Source
Texts:
The
Symptoms of Kali-yuga
Text
1
S'rî
S'uka said: 'And then, o King, will day after day under the
strong influence of the time [of Kali-yuga] the
religiousness, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance and mercy
as well as the duration of life, the strength and the memory
become ruined [see also 1.16].
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Then, O King, religion,
truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of
life, physical strength and memory will all diminish day by
day because of the powerful influence of the age of
Kali.
Text
2
In
the age of Kali will among men wealth alone be the sign of a
good birth, behavior and qualities and will might be the only
criterion in determining what would be just and
right.
In
Kali-yuga, wealth alone will be considered the sign of a
man's good birth, proper behavior and fine qualities. And
law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one's
power.
Text
3
Marital
relations will be based on superficial attraction, in business
will deceit be the norm, to be a man or woman will depend on
one's sexuality and a sacred thread [a 'diploma'] is
then enough to call someone learned.
Men
and women will live together merely because of superficial
attraction, and success in business will depend on deceit.
Womanliness and manliness will be judged according to one's
expertise in sex, and a man will be known as a
brâhmana just by his wearing a thread.
Text
4
An outer mark
will suffice to make out a person's spiritual status and it'll
also be enough reason for switching between positions; not
making so much money one looses credibility and being handy
with words is one [supposedly] of
scholarship.
A
person's spiritual position will be ascertained merely
according to external symbols, and on that same basis people
will change from one spiritual order to the next. A person's
propriety will be seriously questioned if he does not earn a
good living. And one who is very clever at juggling words
will be considered a learned scholar.
Text
5
Poverty
is simply held unholy and hypocrisy is held a virtue; a promise
is considered enough to be married [to have premarital
sex] and to take a bath [without any other morning
routine] is enough to appear for the day.
A
person will be judged unholy if he does not have money, and
hypocrisy will be accepted as virtue. Marriage will be
arranged simply by verbal agreement, and a person will think
he is fit to appear in public if he has merely taken a
bath.
Text
6
A reservoir of
water somewhere far away is considered a holy place, beauty
depends on one's coiffure, life's purpose is to fill one's
belly, audacity is considered truthfulness, being able to
maintain a family is one an expert and serving religiously one
does for a good name.
A
sacred place will be taken to consist of no more than a
reservoir of water located at a distance, and beauty will be
thought to depend on one's hairstyle. Filling the belly will
become the goal of life, and one who is audacious will be
accepted as truthful. He who can maintain a family will be
regarded as an expert man, and the principles of religion
will be observed only for the sake of reputation.
Text
7
With the globe
of the earth crowded by a populace corrupted this way, will
whoever among the intellectuals, the merchants or the ruling or
working class is the strongest, be the king of the
hill.
As
the earth thus becomes crowded with a corrupt population,
whoever among any of the social classes shows himself to be
the strongest will gain political power.
Text
8
The citizens,
with their wives and property stolen away by the merciless and
avaricious ruling class acting to the nature of ordinary
thieves, will flee to the mountains and the
forests.
Losing
their wives and properties to such avaricious and merciless
rulers, who will behave no better than ordinary thieves, the
citizens will flee to the mountains and forests.
Text
9
With the
consumption of vegetables, roots, meat, honey, fruits, flowers
and seeds will they, suffering draught, be ruined, tormented by
famine and taxes [see also 1.6:
20,
4.20:
14,
4.21:
24, B.G.
3:
14].
Harassed
by famine and excessive taxes, people will resort to eating
leaves, roots, flesh, wild honey, fruits, flowers and seeds.
Struck by drought, they will become completely
ruined.
Text
10
By
cold, wind, heat, rain and snow plagued as well as by hunger,
thirst and diseases, suffer they as a consequence great
distress and anxiety.
The
citizens will suffer greatly from cold, wind, heat, rain and
snow. They will be further tormented by quarrels, hunger,
thirst, disease and severe anxiety.
Text
11
The
maximum duration of life for human beings in Kali-yuga will be
fifty years.
