Description of the age of Kali by the sage Vyasa

Janamejaya said — О great sage, the period of our redemption is nearing or is far off, we are not aware of it. Therefore, I would like to listen about the Kali-age, which had poluted the age of Dvapara.

During the age of Kali, a person, after making a little effort for noble work, can comfortably achieve enormous reward of dharma. Therefore with the greed of dharma we have been born in the age of Kali.

Saunaka said — О religious minded son of SUta, the age of Kali, which desturbs the people and is the destroyer of the dharma has arrived. You kindly describe its future symptoms.

Sauti said — О Saunaka, the king Janamejaya had also put a similar type of question. In reply to that question, brooding over the movements of all the people of the age of Kali, lord Vyasa had narrated on the subject thus.

Vyasa said — О king, during Kaliyuga, the rulers instead of protecting the people, shall be born only to collect taxes from them. They will live only to protect their bodies.

During the age of Kali, even the people who do not belong to Ksatriya race would also become kings. The Brahmanas, depending on the SUdras, shall earn their living. The SUdras shall conduct like the Bramanas.

О Janamejaya, during Kaliyuga, the Brahmanas shall be seated in one line and shall consume the food devoid of pahca yajnas.

О Janamejaya, the people during the age of Kali, work as artisons, indulge in falsehood, like to eat meat and drink wine and shall consider their wives as only friends.

During the yugantakala (kaliyuga), the theives shall live in kingly ways, while the kings shall conduct themselves as thieves' The servants will also consume the things, the use of which will not be allowed by the master.

During the Kaliyuga, the recitation will be the only attraction. The conduct and behaviour of the noble people shall not be honoured. The people who fall from dharma shall not be denounced by any one.

The humans would be unable to make any difference between dharma and adharma. The widows and the ascetics would produce children by uniting mutually.

The people of Janapadas will sell cereals in Kaliyuga. The Brahmanas will sell the Vedas on the crossings. The young women will follow the evil ways by accepting money.

At that point of time all the people will become the expounders of the Vedas. With the disappearing of the other Sdkhas the people will claim themselves to belong to the Vajanehl Sakhas. The Sudras will not address their seniors with respect.

During the Yugantakala, the Brahmanas shall sell the reward of sacrifices or the tapas on monetary consideration. At that point of time all the seasons will become of opposite nature.

The Sudras, taking refuge in the teaching of the Buddha of Sakya race, will conduct against the teachings of the Vedas. They will keep the teeth white and apply collyrium in the eyes. With their shaven heads, they will clad themselves in the ochre coloured garments.

In the Kaliyuga, the number of dogs and wolves will grow. The number of cows will decline and the juices will also decline gradually.

During the period of Kaliyuga, the untouchables or the Mlechhas will live in the Madhyadesa, while the dwellers of Madhyadesa, will live in the Mlechha country. All the people will follow the degraded path.

At the end of the yuga the calves will be yoked in the ploughs or the bullock carts. They will plough the land of pits and the ponds. The clouds will pour astonishing types of rains.

All will be born in the families of thieves, and will plunder one another. They would become wealthy with a little wealth and with a small trouble they would find themselves in a miserable condition.

At the end of the Yuga the humans would no more be religious minded. The earth will usually be barren, and the roads would be infested with robbers.

All the people in Kaliyuga will practice trade. They will also distribute among themselves the ancestral articles which should not be divided. Overpowered with grief, they will turn opponents and would try to grab the property of others.

With the decline of the tenderness, beauty and gold in the age of Kali, the woman would decorate their hair variously.

At the end of the yuga, the house holder will have no alternative but to be deprive of the garlands, sandal paste, divine cushions and other articles of pleasure. He will have no other rescue except his wife.

When the number of degraded people would rise in the society, all the people would take to useless forms, the number of men would lesser than those of the women, this would be the symptom of the end of the yuga.

At that point of time, the number of beggars would increase. No one would give anything to the other. The people would accept charities from others thoughtlessly.

