Shloka 45

कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना

Devanagari script

यदा यदा सतां हानिर् वेदमार्गानुसारिणाम् तदा तदा कलेर् वृद्धिर् अनुमेया विचक्षणैः

Transliteration

yadā yadā satāṃ hānir vedamārgānusāriṇām tadā tadā kaler vṛddhir anumeyā vicakṣaṇaiḥ

Translation

Whenever the righteous—those who follow the path of the Veda—fall away and decline, then the wise should discern that the power of Kali is on the rise.

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (relative temporal adverb)

• यदा: whenever
• यदा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (emphatic repetition)

• सताम्: of the good (people)
• सताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• हानिः: decline, loss
• हानिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हानि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वेदमार्गानुसारिणाम्: of those who follow the Vedic path
• वेदमार्गानुसारिणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद + मार्ग + अनुसारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; (वेदमार्गम् अनुसरन्ति इति)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदर्थक कालवाचक (correlative temporal adverb)

• तदा: at that very time
• तदा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (emphatic repetition)

• कलेः: of Kali
• कलेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• वृद्धिः: increase
• वृद्धिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अनुमेया: to be inferred
• अनुमेया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनु + मा (धातु) + य (कृत्) (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कृत्य (gerundive: 'to be inferred')

• विचक्षणैः: by the discerning
• विचक्षणैः: Karana (Agent/Instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विचक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Signs of Kali’s increase, especially erosion of Veda-aligned righteousness

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When Veda-following righteous persons diminish, it signals Kali’s intensification.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Support sat-saṅga, protect Vedic learning and daily discipline (nitya-karma), and measure progress by integrity rather than popularity.

Vishishtadvaita: Highlights the communal role of sādhus as bearers of dharma that sustains the Lord’s cosmic order (niyati) within the world.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Kali
• Veda
• Sat (the righteous)

FAQs

What is the significance of Kali’s rise in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames Kali not merely as a time-period but as a discernible force: when Veda-aligned righteousness declines, Kali’s influence is understood to be increasing.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the signs of Kali Yuga?

He points to an observable metric—loss among the sat (the righteous) who follow the Vedic path—by which the discerning infer Kali’s growth.

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

By mapping moral decline to the yuga-cycle, the text implies the need for divine sovereignty to restore dharma—an underlying Vaishnava theme where Vishnu upholds cosmic order across ages.