadvaita: Affirms moral realism: injustice is not ‘mere appearance’ but a genuine violation within the Lord’s world, demanding dharmic response and surrender to divine governance.
FAQs
This verse portrays Kali-yuga as an age where strength replaces virtue: social legitimacy, rulership, and even marital conduct are determined by power rather than dharma.
He describes a breakdown where birth, learning, and righteous conduct lose authority, while coercion becomes socially ‘acceptable,’ even across traditional boundaries like varṇa.
By highlighting Kali-yuga’s adharma, the text implicitly points to Vishnu as the sustaining Supreme Reality whose protection and restoration of order become the refuge when worldly power turns corrupt.