The people would move towards destruction after having been tortured by the kings, thieves and the fire. The farming would became inductions and the young people would behave like the old people (devoid of enthusiasm). During the age of Kali all the people would be deprived of the comforts because of the greed.

During the Kaliyuga, the wind would be dry in the rainy season and shall carry the dust or sand with storm. All the people would be doubtful about the life after death.

The wicked people during that period, would denounce the soul as well as the Brahman. They would consider themselves to be supreme. The Brahamanas would be filled with rage.

The Ksatriyas would act like the Vaisyas, and shall earn their living by the sale of cereals. With the breaking of the family traditions, all the people would become the Brahmanas.

During the yugantakala no one would observe the vows or the promises. The traditions would gradually fade out and even the noble people would try to reply the debts, then what to speak of the noble people.

During the age of Kali, the pleasure of the people would be infructious, while the anger would be successful. The goats shall be kept in the house for yielding milk instead of the cows.

The justice would be imparted by the foolish people according to their whims. The fools who consider themselves as learned would put forth unsubstaintiated talks, and turn the same according to the policy.

At the end of yuganta period, no one who is well versed in the sastras would be found. The people would boast of possessing knowledge, without in any way serving the elderly people.

At the arrival of Kaliyuga, there would be no one who would not consider himself to be all the knowledgeable or a poet. Since the Brahmanas would act contrary to the scriptures would not be able to inspire the Ksatriyas to follow their dharma. At that point of time, the kings would keep the company of theives.

О Janamejaya, during the yuganta period, the persons would units with Kunda women (the one unites will an other man inspite of her husband being alive, and produce a girl), besides being deceitful, wicked, drunkards, but still claim to be Brahmavadxs and organise the Asvamedha sacrifice.

On the arrival of Kaliyuga, the Brahmanas, while suffering for want of riches, shall have the yajnas performed from incompletent people and shall also consume the meat.

All the people would address with disrespect, no one would be interested in the studies. At that point of time, the ladies would be adorned with the conch ornaments. They would also decorate themselves with Gavedhuka — grass.

During the concluding period, the constellations would be deprived of the combination of their planets and the directions would look to the opposite. The redness will spread during the evening time, causing the heat.

The sons would dictate the fathers and the daughter-in-law would dictate the mother-in-law. The humans would cohabit with the animals as well as the women of other castes.

The pupils would injure the hearts of the preceptors with harsh words and scold them. The possionate people would cohabit with mouth as well.

The yajna priests also with out taking out the intial morsel, shall take their food. They would consume food themselves without offering in advance the food to у ads or the gods.

The women, cheating their sleeping husbands would flee with other men. Similarly the men also, after their wives going to sleep would cohabit with other women.

There would not be a single person at that time, who would not be suffering from the mental or physical ailments. All the people would find faults with others.

During this period there would be none to repay the kindness done to him by others.

Here ends chapter — 3, of Bhavisya Parva of the Harivamsa Parana, a supplement of the epic of Mahabharata, relating to the description of the age of Kali by the sage Vyasa. (Vrs. 1-43, P.T. = 10,915)

Janamejaya said — Thus having been blemished with the misconduct, how would the people be able to live in safety? What would be their conduct and food habits?

How would they function? What type of efforts would they make? What would be the height of their bodies? For how long would they live on earth. After what type of limitations, would they reach Satyayuga.

Vyasa said — О Janamejaya, thereafter with the loss of dharma the people would be deprieved of their modesty and their age would be lessoned.

With the decline of the age, the strength and powers would also decline. By this the lustre of their bodies would also fade out. With the loss of lustre, their bodies would attract painful ailments. With this, their minds would feel detached.

With the detachment, they would gain selfconsciousness. With this they would feel religious minded. Thus reaching the extreme of dharma, the would reach Satyayuga.

During the age of Kaliyuga, the people would follow dharma only slightly. Some of them would be unmindful of dharma, while some of them inspite of being conscious would be anxious to spell out different ways and means for supporting dharma, but shall not follow the same dharma themselves.

