Linga Purana

योग्यकर्मण्युपरते लोके निष्क्रियतां गते कीटमूषकसर्पाश् च धर्षयिष्यन्ति मानवान्

When proper work ceases and the world becomes inactive, insects, mice, and snakes will attack humans.

सुभिक्षं क्षेममारोग्यं सामर्थ्यं दुर्लभं तदा कौशिकीं प्रतिपत्स्यन्ते देशान्क्षुद्भयपीडिताः

Abundance, safety, health, and capability will be rare then; people afflicted by hunger and fear will seek refuge in the Kauśikī regions.

दुःखेनाभिप्लुतानां च परमायुः शतं तदा दृश्यन्ते न च दृश्यन्ते वेदाः कलियुगे ऽखिलाः

For those overwhelmed by suffering, the highest lifespan will be a hundred years; then, the Vedas will not be seen at all in the Kali age.

उत्सीदन्ति तदा यज्ञाः केवलाधर्मपीडिताः काषायिणो ऽप्यनिर्ग्रन्थाः कापालीबहुलास्त्विह

Sacrifices will perish, afflicted only by unrighteousness; even those in ochre robes, without ties, and many skull-bearers will be seen here.

वेदविक्रयिणश्चान्ये तीर्थविक्रयिणः परे वर्णाश्रमाणां ये चान्ये पाषण्डाः परिपन्थिनः

Some will sell the Vedas, others will sell holy places; others, impostors, will obstruct the orders of caste and stage of life.

उत्पद्यन्ते तदा ते वै सम्प्राप्ते तु कलौ युगे अधीयन्ते तदा वेदाञ् शूद्रा धर्मार्थकोविदाः

Then, when the Kali age arrives, those people arise; at that time, the Shudras, skilled in dharma and wealth, study the Vedas.

यजन्ते चाश्वमेधेन राजानः शूद्रयोनयः स्त्रीबालगोवधं कृत्वा हत्वा चैव परस्परम्

Kings born of Shudra lineage perform Ashvamedha sacrifices, having killed women, children, and cows, and also slain each other.

उपद्रवांस्तथान्योन्यं साधयन्ति तदा प्रजाः दुःखप्रभूतमल्पायुर् देहोत्सादः सरोगता

At that time, people cause disturbances to one another; suffering becomes abundant, lifespans are short, bodies decay, and all are afflicted with disease.

अधर्माभिनिवेशित्वात् तमोवृत्तं कलौ स्मृतम् प्रजासु ब्रह्महत्यादि तदा वै सम्प्रवर्तते

Because of attachment to unrighteousness, the Kali age is said to be enveloped in darkness; among the people, acts like killing Brahmins and others arise.

तस्मादायुर्बलं रूपं कलिं प्राप्य प्रहीयते तदा त्वल्पेन कालेन सिद्धिं गच्छन्ति मानवाः

Therefore, upon entering Kali, lifespan, strength, and beauty decline; then, in a short time, humans attain their end.

धन्या धर्मं चरिष्यन्ति युगान्ते द्विजसत्तमाः श्रुतिस्मृत्युदितं धर्मं ये चरन्त्यनसूयकाः

Blessed are those excellent twice-born who practice dharma at the end of the age, who follow the dharma declared in the scriptures without envy.

त्रेतायां वार्षिको धर्मो द्वापरे मासिकः स्मृतः यथाक्लेशं चरन्प्राज्ञस् तदह्ना प्राप्नुते कलौ

In Treta, dharma is practiced yearly; in Dvapara, it is remembered as monthly; the wise, practicing according to their hardship, attain it daily in Kali.

एषा कलियुगावस्था संध्यांशं तु निबोध मे युगे युगे च हीयन्ते त्रींस्त्रीन्पादांस्तु सिद्धयः

This is the condition of the Kali age; now hear from me about its twilight portion. In each age, three quarters of perfection diminish.

युगस्वभावाः संध्यास्तु तिष्ठन्तीह तु पादशः संध्यास्वभावाः स्वांशेषु पादशस्ते प्रतिष्ठिताः

The nature of the ages and their twilights remain here, each by a quarter; the nature of the twilight is established in its own portion, by a quarter.

