Shloka 46
कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना
प्रारम्भाश् चावसीदन्ति यदा धर्मकृतां नृणाम् तदानुमेयं प्राधान्यं कलेर् मैत्रेय पण्डितैः
prārambhāś cāvasīdanti yadā dharmakṛtāṃ nṛṇām tadānumeyaṃ prādhānyaṃ kaler maitreya paṇḍitaiḥ
When even the undertakings of those who practice dharma begin to falter and sink into failure, then, O Maitreya, the learned may infer that Kali has gained predominance.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How Kali manifests as obstruction to dharma and frustrates righteous initiatives
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: When righteous undertakings repeatedly falter, the learned infer Kali’s dominance over dharmic order.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Persevere with steadiness (dhṛti), simplify vows, and anchor projects in sat-saṅga and prayer rather than mere willpower.
Vishishtadvaita: Encourages reliance on the Lord’s grace alongside effort—human agency (kartṛtva) functioning under divine governance.
Bhakti Type: Dasya
FAQs
This verse treats the collapse of dharmic initiatives as a diagnostic sign: when even good people cannot successfully carry out righteous aims, it indicates Kali-yuga’s ascendancy.
Parāśara frames Kali’s dominance as something recognized by inference (anumāna): the observable weakening of dharma’s practical effectiveness signals that Kali has become predominant.
Even as Kali rises and dharma wanes, the Vishnu Purana’s broader teaching is that cosmic order remains under Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty; Kali is a phase within the divinely-governed yuga cycle, not an ultimate power.