Shloka 32
अध्याय १९० — वामदेव-वाम्य-वृत्तान्तः
The Vāmadeva Horses Episode and the Ethics of Promise
श्वेत: कृतयुगे वर्ण: पीतस्त्रेतायुगे मम । रक्तो द्वापरमासाद्य कृष्ण: कलियुगे तथा,सत्ययुगमें मेरे शरीरका रंग श्वेत, त्रेतामें पीला, द्वापरमें लाल और कलियुगमें काला होता है
śvetaḥ kṛtayuge varṇaḥ pītastrētāyuge mama | rakto dvāparam āsādya kṛṣṇaḥ kaliyuge tathā ||
The Deity declares that His manifested form is marked by different hues in different world-ages: in the Kṛta (Satya) Yuga His complexion is white, in the Tretā Yuga it is yellow, on reaching the Dvāpara Yuga it becomes red, and in the Kali Yuga it is black. The statement frames divine embodiment as age-appropriate—an ethical reassurance that the Lord adapts His appearance and mode of presence to guide beings according to the needs and capacities of each era.
देव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the Divine adapts His manifested form to the conditions of each yuga, indicating a continuous, responsive guardianship of dharma across cosmic time rather than a one-time intervention.
A deity is speaking and explains a doctrinal point about the four yugas, describing how His visible complexion is said to differ in each age—white in Kṛta, yellow in Tretā, red in Dvāpara, and black in Kali.