FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.85.30

कालविध्वस्तसत्त्वानां राज्ञामुच्छास्‍त्रवर्तिनाम् । भूमेर्भारायमाणानामवतीर्णौ किलाद्य मे ॥ ३० ॥
kala-vidhvasta-sattvānāṁ
[kala-vidhvasta-sattvaanaam]
rājñām ucchāstra-vartinām
[raajnaam uchchaastra-vartinaam]
bhūmer bhārāyamāṇānām
[bhoomer bhaaraayamaanaanaam]
avatīrṇau kilādya me
[avateernau kilaadya me]
Word-for-word
kāla — by time vidhvasta — destroyed sattvānām — whose good qualities rājñām — for (killing) the kings ut - śāstra — outside the scope of scriptural rules vartinām — who act bhūmeḥ — for the earth bhārāyamāṇānām — becoming a burden avatīrṇau — (both of You) descended kila — indeed adya — now me — to me .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kala-vidhvasta-sattvānāṁ
kāla
by time
vidhvasta
destroyed
sattvānām
whose good qualities
rājñām ucchāstra-vartinām
rājñām
for (killing) the kings
ut - śāstra
outside the scope of scriptural rules
vartinām
who act
bhūmer bhārāyamāṇānām
bhūmeḥ
for the earth
bhārāyamāṇānām
becoming a burden
avatīrṇau kilādya me
avatīrṇau
(both of You) descended
kila
indeed
adya
now
me
to me .
Important Words
  • kāla-vidhvasta-sattvānām — of those whose goodness has been destroyed by time
    Compound: kāla (time) + vidhvasta (destroyed) + sattva (goodness). A precise diagnosis: time is the agent of sattva-erosion. The avatāra responds not to the start of evil but to the wearing-down of good.
  • ut-śāstra-vartinām — of those who act against scripture
    Compound: ud (against) + śāstra + vartin (acting). The Bhāgavata standard for adharma: not raw cruelty but anti-śāstric behavior. The rulers who violate śāstra become the burden Bhagavān removes.
  • bhārāyamāṇānām — of those who are a burden
    Present participle of denominative bhārāyamāṇa, 'becoming a burden'. Earth herself groans (SB 10.1) — the avatāra is her relief.
  • avatīrṇau — have descended
    Dual past participle of ava + √tṝ. Same word Vasudeva used in verse 18. Now Devakī picks it up — both parents speak in avatāra-vocabulary about their own children.
Taking birth from me, You have now descended to this world in order to kill those kings whose good qualities have been destroyed by the present age, and who thus defy the authority of revealed scriptures and burden the earth.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Taking birth from me, You have now descended to this world in order to kill those kings whose good qualities have been destroyed by the present age, and who thus defy the authority of revealed scriptures and burden the earth.
Commentary

You two appeared in my womb (me) for destroying the kings whose sattva guna or good qualities have been destroyed by the influence of time (kala vidhvasta sattvanam).

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

The kings have had all their sattva-guṇa destroyed and therefore have transgressed scripture. Thus they create a burden for the earth. Because of this, you two have appeared from me at the end of Dvāpara yuga (adya).

Related values & verses
Related values
Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomAbhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Hrih (Modesty / Sense of Shame)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)
Related verses
BG 2.60 YS 2.32BG 5.7 BG 12.5 BG 5.4 BG 16.2 BG 6.1 BG 10.4 BG 3.27 BG 3.11 BG 18.1 BG 7.8
Personal Guidance
You came to kill kings whose 'good qualities' had eroded into mere shows. Religion without substance is more dangerous than open evil; the Lord descends precisely to cut the hypocrisy.
Reflection Questions
  • Where has my 'good quality' become a performance rather than a substance?
  • What in my spiritual life has become a costume that needs Kṛṣṇa's pruning?
Analogy

When the soil grows so heavy with thorny weed that no crop can rise, the gardener Himself takes a body and walks the field. Kāla-vidhvasta-sattva names the moment: the rulers' goodness has been worn down by time, and the burden has finally summoned the Lord.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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