Shloka 54

कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना

Devanagari script

श्वश्रूश्वशुरभूयिष्ठा गुरवश् च नृणां कलौ श्यालाद्या हारिभार्याश् च सुहृदो मुनिसत्तम

Transliteration

śvaśrūśvaśurabhūyiṣṭhā guravaś ca nṛṇāṃ kalau śyālādyā hāribhāryāś ca suhṛdo munisattama

Translation

In the age of Kali, O best of sages, men will take mothers‑in‑law and fathers‑in‑law as their chief authorities; even brothers‑in‑law and the like will be counted as ‘elders’; and the wives of other men will become their closest confidants—thus the natural order of respect and friendship will be overturned.

Word by Word

• श्वश्रू-श्वशुर-भूयिष्ठाः: mothers-in-law and fathers-in-law (being very numerous)
• श्वश्रू-श्वशुर-भूयिष्ठाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वश्रू (प्रातिपदिक) + श्वशुर (प्रातिपदिक) + भूयिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; बहु-इष्ठ superlative)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्; द्वन्द्वसमासः (श्वश्रूश्च श्वशुराश्च) + भूयिष्ठाः = 'अधिकतराः/बहुलाः'

• गुरवः: elders/teachers
• गुरवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचनम्

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

• श्याल-आद्याः: brothers-in-law and the like
• श्याल-आद्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्याल (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (आदि-शब्देन 'प्रमुखाः')

• हारि-भार्याः: wives of thieves/robbers
• हारि-भार्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हारि (प्रातिपदिक) + भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (हारिणः भार्याः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• सुहृदः: friends
• सुहृदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुहृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम् (सुहृदः)

• मुनि-सत्तम: O best of sages
• मुनि-सत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (मुनिषु सत्तमः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Kali-yuga symptoms in social relations and authority

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Kali-yuga distorts dhārmic hierarchies of respect and friendship, replacing principled bonds with expedient and improper alliances.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Rebuild dhārmic relationships: honor parents/teachers, keep boundaries, and choose friends by character (sattva) rather than convenience.

Vishishtadvaita: Social dharma is a mode of service (kainkarya) to Bhagavān’s order; violating it harms both society and one’s spiritual orientation.

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya

FAQs

What is the significance of Kali Yuga ‘social inversion’ in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse lists relationship-level distortions—misplaced authority, confused hierarchy, and corrupted friendship—as concrete markers of dharma’s decline in Kali.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the practical signs of Kali Yuga?

Parāśara describes observable changes in daily conduct—especially family respect, trust, and sexual ethics—rather than abstract theory, making Kali identifiable through lived behavior.

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

By showing how order collapses in Kali, the text implicitly points to Vishnu as the sustaining sovereign of dharma—whose protection and remembrance become the stabilizing refuge when social norms fail.