पुरुषा योषितश्चापि न हि सूर्खाश्च पण्डिताः । न दुःखिनो जनाःसत्ये सर्वेषां रत्नमन्दिरम्
Men and women there are neither foolish nor learned; nor are there any unhappy people—truly, for all, it is a palace of jewels.
मणिमाणिक्यरत्नौघरत्नस्वर्णसमन्वितम् । न भिक्षुका न रोगार्ताः शोकहीनाश्चहर्षिताः
It is filled with heaps of gems, rubies, precious stones, and gold; there are no beggars, no afflicted by disease, all are free from sorrow and joyful.
न हि भूषणहीराश्च नरा नार्यश्च केचन । न पापिनो न धूर्ताश्च न क्षुधार्ता न कुत्सिताः
There are no men or women lacking ornaments; there are no sinners, no deceivers, none suffering from hunger, and none who are despicable.
जराहीनाः प्राणिनश्च शश्वद्यौवनसंस्थिताः । आधिव्याधिविहीनाश्च निर्विकाराश्च देहिनः
Living beings are free from old age, always established in youth; they are without afflictions or diseases, and their bodies are unchanging.
यदुक्तो वै सत्ययुगे धर्मः सत्यं दयादिकम् । पादहीनश्च त्रेतायां सत्यार्ध द्वापरेऽपि च
The dharma described for the Satya Yuga—truth, compassion, and the like—loses one of its feet in Treta, and in Dvapara, only half of truth remains.
धर्मै कपाच्च प्रथमे कलेश्चातिकृशोऽबलः । दुष्टानां दस्युचौर्याणामङ्कुरः प्रभवेद्व्रज
In the first part of Kali, dharma is extremely weak and feeble; in Vraja, the sprouts of wickedness, banditry, and theft begin to appear.
अधर्मनिरताः केचिद्भीताः संगोपिनस्तथा । भीता गुप्ताश्च पुंश्चल्यौ भीताश्च पारदारिकाः
Some are devoted to unrighteousness, some are fearful and conceal themselves; fearful and hidden are the unchaste women, and fearful are those who are adulterous.
धर्मिष्ठानां भयं शश्वदधर्मिष्ठाश्च कम्पिताः । स्वल्पधर्मरता भूपाः स्वल्पवेदरता द्विजाः
The righteous are always in fear, while the unrighteous are trembling; kings are devoted to little dharma, and twice-born to little study of the Vedas.
व्रतधर्मरताः केचित्सर्वे स्वच्छन्दगामिनः । यावत्तिष्ठन्ति तीर्थानि यावत्तिष्ठन्ति साधवः
Some are devoted to vows and dharma, but all act according to their own desires; as long as holy places and the virtuous remain,
यावत्तिष्ठन्ति ग्रामाणां देवाः शास्त्राणि पूजनम् । तावत्किंचित्तपः सत्यं स्वर्गधर्माश एव च
As long as village deities, scriptures, and worship persist, so long do a little austerity, truth, and the hope for heavenly dharma remain.
कलेर्दोषनिधेस्तात गुण एको महानपि। मानसं संभवेत्पुण्यं सुकृतं न हि दृष्कृतम्
O dear one, though Kali is an ocean of faults, it has one great virtue: merit arises from the mind alone; good deeds do not require outward action.
तीर्थादिके गते तात नष्टो धर्माश एव च । कलारूपश्च धर्मश्च यथा कुह्वां निशाकरः
When holy places and the hope for dharma disappear, dharma in the form of Kali remains only as a shadow, like the moon on the new-moon night.
नन्द उवाच तीर्थान्येतानि सर्वाणि तिष्ठन्त्येव कियद्दिनम् । साधवो ग्राम्यदेवाश्च शास्त्राण्येतानि वत्सक
Nanda said: How long do all these holy places, the virtuous, village deities, and these scriptures remain, O child?
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच कलौ दशसहस्राणि हरिस्तिष्ठति मेदिनीम् । देवानां प्रतिमा बूज्या शास्त्राणि च पुराणकम्
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: In Kali, Hari remains on earth for ten thousand years; the images of the gods are to be worshipped, as are the scriptures and the Purāṇas.
तदर्धमपि तीर्थानि गङ्गादीनि सुनिश्चितम् । तदर्ध ग्रामदेवाश्च वेदाश्च विदुषामपि
For half that time, certainly, the holy places like the Gaṅgā remain; for half of that again, the village deities and the Vedas, even among the learned.
