Shloka 23

Nārāyaṇa-Smaraṇa as the Supreme Dharma, Expiation, and Yogic Purifier

Devanagari script

कलौ कृत युगं तस्य कलिस्तस्य कृते युगे / हृदि नो यस्य गोविन्दो यस्य चेतसि नाच्युतः

Transliteration

kalau kṛta yugaṃ tasya kalistasya kṛte yuge / hṛdi no yasya govindo yasya cetasi nācyutaḥ

Translation

جس کے دل میں گووند کبھی غائب نہیں اور جس کے ذہن میں اچیوت سدا قائم ہے—اس کے لیے کلی یگ بھی کِرت یگ کے مانند ہو جاتا ہے؛ اس کے لیے کَلی ہی کِرت یگ ہے۔

Word by Word

• कलौ: in Kali (age)
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• कृतम्: made/considered
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP) √कृ, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• युगम्: age (yuga)
• युगम्: Karma/Predicate nominal
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• तस्य: for him/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• कलिः: Kali
• कलिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• तस्य: for him/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• कृते: in Kṛta (age)
• कृते: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; कृतयुगे इत्यर्थे (in Kṛta-yuga)

• युगे: in the yuga
• युगे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• हृदि: in the heart
• हृदि: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• उ: indeed
• उ: Emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/asservative particle)

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• गोविन्दः: Govinda
• गोविन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोविन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• चेतसि: in the mind
• चेतसि: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• अच्युतः: Achyuta (Vishnu)
• अच्युतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: For one whose heart holds Govinda and mind holds Acyuta, Kali becomes Kṛta-yuga; inner devotion determines lived yuga-quality.

Vedantic Theme: Consciousness shapes experience; bhakti stabilizes sattva and dharma even amid external decline; the Lord’s immanence (antaryāmitva) as refuge.

Application: Maintain Govinda/Acyuta remembrance to cultivate ‘Satya-yuga conduct’ in Kali: truthfulness, compassion, restraint, and steady worship despite social decay.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: yuga (temporal context)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: Kali-yuga remedy through Viṣṇu-nāma and bhakti; Garuda Purana: praise of constant remembrance as supreme protection

Characters & Entities

• Govinda
• Acyuta
• Kali Yuga
• Krita Yuga

FAQs

What is the importance of devotion (bhakti) in Kali Yuga in the Garuda Purana?

This verse teaches that steady remembrance of Govinda/Acyuta makes the harshness of Kali Yuga lose its power; inner devotion recreates the purity of Kṛta Yuga for the devotee.

How does this verse explain spiritual protection amid Kali Yuga’s decline?

It frames protection as interior: if the Lord is present in heart (hṛd) and mind (cetas), the devotee’s lived reality becomes like Satya Yuga—guided by clarity, restraint, and dharma.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain daily remembrance of Viṣṇu—japa, nāma-smaraṇa, and ethical living—so the mind stays anchored in Acyuta, reducing the influence of fear, distraction, and adharma.