In the age of Kali, a strange and troubling order prevails. Thieves do not merely steal from the innocent—they prey upon each other, and even those who have stolen find themselves victims of further theft. Attachment to unrighteousness takes hold, and conduct shrouded in darkness becomes the very mark of the times. The sacred is traded without reverence: some sell the Vedas themselves, while others make merchandise of holy places. Roles and duties are turned upside down. Shudras in the service of the king strike at the very best among the twice-born, the Brahmins and Kshatriyas. Though the king knows what is right, the force of Kali compels him to act against dharma. Those with little learning, wealth, or strength come to worship the Shudras, while the twice-born, seeking an opportunity to serve, wait humbly at the doors of the powerful. Brahmins, once revered, now offer hymns and praise in pursuit of favor, reciting Vedic mantras even as they embrace dreadful forms of atheism. Ascetics arise by the hundreds and thousands, but their devotion is shallow—they sing to the gods with songs of worldly desire. Though Brahmins and Kshatriyas still exist, the world is overrun with pests: insects, mice, and serpents harass human beings. The twice-born, once burned by Dadhichi’s curse at Daksha’s sacrifice, now practice dharma in vain in this final age of Kali. All, beginning with the Brahmins, are born into their own castes, but they follow vows and practices outside the Vedas, behaving badly so that even their ashramas are empty of true meaning. Their minds, possessed by darkness, degrade them to the conduct of outcastes. In such confusion, there appears to be no deity for humans, nor divinity for the gods. Yet, for the sake of reestablishing the rites of the Vedas and Smritis, and for the welfare of devotees, the essence of all Vedanta—the dharmas shown in the Vedas—remains. Those who conquer the faults born of Kali attain the supreme state. This, indeed, is the great virtue of the Kali age: though corrupted by many faults, it offers this unique possibility. Especially for Brahmins, it is said, refuge should be sought in Rudra, the Lord. Those whose minds are serene go to Rudra and attain the highest state. Worship of other gods does not yield this fruit; only through the worship of Mahadeva, through meditation and giving, as declared in scripture, can one attain the supreme goal. Thus, one should take refuge in Virupaksha, if one desires the supreme state. Otherwise, charity, austerity, sacrifice, and even life itself are rendered vain. Salutations, then, to Tryambaka, the three-eyed one, the guru of yogis; to Soma, to Rudra, to the cause of the great consumption; to Mahadeva, the great yogi, the Lord, the husband of Ambika; to the teacher of yogis, attainable by yogis, wielder of the Pinaka bow; to the eternal, all-pervading one, devoted to Brahman and dear to Brahmins; to the one of many forms, of great form, known through the Vedas, the lord of days; to the fire of time, the burner of time, the giver and destroyer of desires; to the fierce Lord of Creatures, the terrible one, the radiant sun who is beyond darkness. He endures through past and future, present as long as the cycles of Manus continue. All these truths have been explained, without doubt, in every cycle and by every cycle. In the end, all those with equal pride become manifest in the world with their own names and forms, shaped by the age in which they are born.