The
maximum duration of life for human beings in Kali-yuga will
become fifty years.
Text
12-16
When the bodies
of all living entities by the contamination of Kali-yuga are in
decay; the dutifulness of the members of all
status-orientations is lost; with the vedic path there for all
men changed into an atheistic conception of duty; when the
kings predominantly act as thieves and men in their various
occupations in truth are all lying bandits of meaningless
slaughter; when the classes are predominantly
[profit-]labor-minded; the cows are no better than
goats; the hermitages are just like materialistic homes; family
ties extend no further than the bonds of marriage; when the
plants and herbs have reduced in size and all trees are like
s'amî-trees,
when there is always lightning in the clouds and the homes are
ruled by loneliness [voidism, impersonalism, see
pranâti];
when Kali-yuga is running at its end and the people have become
like asses, will the Supreme Lord descend in the mode of pure
goodness to protect the dharma.
By
the time the age of Kali ends, the bodies of all creatures
will be greatly reduced in size, and the religious
principles of followers of varnâs'rama will be ruined.
The path of the Vedas will be completely forgotten in human
society, and so-called religion will be mostly atheistic.
The kings will mostly be thieves, the occupations of men
will be stealing, lying and needless violence, and all the
social classes will be reduced to the lowest level of
s'ûdras. Cows will be like goats, spiritual hermitages
will be no different from mundane houses, and family ties
will extend no further than the immediate bonds of marriage.
Most plants and herbs will be tiny, and all trees will
appear like dwarf s'amî trees. Clouds will be full of
lightning, homes will be devoid of piety, and all human
beings will have become like asses. At that time, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear on the earth.
Acting with the power of pure spiritual goodness, He will
rescue eternal religion.
Text
17
The
spiritual master of all the moving and nonmoving beings, Lord
Vishnu, the Controller of All, will for the protection of the
religion and the saintly put an end to the fruitive activities
and the being born [repeatedly].
Lord
Vishnu-the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the spiritual
master of all moving and nonmoving living beings, and the
Supreme Soul of all-takes birth to protect the principles of
religion and to relieve His saintly devotees from the
reactions of material work.
Text
18
In
the village of S'ambhala will Lord Kalki appear in the home of
the great soul, the brahmin Vishnuyas'â ['the glory
of Vishnu'].
Lord
Kalki will appear in the home of the most eminent
brâhmana of S'ambhala village, the great soul
Vishnuyas'â.
Text
19-20
Mounting
His swift-riding horse Devadatta, will the Lord of the Universe
with His sword, transcendental qualities and endowed with the
eight mystic opulences [siddhis],
subdue the unholy. With His horse moving fast about the earth
will He, unrivaled in His splendor, slaughter the thieves
disguised in the grab of kings.
Lord
Kalki, the Lord of the universe, will mount His swift horse
Devadatta and, sword in hand, travel over the earth
exhibiting His eight mystic opulences and eight special
qualities of Godhead. Displaying His unequaled effulgence
and riding with great speed, He will kill by the millions
those thieves who have dared dress as kings.
Text
21
When
all the robbers have been killed, will the minds clear up of
all the city-people and country folk that were touched by the
breeze carrying the most sacred fragrance of the [with
sandalwood paste] decorated body of Lord
Vâsudeva.
After
all the impostor kings have been killed, the residents of
the cities and towns will feel the breezes carrying the most
sacred fragrance of the sandalwood paste and other
decorations of Lord Vâsudeva, and their minds will
thereby become transcendentally pure.
Text
22
When
Vâsudeva the Supreme Lord is situated in their hearts in
His transcendental form of goodness, will the culture of their
progeny flourish as never.
When
Lord Vâsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
appears in their hearts in His transcendental form of
goodness, the remaining citizens will abundantly repopulate
the earth.
Text
23
When
the Supreme Lord Kalki, the Lord and Master of Dharma,
incarnates, will Satya-yuga and the creation of progeny in the
mode of goodness begin [see yuga].
