Linga Purana

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.

प्रजास्ता वै ततः सर्वाः परस्परभयार्दिताः व्याकुलाश् च परिभ्रान्तास् त्यक्त्वा दारान् गृहाणि च

Then all the people, tormented by mutual fear, became distressed and wandered about, abandoning their families and homes.

स्वान्प्राणान् अनपेक्षन्तो निष्कारुण्याः सुदुःखिताः नष्टे श्रौते स्मार्तधर्मे परस्परहतास्तदा

Indifferent to their own lives, utterly without compassion and deeply miserable, with Vedic and customary law destroyed, they began to kill each other.

निर्मर्यादा निराक्रान्ता निःस्नेहा निरपत्रपाः नष्टे धर्मे प्रतिहताः ह्रस्वकाः पञ्चविंशकाः

Devoid of boundaries, expelled, without affection or shame, with righteousness lost and their strength broken, they became dwarfed and reduced to just twenty-five.

हित्वा पुत्रांश् च दारांश् च विवादव्याकुलेन्द्रियाः अनावृष्टिहताश्चैव वार्तामुत्सृज्य दूरतः

Abandoning sons and wives, their senses disturbed by disputes, struck by drought, they gave up their livelihoods and wandered far away.

प्रत्यन्तानुपसेवन्ते हित्वा जनपदान् स्वकान् सरित्सागरकूपांस्ते सेवन्ते पर्वतांस् तथा

They dwelled in borderlands, leaving their own countries, and sought out rivers, seas, wells, and also mountains.

मधुमांसैर्मूलफलैर् वर्तयन्ति सुदुःखिताः चीरपत्राजिनधरा निष्क्रिया निष्परिग्रहाः

Suffering greatly, they survived on honey, meat, roots, and fruits, wearing bark, leaves, or animal skins, with no rituals and no possessions.

वर्णाश्रमपरिभ्रष्टाः संकटं घोरमास्थिताः एवं कष्टमनुप्राप्ता अल्पशेषाः प्रजास्तदा

Having fallen away from caste and stage of life, they entered terrible hardship; thus, at that time, only a few people remained, enduring great suffering.

जराव्याधिक्षुधाविष्टा दुःखान्निर्वेदमानसाः विचारणा तु निर्वेदात् साम्यावस्था विचारणा

Afflicted by old age, disease, and hunger, their minds overwhelmed by sorrow and despair, from that despair arose reflection, and from reflection, a state of equality.

साम्यावस्थात्मको बोधः संबोधाद्धर्मशीलता अरूपशमयुक्तास्तु कलिशिष्टा हि वै स्वयम्

Awareness characterized by equality arises; from awakening comes righteousness and virtue, and those left at the end of Kali, though without form or restraint, possess this themselves.

अहोरात्रात्तदा तासां युगं तु परिवर्तते चित्तसंमोहनं कृत्वा तासां वै सुप्तमत्तवत्

Then, for them, the age turns over in a single day and night, their minds bewildered as if in sleep or intoxication.