Source
Texts:
The
Bhûmi-gîtâ
Text
1
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Seeing the kings busily engaged in conquering her,
laughed the earth and said: 'Ah, how these kings, these
playthings of death, wish to conquer me!
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Seeing the kings of this earth
busy trying to conquer her, the earth herself laughed. She
said: "Just see how these kings, who are actually playthings
in the hands of death, are desiring to conquer me.
Text
2
This
lust of the rulers of men and even the wise is doomed to fail
with those kings putting their faith in this lump [of
matter, the body] that compares to bubbles [of foam on
water].
"Great
rulers of men, even those who are learned, meet frustration
and failure because of material lust. Driven by lust, these
kings place great hope and faith in the dead lump of flesh
called the body, even though the material frame is as
fleeting as bubbles of foam on water.
Text
3-4
'First of all
conquering the division of six [the senses and the
mind], we will conquer the leading ministers, then the
advisors and then rid ourselves of the thorns [or the
thugs], the citizens, the friends and the elephant keepers.
This way will we, step by step conquer the earth and her girdle
of seas.' Thinking thus bound by the hopes in their heart, they
do not see their own finality [compare B.G
16:
13-18].
"Kings
and politicians imagine: 'First I will conquer my senses and
mind; then I will subdue my chief ministers and rid myself
of the thorn-pricks of my advisors, citizens, friends and
relatives, as well as the keepers of my elephants. In this
way I will gradually conquer the entire earth.' Because the
hearts of these leaders are bound by great expectations,
they fail to see death waiting nearby.
Text
5
After having
conquered the lands at the sea they by their strength enter the
seas; what is the value of this victory of self-control?
Spiritual liberation is the [actual] fruit of
self-control!'
"After
conquering all the land on my surface, these proud kings
forcibly enter the ocean to conquer the sea itself. What is
the use of their self-control, which is aimed at political
exploitation? The actual goal of self-control is spiritual
liberation."
Text
6
O son of the
Kurus [she said:] 'Unintelligently they in that
struggle try to conquer me [for their eternal 'fame']
while the Manus and their sons as well, all had to give it up,
leaving the way they came [viz.
helplessly].
O
best of the Kurus, the earth continued as follows: "Although
in the past great men and their descendants have left me,
departing from this world in the same helpless way they came
into it, even today foolish men are trying to conquer
me.
Text
7
For my sake so
arises conflict among materialistic persons, among fathers and
sons and brothers as well, who in their hearts are bound up
politically to possess the power.
"For
the sake of conquering me, materialistic persons fight one
another. Fathers oppose their sons, and brothers fight one
another, because their hearts are bound to possessing
political power.
Text
8
'This sure is
my land and not yours, you fool', thus speaking do the rulers
of man quarreling with each other kill and get killed for my
sake [compare e.g. 2.5:
13,
2.7:
42,
4.29:
5,
5.5:
8,
6.16:
41 ;
7.8:
7-10;
9.4:
2-12]
"Political
leaders challenge one another: 'All this land is mine! It's
not yours, you fool!' Thus they attack one another and
die.
Text
9-13
Prithu,
Purûravâ,
Gâdhi,
Nahusha,
Bharata,
Kârtavîryârjuna,
Mândhâtâ,
Sagara,
Râma
[*],
Khathvânga,
Dhundhuhâ [or] Kuvalayâs'va
[9.6:
23-24],
Raghu [9.10:
1],
Trinabindu [9.2:
30],
Yayâti,
S'aryâti [9.3:
1],
S'antanu [9.22:
12-13],
Gaya [5.15:
6-13],
Bhagîratha [9.9:
2-17],
Kakutstha [9.6:
12],
Naishadha [Nala, 9.9:
16-17,
9.23:
20-21, from
the descendants of Nishadha, 9.12:
1], Nriga
[Nâbhâga, 10.64:
10],
Hiranyakas'ipu,
Vritra,
Râvana,
who made the whole world lament, Namuci
[8.11:
29-49],
S'ambara [10.36:
36],
Bhauma,
Hiranyâksha
and Târaka [8.10:
19-24], as
well as many other demons and kings of great control over
others, were each and everyone heroes known with everything who
unconquerable conquered all. Living for me, o Mighty One, they
expressed great possessiveness and have, by the force of Time
subjected to death, not [as permanently or fully as the
Lord] accomplishing their goals, turned into mere
historical accounts [while He is still practiced
religiously, see also B.G. 4:
7].'
