Shloka 31

कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना

Devanagari script

दुःशीला दुष्टशीलेषु कुर्वन्त्यः सततं स्पृहाम् असद्वृत्ता भविष्यन्ति पुरुषेषु कुलाङ्गनाः

Transliteration

duḥśīlā duṣṭaśīleṣu kurvantyaḥ satataṃ spṛhām asadvṛttā bhaviṣyanti puruṣeṣu kulāṅganāḥ

Translation

ในกาลียุค สตรีจากตระกูลดีจะประพฤติชั่ว ใฝ่หาแต่บุรุษผู้มีนิสัยเสื่อมทรามอยู่เสมอ และละทิ้งความประพฤติชอบ จนตกสู่หนทางอันไม่ควรท่ามกลางบุรุษ

Word by Word

• दुः-शीला: ill-natured
• दुः-शीला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुः (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + शील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; नञ्/दुः-पूर्वपदक तत्पुरुष; विशेषणम्

• दुष्ट-शीलेषु: among the wicked-natured (men)
• दुष्ट-शीलेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; √दुष्-धातोः क्त) + शील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समूह/जन), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

• कुर्वन्त्यः: doing, showing
• कुर्वन्त्यः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सततम्: constantly
• सततम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• स्पृहाम्: desire, longing
• स्पृहाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्पृहा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• असद्-वृत्ताः: of bad conduct
• असद्-वृत्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असत् (प्रातिपदिक) + वृत्त (प्रातिपदिक; √वृत्-धातोः क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास; विशेषणम्

• भविष्यन्ति: will be
• भविष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• पुरुषेषु: among men
• पुरुषेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• कुल-अङ्गनाः: women of good families
• कुल-अङ्गनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्गना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कुलस्य अङ्गना)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Kali-yuga domestic and sexual ethics—erosion of kula-dharma and attraction to duṣṭa-śīla

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: warning

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Kali-yuga distorts desire (kāma) so that even those born into noble households abandon sadācāra and gravitate toward corrupt character, weakening kula-dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Guard sense-impulses, choose associations carefully (saṅga), and anchor relationships in shared dharma and devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: Ethical purity is not mere social convention but service to the Lord who is the inner support of all relations; right saṅga fosters bhakti.

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya

FAQs

What is the significance of Kali-yuga descriptions in the Vishnu Purana?

They function as moral diagnostics—showing how dharma weakens through distorted desires and conduct, prompting a return to steadiness through devotion to Vishnu and righteous living.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the decline of social virtue here?

He depicts a reversal of values: attraction shifts toward the wicked, and established norms of good conduct (sad-vṛtta) are abandoned, signaling Kali’s pervasive influence.

What is Lord Vishnu’s theological importance in this Kali-yuga context?

Even as dharma deteriorates, Vishnu remains the sovereign ground of order; Vaishnava teaching frames remembrance and devotion to Vishnu as the stabilizing refuge amid Kali’s disorder.