Shloka 11

कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना

Devanagari script

विवाहा न कलौ धर्म्या न शिष्यगुरुसंस्थितिः न दाम्पत्यक्रमो नैव वह्निदेवात्मकः क्रमः

Transliteration

vivāhā na kalau dharmyā na śiṣyagurusaṃsthitiḥ na dāmpatyakramo naiva vahnidevātmakaḥ kramaḥ

Translation

Dalam zaman Kali, perkahwinan tidak lagi berasaskan dharma; tertib yang benar antara murid dan guru juga tidak kekal. Disiplin suci kehidupan berumah tangga runtuh, dan tata upacara yajña dengan api—yang dahulu dianggap sebagai kehadiran para dewa—tidak lagi diikuti dalam bentuknya yang sejati.

Word by Word

विवाहाःmarriages

नnot

कलौin Kali age

धर्म्याःrighteous; lawful

नnor

शिष्यगुरुसंस्थितिःproper disciple–teacher relationship/establishment

नnor

दाम्पत्यक्रमःorder/propriety of married life

नnor

एवindeed; even

वह्निदेवात्मकःconsisting of the fire-deity (Agni)

क्रमःrite; procedure

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Further Kali-yuga symptoms: degradation of saṃskāras, education lineage, and household rites

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: grave and admonitory

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When saṃskāras and the guru–śiṣya discipline erode, household life and sacred fire rites lose their sanctifying power and dharma’s continuity breaks.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Choose teachers carefully, honor vows and commitments, and sustain daily worship/recitation as a ‘portable’ yajña when formal rites are not feasible.

Vishishtadvaita: Highlights the real efficacy of disciplined practice and lineage transmission within God’s order; their breakdown necessitates intensified reliance on devotion and prapatti as accessible means.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

Agni (Fire deity)

Guru

Śiṣya

FAQs

What is the significance of marriage (vivāha) in the Vishnu Purana’s description of Kali-yuga?

This verse treats vivāha as a dharmic institution (saṃskāra); its corruption is presented as a key marker of Kali-yuga, signaling social and spiritual disorder.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the decline of the guru–disciple tradition in this chapter?

Parāśara frames Kali-yuga as an age where established structures that transmit sacred knowledge—especially the guru–śiṣya relationship—lose stability, leading to weakened discipline and distorted teaching.

What is the theological importance of Agni (fire-rite) in this context?

Agni represents the divine conduit of Vedic order; saying the ‘fire-as-divine’ procedure will not be followed highlights a retreat from sacred alignment—yet the Purana’s broader stance implies that Vishnu remains the supreme governor even as dharma wanes by yuga-law.