Shloka 58

कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना

Devanagari script

निःस्वाध्यायवषट्कारे स्वधास्वाहाविवर्जिते तदा प्रविरलो विप्र क्वचिल् लोको भविष्यति

Transliteration

niḥsvādhyāyavaṣaṭkāre svadhāsvāhāvivarjite tadā praviralo vipra kvacil loko bhaviṣyati

Translation

When the world is bereft of sacred study and the ritual cry of vaṣaṭ, and when the offerings of svadhā to the Pitṛs and svāhā to the gods are forsaken, then, O brāhmaṇa, a true man will be found only here and there—rare among people.

Word by Word

• निःस्वाध्यायवषट्कारे: in (a time/state) devoid of Vedic study and vaṣaṭ-calls
• निःस्वाध्यायवषट्कारे: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निः- (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + स्वाध्याय (प्रातिपदिक) + वषट्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (निःस्वाध्यायः च वषट्कारः च यस्मिन् काले/अवस्थायाम्)

• स्वधास्वाहाविवर्जिते: devoid of svadhā and svāhā (ritual utterances)
• स्वधास्वाहाविवर्जिते: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वधा (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वाहा (प्रातिपदिक) + वि- (उपसर्ग) + वर्ज् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; कृदन्तः—क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (विवर्जित = excluded); समासः—द्वन्द्वः (स्वधा+स्वाहा) ततः ‘स्वधास्वाहाविवर्जित’

• तदा: then
• तदा: कालाधिकरण (Temporal adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• प्रविरलः: very rare/scarce
• प्रविरलः: कर्तृविशेषण (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रविरल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: सम्बोधन (Vocative/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• क्वचित्: somewhere/at some time
• क्वचित्: देशाधिकरण (Locative sense adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (indefinite adverb)

• लोकः: people/the world
• लोकः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Future/भविष्यत्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Marks of decline in Kali-yuga: loss of svādhyāya and Vedic rites, and rarity of true dhārmic persons

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When Vedic study and sacrificial/ancestral offerings lapse, dharma becomes scarce and truly righteous people become rare.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Sustain daily scriptural study, gratitude to ancestors, and simple acts of worship/charity to keep dharma alive in one’s community.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is sustained through ordained worship and remembrance directed to the Lord, whose order (niyati) supports the world.

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Brāhmaṇas
• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Devas (gods)

FAQs

What is the significance of svādhyāya, svāhā, and svadhā in the Vishnu Purana’s description of Kali Yuga?

This verse treats the abandonment of Vedic study (svādhyāya) and sacrificial culture—offerings to gods (svāhā) and ancestors (svadhā)—as a primary marker of Kali Yuga’s spiritual and social decline.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the human condition in Kali Yuga here?

Parāśara frames Kali as an age where dhārmic disciplines become scarce; when scriptural learning and yajña-linked duties fade, truly virtuous persons become “rare,” appearing only sporadically.

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

By highlighting the collapse of dharma in Kali, the Purana implicitly points to Vishnu as the sustaining sovereign of cosmic order—when human supports (study and sacrifice) fail, preservation ultimately rests in the Supreme (Vishnu) who upholds the yuga-cycle and restores balance.