Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 25
Vena’s Fall into Adharma and the Prelude to Pṛthu’s Birth
कलेश्चैव प्रवेशं तु वर्त्तयिष्यंति मानवाः । जैनधर्मं समाश्रित्य सर्वे पापप्रमोहिताः
kaleścaiva praveśaṃ tu varttayiṣyaṃti mānavāḥ | jainadharmaṃ samāśritya sarve pāpapramohitāḥ
اور کَلی یُگ کے داخلے کو انسان ہی آگے بڑھائیں گے؛ جَین دھرم کی پناہ لے کر سب کے سب پاپ کے فریب میں مبتلا ہو جائیں گے۔
Unspecified (context-dependent within Padma Purana dialogue frame)
Concept: Kali’s onset is marked by collective moral confusion and adoption of heterodox paths (as framed by this text), leading to sin-born delusion.
Application: Use discernment (viveka) in choosing teachers and practices; anchor ethics and devotion in tested scriptural sources and compassion rather than trend or polemic.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A prophetic sage points toward a horizon where the sun is eclipsed by a smoky veil labeled ‘Kali,’ while crowds drift toward austere, gray-toned shrines, their faces clouded by confusion. Above, unseen but implied, Viṣṇu’s cakra glimmers faintly, suggesting that the remedy lies beyond the gathering darkness.","primary_figures":["a prophetic ṛṣi","a king listening","symbolic personification of Kali (shadowy figure)","confused townspeople"],"setting":"edge of a city meeting a desolate plain; distant temples and broken yajña altars; a sky with ominous haze","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["ash gray","indigo night","dull copper","smoky violet","faint gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic prophecy scene with a sage and king in the foreground, heavy gold-leaf halo around the sage; in the background a darkened sun and a shadowy Kali figure; crowds moving toward stark, gray sanctums; ornate borders and gold embossing used to contrast dharma’s radiance against Kali’s gloom.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: panoramic landscape with a sage gesturing toward a darkening sky; small figures of townspeople walking in a line toward minimalist shrines; cool blues and grays with delicate detailing; a tiny, luminous Viṣṇu-cakra motif in the upper sky as a subtle counterpoint.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold, symbolic composition—Kali as a dark silhouette with red eyes at one side, sage and king at the other; strong black outlines, flat fields of red/yellow/green muted by gray washes; temple-wall iconographic clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central dark mandala representing Kali’s entry, surrounded by lotus borders that appear wilted; lower panel shows sage instructing king; peacocks rendered in subdued tones; a hidden śaṅkha-cakra pattern in the border foreshadowing Govinda’s protection."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["distant thunder","conch shell (faint)","wind over empty ground","low drum pulse"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कलेश्चैव = कलेः + च + एव; वर्त्तयिष्यंति = वर्त्तयिष्यन्ति (anusvāra spelling variant)
FAQs
It portrays the onset of Kali-yuga as being advanced by human actions and associates that decline with moral delusion (pāpa-pramoha).
Not from the verse alone. The speaker must be confirmed by the surrounding verses and the chapter’s dialogue frame in the Bhūmi-khaṇḍa.
The verse warns that when people collectively promote adharma and become morally confused, it accelerates societal and spiritual decline associated with Kali-yuga.