Shloka 40
कलियुग-प्रवृत्तिः, सप्तर्षि-गणना, धरणीगीताः, च वंश-समाप्तिः
Kali-yuga onset, Saptarṣi reckoning, Dharaṇī-gītā, and closure of the dynastic account
कलौ तु बीजभूतास् ते केचित् तिष्ठन्ति भूतले यथैव देवापिमरू साम्प्रतं समवस्थितौ
kalau tu bījabhūtās te kecit tiṣṭhanti bhūtale yathaiva devāpimarū sāmprataṃ samavasthitau
కలియుగంలో వారిలో కొందరు బీజరూపాలుగా భూమిపై నిలిచి ఉంటారు, పునరుద్ధరణకు అవకాశాన్ని కాపాడుతూ; దేవాపి మరియు మరువు ఇప్పటికీ లోకంలో ఉన్నారని చెప్పినట్లే।
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Continuation and limits of royal lineages into Kali-yuga; how dynastic continuity persists.
Teaching: Historical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Even in Kali-yuga, dharma and lineage persist in latent ‘seed’ form, enabling future restoration and continuity.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Cultivate long-term spiritual resilience—preserve dharma through small but steady practices even in adverse times.
Vishishtadvaita: Providential order under Bhagavān sustains the world’s continuity through time, implying divine governance even when decline predominates.
Key Kings: Devāpi, Maru
FAQs
It indicates that even in Kali-yuga’s decline, a small remnant of righteous persons or lineages is preserved as the germ for future renewal of dharma and orderly kingship.
He teaches Maitreya that degeneration is not absolute: certain exemplars remain on earth, functioning as living continuity—Devāpi and Maru are cited as present instances of this preservation.
The verse implies a cosmos governed by Vishnu’s sovereign order, where even in decline the conditions for restoration are maintained—history moves in cycles, yet remains under the Supreme Reality’s sustaining power.