"Such
kings as Prithu, Purûravâ, Gâdhi, Nahusha,
Bharata, Kârtavîrya Arjuna,
Mândhâtâ, Sagara, Râma,
Khathvânga, Dhundhuhâ, Raghu, Trinabindu,
Yayâti, S'aryâti, S'antanu, Gaya,
Bhagîratha, Kuvalayâs'va, Kakutstha, Naishadha,
Nriga, Hiranyakas'ipu, Vritra, Râvana, who made the
whole world lament, Namuci, S'ambara, Bhauma,
Hiranyâksha and Târaka, as well as many other
demons and kings who possessed great powers of control over
others, were all full of knowledge, heroic, all-conquering
and unconquerable. Nevertheless, O almighty Lord, although
they lived their lives intensely trying to possess me, these
kings were subject to the passage of time, which reduced
them all to mere historical accounts. None of them could
permanently establish their rule."
Text
14
[S'uka
continued:] These narrations related to you of great kings
who spread their fame in all worlds and then departed, do not
express the highest purpose; they, o mighty one, are but a
wealth of words [a backdrop] to dilate on the
renunciation and wisdom [of God].
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: O mighty Parîkshit, I have
related to you the narrations of all these great kings, who
spread their fame throughout the world and then departed. My
real purpose was to teach transcendental knowledge and
renunciation. Stories of kings lend power and opulence to
these narrations but do not in themselves constitute the
ultimate aspect of knowledge.
Text
15
It
is still the always recounting and singing the qualities of the
Lord Praised in the Verses that destroys everything
inauspicious; he who desires untainted devotional service unto
Lord Krishna should indeed more and more regular be of that
hearing.'
The
person who desires pure devotional service to Lord Krishna
should hear the narrations of Lord Uttamahs'loka's glorious
qualities, the constant chanting of which destroys
everything inauspicious. The devotee should engage in such
listening in regular daily assemblies and should also
continue his hearing throughout the day.
Text
16
The
honorable king [Parîkchit] said: 'By what means,
my Lord, do the people living in Kali-yuga eradicate the faults
accumulated of the time, please explain that as-it-is to
me.
King
Parîkshit said: My lord, how can persons living in the
age of Kali rid themselves of the cumulative contamination
of this age? O great sages please explain this to me.
Text
17
[Explain
to me] the yugas, the duties prescribed for them, and the
time they last and find their end, the Time that represents the
movement of the Controller, of Lord Vishnu the Supreme Soul
[see also timequotes
page]'.
Please
explain the different ages of universal history, the special
qualities of each age, the duration of cosmic maintenance
and destruction, and the movement of time, which is the
direct representation of the SupremeSoul, the Personality of
Godhead, Lord Vishnu.
Text
18
S'rî
S'uka said: 'In Krita-yuga is by the people of the time the
religion maintained with all its four legs of truth
[satya], compassion [dayâ], penance
[tapas] and charity [dâna, or also s'auca,
purification [**],
compare 1.17:
24,
3.11:
21
and see niyama].
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: My dear King, in the beginning,
during Satya-yuga, the age of truth, religion is present
with all four of its legs intact and is carefully maintained
by the people of that age. These four legs of powerful
religion are truthfulness, mercy, austerity and
charity.
Text
19
The
[hamsa-]people
[then] are content, merciful, friendly, peaceful,
self-controlled, tolerant, satisfied within, equal-minded and
mostly ascetic [see
also 3.13:
35
and 11.17:
10].
The
people of Satya-yuga are for the most part self-satisfied,
merciful, friendly to all, peaceful, sober and tolerant.
They take their pleasure from within, see all things equally
and always endeavor diligently for spiritual
perfection.
Text
20
In
Tretâ-yuga is one fourth of [each of] the legs of
dharma gradually lost by the irreligious counterparts: the
falsehood, violence, dissatisfaction and quarrel [compare
1.17:
25].
In
Tretâ-yuga each leg of religion is gradually reduced
by one quarter by the influence of the four pillars of
irreligion-lying, violence, dissatisfaction and
quarrel.
Text
21
Then
devoted to rituals, penances, no excess of violence nor wanton
desire and the three ways [of regulating the religion, the
economy and the sense gratification], are the four classes,
prospering of the three Vedas, predominantly brahminical, o
King.
In
the Tretâ age people are devoted to ritual
performances and severe austerities. They are not
excessively violent or very lusty after sensual pleasure.
