Sanskrit Prakrit Jain Vyakaran aur Kosh ki Parampara

Author(s): Chandanmalmuni, Nathmalmuni, Others
Publisher: Kalugani Janma Shatabdi Samaroha Samiti Chapar

Page 568

७६ संस्कृत-प्राकृत व्याकरण और कोश की परम्परा
mary ones somehow linger in the fact that all the four parts of justice are employed by the king to causes the Kita age, three to cause the Tretă and two to cause the Dyāpara To Kalı not even the one part of justice, wbich would have been its due on the basis of analogy, is vouchsafed This theme is repeated at many places in the Shantı Parva 17
The Dharmayısa, as described in the Mahābhārata at several places in course of delineating the nature of the ages (Yugadhai ma), stands on all four legs in Kyta age He loses one leg as he proceeds to subsequent ages, having three in Tretū two in Dvāpara and only one in Kalı 18 This bull allegory is found in the Manusmặti also Besides, the Manusmiti further adds that in the Kịta age human life span was 400 years It diminished by one fourth in subsequent ages and thus came to 300 years in Tretā 200 years in Dvāpara and 100 years in Kalı All these facts evince the primary association of these words with the numbers 4. 3. 2 and 1 as in the game of dice and also suggest the process of semantic transition from the context of the game of dice to that of the reckoning of time
In the Nala episode the two meanings of the word Kalı, the one related with the game of dice and the other with the age of this name, move side by side The personified Kalı brings defeat to Nala in the game of dice So he can be taken as the Kalı of the game Nevertheless he has all the evil intentions of the Kalı age Kalı and Dvāpara, going to participate in Damayanti's Svayamvara were informed by the deities of the quarters that Nala had already won her hand Infuriated at this they conspired to ruin Nala Kalı entreated Dräpara to assist him by entering into the dice and he himself possessed Nala. Further he encouraged Puskara to play at the game of dice with Nala and assisted him in completely routing the latter Later when Nala learnt the mystery of the dice from Rtuparna he could get rid of Kali The episode is concluded with the remark that the tab of Nala annihilated all the evils of the Kalı (age)
In the encounter of king Parīksita with Kalı as described in the Bhagavata the two meanings of Kalı are combined The king saw Kali in the form of a Sūdra's kingship tormenting a cow