Shloka 47
कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना
यदा यदा न यज्ञानाम् ईश्वरः पुरुषोत्तमः इज्यते पुरुषैर् यज्ञैस् तदा ज्ञेयं कलेर् बलम्
yadā yadā na yajñānām īśvaraḥ puruṣottamaḥ ijyate puruṣair yajñais tadā jñeyaṃ kaler balam
Setiap kali Puruṣottama, Tuhan segala yajña, tidak lagi disembah oleh manusia melalui upacara yajña, maka ketahuilah: itulah kekuatan Kali yang sedang meningkat.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
FAQs
In this verse, Kali’s power is recognized by a concrete symptom: people cease to worship the Supreme Lord of yajña through rightful sacrificial observances, signaling dharma’s decline.
Parāśara points to practice-based markers—when devotion and Vedic duty (here, yajña offered to the Lord) diminish in society, it indicates the yuga’s downward turn, especially the dominance of Kali.
Vishnu is presented as Puruṣottama and the Lord of all sacrifices, implying that yajña is ultimately meant for Him; when He is not honored, cosmic and moral order weakens—an explicitly Vaishnava framing of yuga-dharma.