Their interest lies primarily in religiosity, economic
development and regulated sense gratification, and they
achieve prosperity by following the prescriptions of the
three Vedas. Although in this age society evolves into four
separate classes, O King, most people are
brâhmanas.
Text
22
The austerity,
compassion, truth and charity of dharma are in
Dvâpara-yuga reduced to one half because of the adharma
qualities of violence, discontent, lies and
hatred.
In
Dvâpara-yuga the religious qualities of austerity,
truth, mercy and charity are reduced to one half by their
irreligious counterparts-dissatisfaction, untruth, violence
and enmity.
Text
23
One
is [in that age] of moral fiber, eager for glory,
absorbed in vedic study and opulent with large families and
joyful, with the four classes for the greater part being of
brahminical nobility.
In
the Dvâpara age people are interested in glory and are
very noble. They devote themselves to the study of the
Vedas, possess great opulence, support large families and
enjoy life with vigor. Of the four classes, the kshatriyas
and brâhmanas are most numerous.
Text
24
Then
in Kali-yuga are because of the increase of adharmic principles
the legs of religiousness decreasing to one fourth [of
their strength, compare 1.17:
25]
and will in the end also that one fourth be
destroyed.
In
the age of Kali only one fourth of the religious principles
remains. That last remnant will continuously be decreased by
the ever-increasing principles of irreligion and will
finally be destroyed.
Text
25
In that will
the people be greedy, ill-mannered, lacking in compassion,
prone to useless quarrel [politicizing], unfortunate,
obsessed with material desires and predominantly be enslaved to
labor.
In
the Kali age people tend to be greedy, ill-behaved and
merciless, and they fight one another without good reason.
Unfortunate and obsessed with material desires, the people
of Kali-yuga are almost all s'ûdras and
barbarians.
Text
26
Impelled
by the power of time indeed are within a person's mind thus
[the gunas of] goodness, passion and ignorance observed
in their being mixed [***].
The
material modes-goodness, passion and ignorance-whose
permutations are observed within a person's mind, are set
into motion by the power of time.
Text
27
When
the mind, the intelligence and the senses are predominantly
manifest in the mode of goodness, should that time of taking
pleasure in knowledge and austerity be understood as the time
of Krita.
When
the mind, intelligence and senses are solidly fixed in the
mode of goodness, that time should be understood as
Satya-yuga, the age of truth. People then take pleasure in
knowledge and austerity.
Text
28
O
intelligent one, when the conditioned souls in their duties are
of ulterior motives and
devoted in service
strive for honor, should you understand that predominance of
passion as the time of Tretâ.
O
most intelligent one, when the conditioned souls are devoted
to their duties but have ulterior motives and seek personal
prestige, you should understand such a situation to be the
age of Tretâ, in which the functions of passion are
prominent.
Text
29
When
greed and dissatisfaction, false pride, envy and hypocrisy are
evident and selfhood dominates the actions is that
[predominance of] passion and ignorance the time of
Dvâpara.
When
greed, dissatisfaction, false pride, hypocrisy and envy
become prominent, along with attraction for selfish
activities, such a time is the age of Dvâpara,
dominated by the mixed modes of passion and
ignorance.
Text
30
When
there in the mode of ignorance is deceit, false testimony,
sloth and drowsiness, violence, depression, lamentation and
delusion, fear and poverty is that time remembered as
Kali.
When
there is a predominance of cheating, lying, sloth,
sleepiness, violence, depression, lamentation, bewilderment,
fear and poverty, that age is Kali, the age of the mode of
ignorance.
Text
31
As
a consequence will the mortals be shortsighted, unfortunate,
eating too much, lusty, lacking in wealth and will the women
acting on their own accord be unchaste.
Because
of the bad qualities of the age of Kali, human beings will
become shortsighted, unfortunate, gluttonous, lustful and
poverty-stricken. The women, becoming unchaste, will freely
wander from one man to the next.
Text
32
The populated
areas will be dominated by impious people [or thieves],
the vedic scriptures will be slighted by false doctrines
[heretics], the political leaders will devour the
people and the twiceborn ones will be dedicated to their
bellies and genitals.
Cities
will be dominated by thieves, the Vedas will be contaminated
by speculative interpretations of atheists, political
leaders will virtually consume the citizens, and the
so-called priests and intellectuals will be devotees of
their bellies and genitals.
Text
33
The youngsters
[students] will be strange to vows and be unclean, the
householders [advertising themselves] will tend to be
beggars, the withdrawn ones [the middle-aged with no nature
left to retreat in] will be city-dwellers and the renounced
order will be eager in financial matters [in
'reli-business'].
