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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

เมื่อใดก็ตามที่ปุรุโษตตมะ ผู้เป็นเจ้าแห่งยัญทั้งปวง มิได้รับการบูชาจากผู้คนด้วยพิธียัญ เมื่อนั้นพึงรู้ว่าเป็นกำลังอำนาจของกาลียุคที่กำลังเพิ่มขึ้น

यदाwhen
यदा:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयदा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; कालवाचक (relative temporal adverb)
यदाwhenever
यदा:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयदा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (emphatic repetition)
not
:
Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)
यज्ञानाम्of sacrifices
यज्ञानाम्:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
TypeNoun
Rootयज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन
ईश्वरःthe Lord
ईश्वरः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन
पुरुषोत्तमःthe Supreme Person
पुरुषोत्तमः:
Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootपुरुष + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (पुरुषेषु उत्तमः)
इज्यतेis worshipped
इज्यते:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootयज् (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)
पुरुषैःby men
पुरुषैः:
Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootपुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन
यज्ञैःwith sacrifices
यज्ञैः:
Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootयज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन
तदाthen
तदा:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतदा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; तदर्थक कालवाचक (correlative temporal adverb)
ज्ञेयम्is to be known
ज्ञेयम्:
Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootज्ञा (धातु) + य (कृत्) (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कृत्य (gerundive: 'to be known/recognized')
कलेःof Kali
कलेः:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
TypeNoun
Rootकलि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन
बलम्strength, power
बलम्:
Karma (Predicate complement/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootबल (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

V
Vishnu
Y
Yajña (sacrifice)

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.