Shloka 44
Kali-yuga’s Degradation, the Advent of Kalki, and the Reset of the Yuga Cycle
ये ये भूपतयो राजन् भुञ्जते भुवमोजसा । कालेन ते कृता: सर्वे कथामात्रा: कथासु च ॥ ४४ ॥
ye ye bhū-patayo rājan bhuñjate bhuvam ojasā kālena te kṛtāḥ sarve kathā-mātrāḥ kathāsu ca
Wahai Raja Parīkṣit, semua raja yang cuba menikmati bumi dengan kekuatan mereka akhirnya dihancurkan oleh kuasa waktu; dalam kisah-kisah mereka tinggal sebagai cerita semata-mata.
The word rājan, “O King,” is significant in this verse. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was preparing to give up his body and go back home, back to Godhead, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī, his most merciful spiritual master, devastated any possible attachment that he might have to the position of king by showing the ultimate insignificance of such a position. By the causeless mercy of the spiritual master one is prepared to go back home, back to Godhead. The spiritual master teaches one to relax one’s strong grip on material illusion and leave the kingdom of māyā behind. Although Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks very bluntly within this chapter about the so-called glory of the material world, he is exhibiting the causeless mercy of the spiritual master, who takes his surrendered disciple back to the kingdom of Godhead, Vaikuṇṭha.
FAQs
This verse says that even mighty rulers who control the earth by strength are eventually made by time into mere stories—names spoken in narration—showing the fleeting nature of worldly dominance.
Śukadeva instructs Parīkṣit—who is preparing for death—to cultivate detachment by seeing that time overcomes all political power, making devotion to the eternal Lord the true refuge.
Remember that status, influence, and achievements fade with time; use your limited lifetime to prioritize dharma, humility, and bhakti—investing in what remains spiritually meaningful beyond changing circumstances.