The
brahmacârîs will fail to execute their vows and
become generally unclean, the householders will become
beggars, the vânaprasthas will live in the villages,
and the sannyâsîs will become greedy for
wealth.
Text
34
Short statured
and voracious having many children [will the women]
loose their timidity and constantly speaking harshly with great
audacity deceitfully be like thieves.
Women
will become much smaller in size, and they will eat too
much, have more children than they can properly take care
of, and lose all shyness. They will always speak harshly and
will exhibit qualities of thievery, deceit and unrestrained
audacity.
Text
35
The merchants
will, for no reason full of cheating, in their business
dealings be truly miserly and the people will consider a
degraded occupation [like e.g. in the sex-industry] a
good job.
Businessmen
will engage in petty commerce and earn their money by
cheating. Even when there is no emergency, people will
consider any degraded occupation quite acceptable.
Text
36
Servants will
abandon a master lacking in property even if he is of the best
of all, masters will abandon a handicapped servant even when he
belonged to the family for generations and cows will be
[killed] when they have stopped giving
milk.
Servants
will abandon a master who has lost his wealth, even if that
master is a saintly person of exemplary character. Masters
will abandon an incapacitated servant, even if that servant
has been in the family for generations. Cows will be
abandoned or killed when they stop giving milk.
Text
37
In Kali-yuga
will men controlled by women be wretched, and, giving up on
their immediate relatives, friends, brothers and fathers, in a
sexual conception of friendship on a regular basis associate
with the sisters and brothers of their wives.
In
Kali-yuga men will be wretched and controlled by women. They
will reject their fathers, brothers, other relatives and
friends and will instead associate with the sisters and
brothers of their wives. Thus their conception of friendship
will be based exclusively on sexual ties.
Text
38
Laborminded
people will for their living, appearing as renunciates, acquire
funds religiously and climbing a high seat speak about the
religious principles without any sense of duty in the knowledge
[of sacrificing, or false preachers...].
Uncultured
men will accept charity on behalf of the Lord and will earn
their livelihood by making a show of austerity and wearing a
mendicant's dress. Those who know nothing about religion
will mount a high seat and presume to speak on religious
principles.
Text
39-40
With their
minds constantly upset, troubled by taxes and famine in times
of scarcity with droughts on the surface of the earth, will
they anxiously live in fear. Lacking in clothing, food, drink,
rest, change, bathing and personal ornaments will the people in
Kali-yuga appear just like ghostly creatures.
In
the age of Kali, people's minds will always be agitated.
They will become emaciated by famine and taxation, my dear
King, and will always be disturbed by fear of drought. They
will lack adequate clothing, food and drink, will be unable
to properly rest, have sex or bathe themselves, and will
have no ornaments to decorate their bodies. In fact, the
people of Kali-yuga will gradually come to appear like
ghostly, haunted creatures.
Text
41
In the age of
Kali will one even for a small coin develop enmity
[5.14
and 5.14:
26]
abandoning friendly relations and even killing one's own
relatives and oneself.
In
Kali-yuga men will develop hatred for each other even over a
few coins. Giving up all friendly relations, they will be
ready to lose their own lives and kill even their own
relatives.
Text
42
Not even born
of a proper family will men protect the elderly, the parents,
the wife and the children; simply in support of the petty
interest of their own bellies and genitals.
Men
will no longer protect their elderly parents, their children
or their respectable wives. Thoroughly degraded, they will
care only to satisfy their own bellies and genitals.
Text
43
O King, in
Kali-yuga will the mortals mostly atheistically offer in
sacrifice with their intelligence being diverted from The
Infallible One, the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is the
Supreme Spiritual Master of the three worlds to whose feet the
various masters do bow.
O
King, in the age of Kali people's intelligence will be
diverted by atheism, and they will almost never offer
sacrifice to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the
supreme spiritual master of the universe. Although the great
personalities who control the three worlds all bow down to
the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, the petty and miserable
human beings of this age will not do so.
Text
44
In Kali-yuga
are the people not of worship for Him unto whom a person dying,
in distress collapsing with a faltering voice helplessly
chanting His name, is freed from the chains of karma and
achieves the topmost destination [see also B.G.
8:
10 and
6.2].