When
the Supreme Lord has appeared on earth as Kalki, the
maintainer of religion, Satya-yuga will begin, and human
society will bring forth progeny in the mode of
goodness.
Text
24
When
the moon and the sun to the lunar mansion of Tishyâ
[or Pushyâ, viz. Cancer 3° 20´ to 16°
40´ see zodiac]
simultaneously rise with Jupiter [Bhrihaspatî] in
the same constellation, will at that time Krita- or Sathya-yuga
begin.
When
the moon, the sun and Brihaspatî are together in the
constellation Karkatha, and all three enter simultaneously
into the lunar mansion Pushyâ-at that exact moment the
age of Satya, or Krita, will begin.
Text
25
Thus have I
briefly described all the kings of the past, the present and
the future who belong to the solar and lunar dynasties [zie
ook vams'a].
Thus
I have described all the kings - past, present and future -
who belong to the dynasties of the sun and the moon.
Text
26
Beginning
from the birth of your good self up until the coronation of
king Nanda [see 12.1:
12]
will eleven hundred and fifty years pass (*).
From
your birth up to the coronation of King Nanda, 1,150 years
will pass.
Text
27-28
When
the constellation of the seven sages (Ursa Major, the Great
Bear) rises are the first two of them (Pulaha and Kratu) seen
in the sky; in between them on the same line
[northwest] in the night sky is their [ruling]
lunar mansion seen. The sages [the stars] connected
remain with that lunar mansion for a hundred human years. Now,
in your time, are the twice-born situated in the nakshatra
called Maghâ.
Of
the seven stars forming the constellation of the seven
sages, Pulaha and Kratu are the first to rise in the night
sky. If a line running north and south were drawn through
their midpoint, whichever of the lunar mansions this line
passes through is said to be the ruling asterism of the
constellation for that time. The Seven Sages will remain
connected with that particular lunar mansion for one hundred
human years. Currently, during your lifetime, they are
situated in the nakshatra called Maghâ.
Text
29
With
Vishnu, the Supreme Lord, He, the sun known as Krishna having
returned to heaven, entered this world the age of Kali in which
people delight in sin.
The
Supreme Lord, Vishnu, is brilliant like the sun and is known
as Krishna. When He returned to the spiritual sky, Kali
entered this world, and people then began to take pleasure
in sinful activities.
Text
30
As
long as He, the Husband of Ramâ, remained touching
[her] with His lotus feet, wasn't Kali really able to
overtake the earth.
As
long us Lord S'rî Krishna, the husband of the goddess
of fortune, touched the earth with His lotus feet, Kali was
powerless to subdue this planet.
Text
31
The
time when the seven sages among the gods run in Maghâ is
when Kali-yuga begins and it lasts for twelve hundred
[godly] years [or 432.000 human years, see also
kâla]
.
When
the constellation of the seven sages is passing through the
lunar mansion Maghâ, the age of Kali begins. It
comprises twelve hundred years of the demigods.
Text
32
When the seven
sages from Maghâ pass to the lunar mansion of
Pûrvâsâdhâ, will at that time,
beginning with Nanda and his descendants, this age of Kali have
reached its full strength.
When
the great sages of the Saptarshi constellation pass from
Maghâ to Pûrvâsâdhâ, Kali will
have his full strength, beginning from King Nanda and his
dynasty.
Text
33
The experts of
the past say that the day that S'rî Krishna left for the
spiritual realm thus the age of Kali was
obtained.
Those
who scientifically understand the past declare that on the
very day that Lord S'rî Krishna departed for the
spiritual world, the influence of the age of Kali
began.
Text
34
At the end of
the thousand celestial years of the fourth [Kali-] age,
will Krita-yuga start again, the time when the minds of men are
self-luminous.
After
the one thousand celestial years of Kali-yuga, the
Satya-yuga will manifest again. At that time the minds of
all men will become self-effulgent.
