Shloka 28

कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना

Devanagari script

लोलुपा ह्रस्वदेहाश् च बह्वन्नादनतत्पराः बहुप्रजाल्पभाग्याश् च भविष्यन्ति कलौ स्त्रियः

Transliteration

lolupā hrasvadehāś ca bahvannādanatatparāḥ bahuprajālpabhāgyāś ca bhaviṣyanti kalau striyaḥ

Translation

In the age of Kali, women will incline toward craving and restlessness; their bodies will grow diminished, and they will be intent on the ceaseless pursuit of abundant food. Though bearing many children, their fortune will be scant.

Word by Word

• लोलुपाः: greedy, covetous
• लोलुपाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोलुप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• ह्रस्व-देहाः: short-bodied
• ह्रस्व-देहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ह्रस्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास; विशेषणम्

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

• बहु-अन्न-आदन-तत्पराः: intent on taking much food
• बहु-अन्न-आदन-तत्पराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक) + आदन (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-भाव) + तत्पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; बहु-पूर्वपदक तत्पुरुष-समास; विशेषणम्

• बहु-प्रजा-अल्प-भाग्याः: having many children and little fortune
• बहु-प्रजा-अल्प-भाग्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक) + अल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास; विशेषणम्

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

• भविष्यन्ति: will be
• भविष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• स्त्रियः: women
• स्त्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Signs and characteristics of Kali-yuga decline (kali-lakṣaṇa), especially social and domestic conduct

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Kali-yuga is marked by intensification of lobha (craving) and diminution of śrī (good fortune), eroding steadiness and contentment in household life.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate moderation in consumption, steadiness of mind, and contentment (santoṣa) through daily sādhana and mindful living.

Vishishtadvaita: Moral order (dharma) is sustained by devotion and self-restraint offered to the Lord, who remains the inner ruler even amid yuga-decline.

Characters & Entities

• Women (striyaḥ)

FAQs

What is the significance of describing Kali Yuga traits in the Vishnu Purana?

It frames Kali as a period where dharma and well-being decline, urging seekers to recognize the age’s pressures and take refuge in Vishnu as the stable Supreme Reality beyond cyclical degeneration.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the lived experience of Kali Yuga in this verse?

He presents concrete, bodily and social markers—restlessness, diminished vitality, preoccupation with consumption, many children yet little prosperity—to depict Kali’s constricting effects on human life.

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

By highlighting decline within time, the Purana implicitly contrasts it with Vishnu’s sovereignty beyond time—encouraging devotion and dependence on Vishnu as the sustaining ground of order when worldly conditions deteriorate.