of men, numerous Mleccha kings then rule over
the earth! And those sinful monarchs, addicted
to false speech, govern their subjects on principles
that are false. The Andhhas, the Sakas,
the Pulindas, the Yavanas, the Kamvojas,
the Valhikas and the Abhiras, then become,
O best of men, possessed of bravery and the sovereignty
of the earth. This, O tiger among men, becometh
the state of the world during the eve, O Bharata,
of the Kali age! Not a single Brahmana
then adhereth to the duties of his order. And
the Kshatriyas and the Vaisyas also, O monarch, follow
practices contrary to those that are proper for their
own orders. And men become short-lived, weak
in strength, energy, and prowess; and endued with
small might and diminutive bodies, they become scarcely
truthful in speech. And the human population dwindles
away over large tracts of country, and the regions
of the earth, North and South, and East and West,
become crowded with animals and beasts of prey.
And during this period, they also that utter Brahma,
do so in vain. The Sudras address Brahmanas,
saying, Bho, while the Brahmanas address Sudras,
saying Respected Sir. And, O tiger among
men, at the end of the Yuga, animals increase
enormously. And, O king, odours and perfumes
do not then become so agreeable to our sense of scent,
and, O tiger among men, the very tastes of things
do not then so well accord with our organs of taste
as at other periods! And, O king, women then
become mothers of numerous progeny, endued with low
statures, and destitute of good behaviour and good
manners. And they also make their very mouths
serve the purposes of the organ of procreation.
And famine ravages the habitations of men, and the
highways are infested by women of ill fame, while
females in general, O king, become at such periods
hostile to their lords and destitute of modesty!
And, O king, the very kine at such periods yield little
milk, while the trees, sat over with swarms of crows,
do not produce many flowers and fruits. And, O
lord of the earth, regenerate classes, tainted with
the sin of slaying Brahmanas, accept gifts from monarchs
that are addicted to falsehood in speech. And
filled with covetousness and ignorance, and bearing
on their persons the outward symbols of religion,
they set out on eleemosynary rounds, afflicting the
people of the Earth. And people leading domestic
lives, afraid of the burden of taxes, become deceivers,
while Brahmanas, falsely assuming the garb of ascetics,
earn wealth by trade, with nails and hair unpared
and uncut. And, O tiger among men, many of the
twice-born classes become, from avarice of wealth,
religious mendicants of the Brahmacharin order.
And, O monarch, men at such periods behave contrary
to the modes of life to which they betake themselves,
and addicted to intoxicating drinks and capable of
violating the beds of their preceptors, their desires