Terrified,
about to die, a man collapses on his bed. Although his voice
is faltering and he is hardly conscious of what he is
saying, if he utters the holy name of the Supreme Lord he
can be freed from the reaction of his fruitive work and
achieve the supreme destination. But still people in the age
of Kali will not worship the Supreme Lord.
Text
45
The things, the
place and the individual nature of men are as a result of
Kali-yuga all faulty, but Bhagavân, the Supreme
Personality installed in the heart takes it all
away.
In
the Kali-yuga, objects, places and even individual
personalities are all polluted. The almighty Personality of
Godhead, however, can remove all such contamination from the
life of one who fixes the Lord within his mind.
Text
46
Of the human
beings who but even heard, glorified, meditated, worshiped or
venerated the Supreme Lord, is the inauspicious in their hearts
of a thousand births cleansed away.
If
a person hears about, glorifies, meditates upon, worships or
simply offers great respect to the Supreme Lord, who is
situated within the heart, the Lord will remove from his
mind the contamination accumulated during many thousands of
lifetimes.
Text
47
Just as the
discoloration found in gold due to other metals is undone by
fire are the same way the impurities of mind of the yogîs
undone by Lord Vishnu entering [stepping forward in]
the soul.
Just
as fire applied to gold removes any discoloration caused by
traces of other metals, Lord Vishnu within the heart
purifies the minds of the yogîs.
Text
48
Knowledge
['demigod worship'], penance, halting the breath,
friendship, bathing in holy waters, vows, charity and doing the
rosary gives not such a complete purification of mind as one
can achieve with Him, the Unlimited Personality of Godhead,
present in the heart.
By
one's engaging in the processes of demigod worship,
austerities, breath control, compassion, bathing in holy
places, strict vows, charity and chanting of various
mantras, one's mind cannot attain the same absolute
purification as that achieved when the unlimited Personality
of Godhead appears within one's heart.
Text
49
Therefore with
all your being o King, fix Lord Kes'ava within your heart; upon
dying [here after this week] will you thus concentrated
go to the highest destination.
Therefore,
O King, endeavor with all your might to fix the Supreme Lord
Kes'ava within your heart. Maintain this concentration upon
the Lord, and at the time of death you will certainly attain
the supreme destination.
Text
50
The Supreme
Lord meditated upon by those who are dying is the Supreme
Controller, the Soul and Shelter of All who leads them to their
own true identity, my dearest.
My
dear King, the Personality of Godhead is the ultimate
controller. He is the Supreme Soul and the supreme shelter
of all beings. When meditated upon by those about to die, He
reveals to them their own eternal spiritual identity.
Text
51
In the ocean of
faults that is Kali-yuga, there is luckily one great good
quality: just by chanting about Krishna [see
bhajans]
can one, liberated from the material bondage, go to the kingdom
of heaven [see also bhâgavata
dharma and
kîrtana].
My
dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there
is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting
the Hare Krishna mahâ-mantra, one can become free from
material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental
kingdom.
Text
52
The same result
in Satya-yuga achieved by meditating on Vishnu, in
Tretâ-yuga by worshiping with sacrifices and in
Dvâpara-yuga by serving the lotus feet [of Him as a
King], is in Kali-yuga achieved by singing about the Lord
[see also 11.5:
38-40].
Whatever
result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Vishnu,
in Tretâ-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in
Dvâpara-yuga by serving the Lord's lotus feet can be
obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Krishna
mahâ-mantra.
*
According to S'rîla S'rîdhara Svâmî,
and as confirmed by S'rîla Vis'vanâtha
Cakravartî Thhâkura, is the king Râma
mentioned here not the incarnation of Godhead Râmacandra.
This is corroborated by the M.W. dictionary mentioning the
demigod Varuna, writers, teachers and other great personalities
with that name. Probably is Bhârgava also known as
Us'anâ meant who most powerful formed a dynasty
descending from the sages Bhrigu and Mârkandeya [see:
9.16:
32
and 4.1:
45].
**
In the M.W. dictionary three meanings are given to the word
dâna: 1: donating, giving gifts 2. sharing or
communicating and 3. purification. The last meaning confirms
the use of the term s'auca in the First Canto of
S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam as the fourth leg of the bull of
religion. This alternative definition of the word dânam
is confirmed by S'rîla Vis'vanâtha Cakravartî
Thhâkura.
***
The paramparâ adds to this: 'The particular age
represented by goodness (Satya), passion (Tretâ), passion
and ignorance (Dvâpara) or ignorance (Kali) exists within
each of the other ages as a subfactor.'
