Shloka 6
कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना
चतुर्युगाण्य् अशेषाणि सदृशानि स्वरूपतः आद्यं कृतयुगं मुक्त्वा मैत्रेयान्त्यं तथा कलिम्
caturyugāṇy aśeṣāṇi sadṛśāni svarūpataḥ ādyaṃ kṛtayugaṃ muktvā maitreyāntyaṃ tathā kalim
All the cycles of the four yugas are alike in their essential nature. Yet, O Maitreya, setting aside the first, Kṛta-yuga, and the last, Kali-yuga, (the remaining two are to be understood as intermediate in character).
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Sameness of caturyuga cycles in essential form; distinction of the first (Kṛta) and last (Kali) as extremes
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: analytical
Creation Stage: Kalpa
Concept: Though yuga-cycles repeat with the same essential pattern, Kṛta and Kali function as moral extremes, with the intermediate yugas understood between them.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: In ‘Kali-like’ conditions, emphasize steadiness, truthfulness, and bhakti practices that do not depend on ideal social circumstances.
Vishishtadvaita: Moral gradations across time occur within the Lord’s real order; dharma is not abolished but adapts through sanctioned means (especially bhakti).
FAQs
This verse frames the four-yuga cycle as repeating with an essentially consistent structure, establishing a cosmic law of time that governs dharma’s rise and decline.
Parāśara signals that while all four-yuga cycles are fundamentally similar, special attention is given to the extremes—Kṛta as the first and Kali as the last—while the middle yugas are treated as intermediate states.
Even when not named in the verse, the yuga-order is understood in the Purana as upheld by Vishnu’s sovereignty over time and cosmic law, within which dharma is regulated across ages.