Text
35
Thus has this
dynasty from [Vaivasvata]
Manu been enumerated as it descended on earth; the situations
age by age of the learned, the traders and the workers can be
known the same way.
Thus
I have described the royal dynasty of Manu, as it is known
on this earth. One can similarly study the history of the
vais'yas, s'ûdras and brâhmanas living in the
various ages.
Text
36
Of these
personalities, these great souls, one remembers just their
names; on this earth present by their glories are it only the
stories that remain of them.
These
personalities, who were great souls, are now known only by
their names. They exist only in accounts from the past, and
only their fame remains on the earth.
Text
37
Devâpi,
the brother of S'ântanu [9.22:
12-17] and
Maru [9.12:
5-6] born
in the Ikshvâku dynasty, both are living in Kalâpa,
endowed with great mystic power.
Devâpi,
the brother of Mahârâja S'ântanu, and
Maru, the descendant of Ikshvâku, both possess great
mystic strength and are living even now in the village of
Kalâpa.
Text
38
They will at
the end of Kali return to the human society and, instructed by
Vâsudeva, as previously promulgate the
varnâs'rama-dharma.
At
the end of the age of Kali, these two kings, having received
instruction directly from the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Vâsudeva, will return to human society and
reestablish the eternal religion of man, characterized by
the divisions of varna and âs'rama, just as it was
before.
Text
39
The four ages
of Krita, Tretâ, Dvâpara and Kali go on
[cycling] continuously in this sequential order among
the living beings in this world [see also
mahâyuga].
The
cycle of four ages-Satya, Tretâ, Dvâpara and
Kali-continues perpetually among living beings on this
earth, repeating the same general sequence of events.
Text
40
O King, these
kings, these gods among men, and others described by me, on
earth exerting their possessiveness, in the end giving up this
world all met destruction.
My
dear King Parîkshit, all these kings I have described,
as well as all other human beings, come to this earth and
stake their claims, but ultimately they all must give up
this world and meet their destruction.
Text
41
When, even
though of living beings being an enemy, that what goes by the
name of king, in the end is of worms, stool and ashes, then
what does he, being so for the sake of the body and thereof
suffering hell, know of his own best interest [compare
6.18:
35,
7.15:
37,
10.10:
10,
10.51:
50]?
Even
though a person's body may now have the designation "king,"
in the end its name will be "worms," "stool" or "ashes."
What can a person who injures other living beings for the
sake of his body know about his own self-interest, since his
activities are simply leading him to hell?
Text
42
[A king may
think:] 'How can this same undivided earth held by the
personalities of my predecessors and now under my sway, be of
my son, grandson or other descendant?'
[The
materialistic king thinks:] "This unbounded earth was
held by my predecessors and is now under my sovereignty. How
can I arrange for it to remain in the hands of my sons,
grandsons and other descendants?"
Text
43
Missing the
intelligence accepting with a sense of 'I' this body composed
of water, earth and fire and with a sense of 'mine' this earth,
must, [by the earthly ruler] reaching his own absence,
ultimately both be given up [see also 4.9:
34-35].
Although
the foolish accept the body made of earth, water and fire as
"me" and this earth as "mine," in every case they have
ultimately abandoned both their body and the earth and
passed away into oblivion.
Text
44
Whatever that
kings enjoy in the world with their power, has by the Time been
turned into mere accounts and histories [compare with
2.9:
33,
5.19:
28,
11.19:
16,
11.28:
21].
My
dear King Parîkshit, all these kings who tried to
enjoy the earth by their strength were reduced by the force
of time to nothing more than historical accounts.
*
From this statement can be derived, that the Candragupta that
after Nanda by Cânakya was put on the throne must have
been another Candragupta than the one who 1500 years later
supposedly defeated Alexander the Great in the fourth century
B.C. The paramparâ adds to the discrepancy of three
centuries further: 'Although S'ukadeva Gosvâmî
previously described approximately fifteen hundred years of
royal dynasties, it is understood that some overlapping
occurred between kings.'