अधर्मः परिबूर्णश्च तदन्ते च कलौ पितः । एकवर्णा भविष्यन्ति वर्णाश्चत्वार एव च
At the end of that, unrighteousness becomes complete in Kali, O father; all four castes will become one.
न मन्त्रपूतोद्वाहश्च न हि सत्यं न य क्षमा । स्त्रीस्वीकाररतो नित्यं ग्राम्यधर्मप्रधानतः
There will be no marriages sanctified by mantras, no truth, nor forbearance; people will always be intent on taking women, and worldly duties will predominate.
न यज्ञसूत्रं तिलकं ब्राह्मणनां च नित्यशः । संध्याशास्त्रविहीनाश्च विप्रवंशाःश्रुता अपि
There will be no sacred thread or tilaka always for the brāhmaṇas; the lineages of the twice-born, though learned, will be without the twilight rituals and scriptural study.
सर्वैः सार्ध च सर्वेषां भक्षणं नियमच्युतम् । अभक्ष्यभक्षा लोकाश्च चतुर्वर्णाश्च लम्पटाः
All together, everyone eats without restraint; the people consume both what is proper and improper, and the four classes are greedy.
नारीषु न सती काचित्पुंश्चली च गृहे गृहे । करोति तर्जनं कान्तं भृत्यतुल्यं च कम्पितम्
Among women, there is not a single chaste one; in every house, wives are unfaithful, scolding their husbands, treating them like servants, and making them tremble.
जाराय दत्त्वा मिष्टान्नं ताम्बूलं वस्त्रचन्दनम् । न ददात्येव चाऽऽहारं स्वामिने दुःखिने पितः
To her lover she gives sweet food, betel, clothes, and sandal paste, but does not give food at all to her own suffering husband.
पुत्रेण भर्त्सितस्तातः शिष्येण भर्त्सितो गुरुः । प्रजाभिस्ताडितो भूपो भूपेन पीडिताः प्रजाः
The father is scolded by his son, the teacher is scolded by his student, the king is beaten by his subjects, and the subjects are oppressed by the king.
दस्युचोरेश्च दुष्टैश्च शिष्टाश्च परिपीडिताः । सस्यहीना च वसुधा क्षीरहीनाश्च धनेवः
The virtuous are tormented by wicked bandits and thieves; the earth is without crops, and the cows are without milk.
स्वल्पक्षीरे घृतं नास्ति नवनीतं च नित्यशः । सत्यहीना जनाः सर्वे नित्यं मिथ्या वदन्ति च
There is no ghee in the little milk that remains, and butter is always lacking; all people are devoid of truth and constantly speak lies.
शौचसंध्याशास्त्रहीना ब्राह्मणा वृषवाहकाः । सूपकाराश्च शूद्राणां शूद्राणां शवदाहकाः
Brahmins, lacking purity, daily rituals, and scriptural study, become bullock-cart drivers; cooks are of the servant class, and servants perform cremations.
शूद्रस्त्रीनिरताः शश्वच्छूद्रा विप्रवधूरताः । खादन्ति यस्य विप्रस्य भक्ष्यं च परिपाचकाः
Servants are always attached to servant women, and servants desire the wives of Brahmins; those who cook eat the Brahmin's food.
मातुः परां तस्य पत्नीं शूद्रा गृह्णन्ति लम्पटाः । भृत्यश्च हत्वा राजानं स्वयं राजा भविष्यति
Greedy servants seize the wife of their master's mother; a servant, having killed the king, will himself become king.
नारी हत्वा पतिं कामाद्भजेज्जारं च कौतुकात् । पुत्रश्च पितरं हत्वा स्वयं भूपो भविष्यति
A woman, having killed her husband out of desire, will take a lover for pleasure; a son, having killed his father, will himself become king.
सर्वे स्वच्छन्दनिरताः शिश्नोदरपरायणाः । वङ्खरा व्याधियुक्ताश्च कुत्सिताश्च कुचैलकाः
All are devoted to their own desires, intent on sensual pleasure and food; they are crooked, afflicted with disease, degraded, and wear filthy clothes.
विक्षुण्णमन्त्रलिप्ताश्च मिथ्यामन्त्रप्रचारकाः । जातिहीनाश्च गुरवो वयोहीनाश्च निन्दकाः
They recite corrupted mantras, spread false teachings, and act as teachers though lacking lineage and age, and are slanderers.