In the time when darkness and confusion prevail, people will turn away from the ancient ways. They will busy themselves with trade in lac, iron, juices, and above all, salt, seeking profit in all things. The sacred distinctions of society will blur; everyone will consume food prepared by Shudras, and all will be drawn to women of questionable character. The marks of spiritual discipline will fade—people will abandon the sacred thread, neglect the holy rites at dawn and dusk, and forsake the practices of purity. In such an age, those who were once considered outcasts—promiscuous women, barbers, those beyond the pale, procuresses, and even menstruating women—will move freely among all, and there will be no care for the origins of food or its purity. As Kali Yuga reaches its height, all will become as mlecchas, foreign to the ways of dharma. Yet, in this time of decline, hope arises. A son will be born to a Brahmin renowned for his devotion to Vishnu—this child will be Kalki. He will take up a long sword and ride a swift, long-legged horse. With his might, he will cleanse the earth of the mlecchas, and the world as it was will vanish. For six nights, the earth itself, vast and ancient, will be inundated by torrents of rain. Then, O sage, twelve suns will rise together in the sky, heralding the end of the age. When Kali Yuga has passed, and the Krita Yuga dawns once more, the world will be renewed. Ascetics, virtuous men, and Brahmins learned in the Vedas will walk the earth again. Kings and Kshatriyas will honor the Brahmins and uphold their own duties faithfully. Vaishyas, engaged in honest trade, will also show devotion to the Brahmins and act righteously. The lineages of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas will be united in devotion to Vishnu and the performance of sacrifices. People will be learned in the Vedas, the Smritis, and the Puranas, knowledgeable in dharma, and attentive to the cycles of the seasons. In Treta Yuga, dharma stands on three feet; in Dvapara, it stands on two, as is remembered. O Brahmin, time itself is measured in seven days and sixteen lunar phases. There are two fortnights and two solstices, and a day is divided into four watches. The year is reckoned in five different ways—listen well to the measure of time. When a year is complete, for both mortals and gods, day and night pass; those who know the reckoning of time know the yuga of the gods. For the gods, a manvantara is made up of seventy-one yugas. When the twenty-eighth Indra has passed, the day and night of Brahma comes. Then, the dissolution known as prākṛta takes place, and the earth vanishes from sight. All the sages living at that time merge into Krishna, the Supreme. O sage, when this primordial dissolution occurs and even Brahma falls, all universes and everything within them are destroyed. There is also a momentary dissolution, when the whole world is submerged in water. Thus, there are many kinds of creation and many kinds of dissolution. O Narada, regarding the creations, the divisions of time, and the universes—know that He alone is the Lord of all universes. Brahma and the others are but portions of Him, and Mahāvirāṭ is a portion of a portion. That Krishna appears in two forms: with two arms and with four arms. Everything, from Brahma down to the blade of grass, is of the nature of Prakriti. Understand that the one root of creation is true, eternal, and everlasting. It is without attributes, without form, yet assumes a form to show grace to devotees. He appears as a youthful cowherd, dressed as a cowherd, two-armed and holding a flute. The creator, born from the lotus, whose very essence is knowledge, fashions the universe. By his wisdom and austerity, the Lord of all arises, and none is greater than He.