Some of the people would not consider Vedas to be authentic, some of the learned people would consider the visual being as the authemtic and would not accept any other proof to be athentic.

The other people would not agree to the theories of the Vedas to be authentic. Some of the women in Kali age make use of the mouth for the enjoyment of the passions.

Several of the learned Brahamanas acting like the foolish people would become the destroyers of the dharma.

They would have their faith in the prevailing realities of the world, would be deprived of the knowledge of the Sastras, would be deceitful and the discussion on dharma and the related conduct would be a matter for surprise for them. In other words what to speak of the following of dharma, they would not like to discuss about it.

At that point of time, on becoming the dharma unstable, the people would recite the name of the lord, and keeping in view the dharma, shall give away charitees being compassionate and also perform the noble deeds.

The people of that time would consume everything, have no control over the sense organs, would be devoid of virtues, and shall be powerless. This is the symptom of the age of Kali.

When the people of Ksatriya and other varnas, would pick up the eternal livelihood of the Brahmanas, it would be the indicative of the blemished age of Kali.

When the disturbance during the age of Kali, increases, when the knowledge and the learnings go on decline, then the people having been deprieved of all the belongings, shall achieve success by means of small renunciations.

During the Yuganta period, the great danger of terrific war, horrible storms and heavy rains, would appear on earth, which would be symptom of the horrible age of Kali.

During the age of Kali, Raksasas would live in the form of Brahmanas. The rulers would believe the words heard by them and shall rule the country in the company of the back-biters.

The Brahmanas would discard the study of the Vedas or the Vedic practices, and would be devoid of policy. They would consume everything like the Raksasas, following the useless vratas.

They would be fools, selfish, greedy and of degraded ideas. The people depending on them would also be like them. They would fall from the eternal dharma. They would engage themselves in the earning of their livelihood.

The minds of all of them would be overpowered with lusts. They would be wicked, deceitful, and would like rashness.

When wicked people of similar nature, enjoying the authority, would spread everywhere, then several ascetics, in various forms, emphasising on the absence of the soul would appear on earth.

Such of the people who were born in Satyayuga as the devotees, and depending on Isvara, shall be adored by the people of Kali age, during the recitations. (They would respect them, but would never follow their teachings).

During the age of Kali, the people would steal the grown crops, steal the costumes of others, besides the eatables. They would even steal the cowdung cakes as well as the baskets of the bomboos.

During that period that thieves would steal from the houses of thieves. The killers of the people who had already killed others, would also be born. In this way when the thieves would be destroyed by the thieves, then the world would meet with welfare.

When the entire universe, would become pauper, deprived of sandhya-vandana, and the noble deeds, and would also be deprived of the difference of Varnas, at that point of time people suffering from the burden of taxes, would retire to the forest.

On the arrival of Kali, the sons would command their fathers for performing their jobs. Similarly the daughter-in-law would command the mother-in-law.

The pupils will cause mental agony to the preceptors with their talk with the stoppage of the yajhas. The Raksasas, the wild animals, the insects, the rats and the serpents would attack the human beings.

О best of humans, in the age of Kali, the forgiveness, prosperity, healthiness, and interaction with the kiths and kins would be on the decline.

At that point of time the people would themselves be the protectors as well as the thieves. Accroding to the need of the time, they would roam about in groups carrying different types of insturments.

At that point of time due to their fall all the humans, having been driven out of their counties, shall become paupers with their relatives.

During those days, feeling painful with hunger and thirst, the people would carry their children over their shoulders will flee in terror and cross the Kausi river.

For the sake of earning their livelihood, the people would go to the countries like Assam, Bengal, Kalinga (orissa), Kashmir, Mekala and Rsaka or shall take refuge in the mountain valleys.

The people of those times would live with the Mlecehas in the rear regions of Himalaya, over the shores of salt ocean, and the forests.

The earth would neither be devoid of the humans nor would it be over crowded. The warriors, who would be deputed for the protection of the people holding the weapons in their hands, would never protect anyone.