एवं संध्यांशके काले सम्प्राप्ते तु युगान्तिके तेषां शास्ता ह्यसाधूनां भूतानां निधनोत्थितः

Thus, when the time of the twilight portion at the end of the age arrives, the ruler of those wicked beings arises for their destruction.

गोत्रे ऽस्मिन्वै चन्द्रमसो नाम्ना प्रमितिरुच्यते मानवस्य तु सो ऽंशेन पूर्वं स्वायंभुवे ऽन्तरे

In this lineage of the moon, one named Pramiti is spoken of; by a portion, he was a man in a previous interval of Svayambhu.

समाः स विंशतिः पूर्णाः पर्यटन्वै वसुंधराम् अनुकर्षन् स वै सेनां सवाजिरथकुञ्जराम्

He, having completed twenty years, travels the earth, leading an army with horses, chariots, and elephants.

प्रगृहीतायुधैर्विप्रैः शतशो ऽथ सहस्रशः स तदा तैः परिवृतो म्लेच्छान् हन्ति सहस्रशः

Surrounded then by hundreds and thousands of Brahmins armed with weapons, he slays thousands of mlecchas.

स हत्वा सर्वशश्चैव राज्ञस्ताञ्शूद्रयोनिजान् पाखण्डांस्तु ततः सर्वान् निःशेषं कृतवान् प्रभुः

He, having slain all those kings born of Shudra lineage, then destroys all impostors completely, as the lord.

नात्यर्थं धार्मिका ये च तान् सर्वान् हन्ति सर्वतः वर्णव्यत्यासजाताश् च ये च ताननुजीविनः

Those who are not exceedingly righteous, he kills all of them everywhere, as well as those born from mixed castes and their followers.

प्रवृत्तचक्रो बलवान् म्लेच्छानामन्तकृत्स तु अधृष्यः सर्वभूतानां चचाराथ वसुंधराम्

With the wheel of action set in motion, powerful, he brings an end to the mlecchas; invincible among all beings, he then roams the earth.

मानवस्य तु सो ऽंशेन देवस्येह विजज्ञिवान् पूर्वजन्मनि विष्णोस्तु प्रमितिर्नाम वीर्यवान्

By a portion, he is born as a man here, but in a previous birth, Pramiti, powerful, was known as a deity, as Vishnu.

गोत्रतो वै चन्द्रमसः पूर्णे कलियुगे प्रभुः द्वात्रिंशे ऽभ्युदिते वर्षे प्रक्रान्तो विंशतिः समाः

From the lunar lineage, when the Kali age is complete, the lord, in the thirty-second year, begins his twenty-year journey.

विनिघ्नन्सर्वभूतानि शतशो ऽथ सहस्रशः कृत्वा बीजावशेषां तु पृथिवीं क्रूरकर्मणः

Destroying all beings by the hundreds and thousands, he left only seeds remaining on the earth through his cruel deeds.

परस्परनिमित्तेन कोपेनाकस्मिकेन तु स साधयित्वा वृषलान् प्रायशस् तान् अधार्मिकान्

Driven by mutual causes and sudden anger, he subdued and destroyed almost all the unrighteous outcastes.

गङ्गायमुनयोर्मध्ये स्थितिं प्राप्तः सहानुगः ततो व्यतीते काले तु सामात्यः सहसैनिकः

With his followers, he took up residence between the Ganga and Yamuna; then, after some time had passed, he remained there with his ministers and army.

उत्साद्य पार्थिवान् सर्वान् म्लेच्छांश्चैव सहस्रशः तत्र संध्यांशके काले सम्प्राप्ते तु युगान्तिके

Having overthrown all the kings and thousands of foreigners, at the twilight of the age, when the end of the yuga approached—

स्थितास्वल्पावशिष्टासु प्रजास्विह क्वचित्क्वचित् अप्रग्रहास्ततस्ता वै लोभाविष्टास्तु कृत्स्नशः

When only a few people remained here and there, those who were left, seized by greed, became unrestrained in every way.

उपहिंसन्ति चान्योन्यं प्रणिपत्य परस्परम् अराजके युगवशात् संशये समुपस्थिते

They began to harm one another, even after bowing to each other; in the absence of a king, as the age dictated, uncertainty prevailed.