SRIMAD BHAGAVATHAM ON KALI YUGA

SUBHASHITHANI:198

In Hinduism, Kali Yuga is the last of the four stages (or ages or yugas) the world goes through as part of a 'cycle of yugas' (i.e. mahayuga) described in the Sanskrit scriptures. The other ages are called Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, and Dvapara Yuga.

Srimad Bhagavatham mentions that  human civilization degenerates spiritually during the Kali Yuga. Common attributes and consequences are spiritual bankruptcy, mindless hedonism, breakdown of all social structures, greed and materialism, unrestricted egotism, afflictions and maladies of mind and body. 

We have in this blog ten verses from Srimad Bhagavatham regarding effect of Kali on the society:. ( SB 12.2.1-10)

ततश्चानुदिनं धर्म: सत्यं शौचं क्षमा दया ।

कालेन बलिना राजन् नङ्क्ष्यत्यायुर्बलं स्मृति: ॥ १ ॥1
tataś cānu-dinaṁ dharmaḥ  satyaṁ śaucaṁ kṣamā dayā I
kālena balinā rājan  naṅkṣyaty āyur balaṁ smṛtiḥ II
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.
वित्तमेव कलौ नृणां जन्माचारगुणोदय: । 
धर्मन्यायव्यवस्थायां कारणं बलमेव हि ॥ २ ॥2
vittam eva kalau nṝṇāṁ  janmācāra-guṇodaya I
 ḥdharma-nyāya-vyavasthāyāṁ  kāraṇaṁ balam eva hi II
In Kali Yuga, wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man’s good birth, proper behaviour and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one’s power.
दाम्पत्येऽभिरुचिर्हेतुर्मायैव व्यावहारिके ।
स्त्रीत्वे पुंस्त्वे च हि रतिर्विप्रत्वे सूत्रमेव हि ॥ ३ ॥3
dāmpatye ’bhirucir hetur  māyaiva vyāvahārike I
strītve puṁstve ca hi ratir  vipratve sūtram eva hi II
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 brahmana just by his wearing a thread.
लिङ्गमेवाश्रमख्यातावन्योन्यापत्तिकारणम् ।

अवृत्त्या न्यायदौर्बल्यं पाण्डित्ये चापलं वच: ॥ ४ ॥4

liṅgam evāśrama-khyātāv  anyonyāpatti-kāraṇam
avṛttyā nyāya-daurbalyaṁ  pāṇḍitye cāpalaṁ vacaḥ

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.

अनाढ्यतैवासाधुत्वे साधुत्वे दम्भ एव तु ।
स्वीकार एव चोद्वाहे स्न‍ानमेव प्रसाधनम् ॥ ५ ॥5

anāḍhyataivāsādhutve  sādhutve dambha eva tu
svīkāra eva codvāhe  snānam eva prasādhanam

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.

दूरे वार्ययनं तीर्थं लावण्यं केशधारणम् ।
उदरंभरता स्वार्थ: सत्यत्वे धार्ष्ट्यमेव हि ।
दाक्ष्यं कुटुम्बभरणं यशोऽर्थे धर्मसेवनम् ॥ ६ ॥6

dūre vāry-ayanaṁ tīrthaṁ  lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam
udaraṁ-bharatā svārthaḥ  satyatve dhārṣṭyam eva hi
dākṣyaṁ kuṭumba-bharaṇaṁ  yaśo ’rthe dharma-sevanam

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.

एवं प्रजाभिर्दुष्टाभिराकीर्णे क्षितिमण्डले ।
ब्रह्मविट्‍क्षत्रशूद्राणां यो बली भविता नृप: ॥ ७ ॥7

evaṁ prajābhir duṣṭābhir  ākīrṇe kṣiti-maṇḍale
brahma-viṭ-kṣatra-śūdrāṇāṁ  yo balī bhavitā nṛpaḥ

As the earth thus becomes crowded with a corrupt population, whoever among any of other social classes shows himself to be the strongest will gain political power.

प्रजा हि लुब्धै राजन्यैर्निर्घृणैर्दस्युधर्मभि: ।
आच्छिन्नदारद्रविणा यास्यन्ति गिरिकाननम् ॥ ८ ॥8

prajā hi lubdhai rājanyair  nirghṛṇair dasyu-dharmabhiḥ
ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā  yāsyanti giri-kānanam

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.

शाकमूलामिषक्षौद्रफलपुष्पाष्टिभोजना: ।
अनावृष्टय‍ा विनङ्‌क्ष्यन्ति दुर्भिक्षकरपीडिता: ॥ ९ ॥9

śāka-mūlāmiṣa-kṣaudra-  phala-puṣpāṣṭi-bhojanāḥ
anāvṛṣṭyā vinaṅkṣyanti  durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ

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.

शीतवातातपप्रावृड्‌‌हिमैरन्योन्यत: प्रजा: ।
क्षुत्तृड्भ्यां व्याधिभिश्चैव सन्तप्स्यन्ते च चिन्तया ॥ १० ॥10

śīta-vātātapa-prāvṛḍ-  himair anyonyataḥ prajāḥ
kṣut-tṛḍbhyāṁ vyādhibhiś caiva  santapsyante ca cintayā

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.

SRI KRISHNAYA THUBHYAM NAMAH
PS: Kali is not all bad.It has its benefits also, which we will see in the next blog.