Shloka 34

कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना

Devanagari script

अरक्षितारो हर्तारः शुल्कव्याजेन पार्थिवाः हारिणो जनवित्तानां संप्राप्ते तु कलौ युगे

Transliteration

arakṣitāro hartāraḥ śulkavyājena pārthivāḥ hāriṇo janavittānāṃ saṃprāpte tu kalau yuge

Translation

When the age of Kali arrives, the rulers of the earth will be no protectors but plunderers; under the pretext of taxes and levies they will seize the people’s wealth, turning kingship into sanctioned theft.

Word by Word

• अरक्षितारः: non-protectors, those who do not protect
• अरक्षितारः: Karta (Predicate nominative/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ-रक्षितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; नञ्-समास/उपसर्ग-निषेधः (a- privative)

• हर्तारः: robbers, takers away
• हर्तारः: Karta (Predicate nominative/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• शुल्क: tax, duty
• शुल्क: Samasa-anga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुल्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• व्याजेन: by pretext, under the guise
• व्याजेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; हेतु/उपायार्थे (as a pretext/means)

• शुल्कव्याजेन: under the pretext of taxation
• शुल्कव्याजेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुल्क + व्याज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—शुल्कस्य व्याजेन (genitive-tatpurusha)

• पार्थिवाः: kings, rulers
• पार्थिवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• हारिणः: stealing, taking away
• हारिणः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणवत् (qualifying pārthivāḥ)

• जन: people
• जन: Samasa-anga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• वित्तानाम्: of wealth
• वित्तानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• जनवित्तानाम्: of the people's wealth
• जनवित्तानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन + वित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः—जनस्य वित्तम् (genitive-tatpurusha)

• संप्राप्ते: when (it has) arrived / upon the advent
• संप्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-प्र-आप् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय) → संप्राप्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) used in locative absolute with 'कलौ युगे'

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

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

• युगे: in the age/epoch
• युगे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Signs of Kali-yuga and the decline of dharma

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When rulers abandon the protective duty of sovereignty, taxation becomes a veil for theft and society falls into adharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Support accountable governance, practice personal integrity with wealth, and cultivate dana (charity) independent of coercion.

Vishishtadvaita: Rulers are accountable as servants of the Lord’s order (niyati); abusing subjects violates śeṣa-śeṣi ethics.

Characters & Entities

• Kings
• People (subjects)

FAQs

What is the significance of Kali Yuga taxation imagery in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse uses “taxes as pretext” to symbolize the collapse of rāja-dharma: authority meant to protect becomes a mechanism for extraction, marking Kali’s moral inversion.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the decline of kingship in Kali Yuga?

Parāśara portrays a reversal of the king’s role—no longer a guardian of subjects, the ruler becomes a taker of wealth, indicating systemic decay rather than isolated wrongdoing.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

By depicting Kali’s disorder, the Purana implicitly contrasts it with Vishnu as the upholder of cosmic order (dharma); the darker the age, the more central Vishnu’s sovereignty as the ultimate regulator of time and morality.