The people of Kaliyuga, having been fallen from dharma would live on deer, fish, wild animals, serpents, insects, honey, vegetables fruits and roots.

The people would be clad in rags, bark garments, dear skins and other clothes woven by them themselves.

Several of the people, living in the mountain caves, and other lower regions, shall collect the village or the wild seeds or cereals; they shall bind with the wooden pegs the goats, sheep. The people of Kashmir and other regions, binding the asses and the camels and domesticate them.

The people of Kaliyuga reaching the river banks, shall stop the flow of water. They shall barter among themselves the cooked foods. As the people fight for their own sons and daughters similarly in order to conceal the principle amount with the interest, they world enter into controvercies in their commercial activities.

During thosetimes, influenced with the moves of the destiny, some people would have enough of children, while others would have no issue at all. In this way the people would be devoid of the auspicious family traditions.

The people of those times would follow the most degraded dharma. During those days the maximum age of a man would be thirty years.

All the people would be weak, their due to enjoying of the worldly pleasures in excess and filled with vices. Their sense organs would be on decline because of the ailments. Because of the passing of their age and obstructions, their minds would feel disgusted.

Then becoming desirous of listening to the discourse on dharma, they would devote their minds to the ascetics. After having lost their business and public dealings, they would embrace truth.

Because of the non fulfilment of the desires they would turn religious minded and they would squeeze the bad conduct, feeling painful of the decline of their own side.

Thus by extending treatment, charitees, truthfulness and saving of the life the dharma of the four Varnas would make them achieve credit.

The credits or grace which was thus earned by the people, they by imagination could know the difference between dharma and adharma getting absorbed in the worldly pleasures which one of the things is tasteful or pleasenst for them. By indulging themselves in the worldly pleasures or moving on the path of dharma raising this doubt, they would speak like this.

As the dharma was on the decline, it expanded in the same way. By embracing thuth or dharma completely, a person achieves Satyayuga.

During Satyayuga the behaviour of all is excellent and during Kaliyuga noble conduct is on the decline, as one and the same moon sometimes increases with full lustre at times decreases. Similarly in one and the same period, at times it is Satyuga and at times it is Kaliyuga.

As the moon on the moonless night is covered by darkness, similarly in the age of Kali dharma is surrounded by darkness. As the moon on the full moon day is respledent with lustre, devoid of darkness similarly, in all the four feet of Satyayuga, the dharma fully illuminates all the four steps.

The one who is the supreme Brahman or the supreme soul, in the form of Parabrahman, the truth of the Vedas has been eatablished. The people with learnings call it the prime interpretation of the Vedas. (If that is the case, then why the all pervading supreme soul, is not available to all the people. The reply to this is further provided.) As for example the ancestral gold covered with dirt is worn at an insignificant place, till the dirt over it is removed. Even after wearing it a person considers himself to be a pauper. Similarly when the mind is filled with blemish Paramatma is followed in an insignificant form. When the mind is clear or spotless, then it illuminates, separately from the soul and the fallacy about its non availablity is removed.

The capas or the heaven reflects the rewards of the noble deeds. Tapas yields unfailing reward, according to the sastras. The karmas are established with the body. With the real karmas, virtuous body is achieved. (Therefore in order to get the body rid of karmas, one should take refuge with the supreme soul.

The Rishis keeping the completence of the persons, have emphasised about the achieving reward of the karmas, because it refers to the country and the time.

In the present world the reward relating to dharma, artha and kama, the reward of the worship of the gods, the auspicious blessings and the life span, happen to be like his own faith in each one of the Yugas.

As the change in the yugas takes place as prescribed by the Vidhata, for a long time, similarly, the jiva, rotates in the world with the decline and expansion and is never stationary even for a moment.

Here ends chapter — 4, of Bhavisya Parva, of the Harivarhsa Purana a supplement of the epic of Mahabharata, relating to the description of Kaliyuga. (Vrs. 1-53, P.T. = 10,968)

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