Bhāratī journeyed to Bhārata, and Brāhmī, beloved of Brahmā, pervaded the entire universe, appearing like a flowing stream. Sarasvatī herself became a river, manifesting as a sacred place, supremely purifying to all who approached her. In time, the auspicious Bhāgīrathī was brought to earth by the efforts of Bhagiratha, and at that very moment, Shiva graciously received her upon his head. Padma departed in her own form and became the river Padmavati. Then, in another form, she took birth again in Bharata. But in ages past, Sarasvatī had pronounced a curse, and later Hari also pronounced a curse. As a result, after residing in Bharata for five thousand years of the Kali age, all sacred places—except for Kashi and Vrindavana—would lose their sanctity. Yet, Shalagrama, the form of Hari, and Jagannatha in Bharata would endure. The Vaishnava Puranas, conch shells, rites of shraddha and tarpan, worship of Hari, the name of Hari, praises of his deeds and virtues, goodness, truth, righteousness, the Vedas, and village deities—all these, in that age, would become devoted to left-handed practices, filled with falsehood and deceit. People would abandon the observance of Ekadashi and forsake righteousness. Deceit, cruelty, hypocrisy, and arrogance would prevail. There would be division among men, and among women, marriage and disputes would arise. All people would come under the sway of women, and in every household, promiscuity would be rampant. The mistress of the house would be the wife, while the husband would be inferior even to the servant. Those who wielded power in the home would be relatives connected by birth, and relationships would be based merely on acquaintance. The four varnas—Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras—would be determined by birth and conduct. The varnas would adopt the ways of mlecchas, and the lineages of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas would serve the Shudras in the Kali age, becoming cooks, runners, and bullock-cart drivers. Trees would no longer bear fruit, and women would be without children. Husbands and wives would lack affection, and householders would be deprived of happiness. Rivers, streams, ponds, and caves would dry up and be without water. Among hundreds of thousands, not even one virtuous person would remain. Wicked occupations and disgraceful ways would arise. Some people would live together in small huts, while those dwelling in forests would be oppressed by taxes. Fields would be barren, and the best lands would be lost to their purpose. Those born in noble lineages would become degraded in the Kali age. The sinful and the virtuous, the undisciplined and the disciplined, would be indistinguishable. Ascetics would become sinners, and devotees of Vishnu would turn away from devotion. Rogues wearing the garb of mendicants would insult and mock others, and these deceivers, weak in knowledge, would be honored. In the Kali age, people would have short lives, and old age would come in youth. A girl of eight years would become a young woman, menstruating and pregnant. Thus, the scriptures foretell the decline that marks the Kali age, painting a vivid picture of the changes that will sweep through Bharata and the world.