एषा कलियुगावस्था संध्यांशौ तु निबोधत युगे युगे तु हीयन्ते त्रींस्त्रीन्पादांश्च सिद्धयः
This is the condition of the Kali age; now understand the portions of twilight: in each age, three-fourths of success diminishes.
युगस्वभावाः संध्यासु अवतिष्ठन्ति पादतः संध्यास्वभावाः स्वांशेषु पादेनैवावतस्थिरे
The inherent qualities of the ages abide in the twilights by a quarter; the qualities of the twilights themselves remain in their own portions, only by a quarter.
एवं संध्यांशके काले सम्प्राप्ते तु युगान्तिके तेषामधर्मिणां शास्ता भृगूणां च कुले स्थितः
Thus, when the twilight portion at the end of the age arrives, the ruler of the unrighteous, established in the lineage of Bhrigu, appears.
गोत्रेण वै चन्द्रमसो नाम्ना प्रमतिरुच्यते कलिसंध्यांशभागेषु मनोः स्वायम्भुवे ऽन्तरे
By lineage of the Moon, he is called by the name Pramati; in the twilight portion of Kali, during the interval of Manu Svayambhuva.
समास्त्रिंशत्तु सम्पूर्णाः पर्यटन्वै वसुंधराम् अश्वकर्मा स वै सेनां हस्त्यश्वरथसंकुलाम्
For thirty years, he roamed the earth; skilled with horses, he led an army teeming with elephants, horses, and chariots.
प्रगृहीतायुधैर्विप्रैः शतशो ऽथ सहस्रशः स तदा तैः परिवृतो म्लेच्छान्सर्वान् निजघ्निवान्
Surrounded then by hundreds and thousands of Brahmins armed with weapons, he destroyed all the Mlecchas.
स हत्वा सर्वशश्चैव राजानः शूद्रयोनयः पाषण्डान्स सदा सर्वान् निःशेषानकरोत्प्रभुः
Having slain all the kings of Shudra origin and all heretics, that lord made them utterly extinct.
अधार्मिकाश्च ये केचित् तान्सर्वान्हन्ति सर्वशः उदीच्यान्मध्यदेशांश्च पार्वतीयांस्तथैव च
Whoever were unrighteous, he destroyed them all completely—those from the north, the central lands, and likewise those from the mountains.
प्राच्यान्प्रतीच्यांश्च तथा विन्ध्यपृष्ठापरान्तिकान् तथैव दाक्षिणात्यांश्च द्रविडान्सिंहलैः सह
He likewise destroyed those from the east and west, those beyond the Vindhya mountains, and those from the south, including the Dravidas together with the Sinhalas.
गान्धारान्पारदांश्चैव पह्लवान्यवनाञ्छकान् तुषारान्बर्बराञ्छ्वेतान् हलिकान्दरदान्खसान्
The Gandharas, Paradas, Pahlavas, Yavanas, Shakas, Tusharas, Barbaras, Shvetas, Halikas, Daradas, and Khasas—
लम्पकान् आन्ध्रकांश्चापि चोरजातींस्तथैव च प्रवृत्तचक्रो बलवाञ् छूद्राणामन्तकृद्बभौ
The Lampakas, Andhrakas, and likewise the robber tribes—he, powerful and with his wheel set in motion, became the destroyer of the Shudras.
विद्राव्य सर्वभूतानि चचार वसुधामिमाम् मानवस्य तु वंशे तु नृदेवस्येह जज्ञिवान्
Having driven away all beings, he roamed this earth; born in the lineage of Manu, he was here born as a kingly god.
पूर्वजन्मनि विष्णुश्च प्रमतिर्नाम वीर्यवान् सुतः स वै चन्द्रमसः पूर्वे कलियुगे प्रभुः
In a previous birth, he was Vishnu, named Pramati, mighty; he was the son of the Moon, lord in the former Kali age.
द्वात्रिंशे ऽभ्युदिते वर्षे प्रक्रान्तो विंशतिं समाः निजघ्ने सर्वभूतानि मानुषाण्येव सर्वशः
In the thirty-second year, having begun, for twenty years he destroyed all beings, especially all humans.
कृत्वा बीजावशिष्टां तां पृथ्वीं क्रूरेण कर्मणा परस्परनिमित्तेन कालेनाकस्मिकेन च
Having left only seeds remaining on the earth by his cruel deeds, through mutual causes and sudden time.
संस्थिता सहसा या तु सेना प्रमतिना सह गङ्गायमुनयोर्मध्ये सिद्धिं प्राप्ता समाधिना
The army that suddenly remained with Pramati attained perfection through meditation, between the Ganga and Yamuna rivers.
ततस्तेषु प्रनष्टेषु संध्यांशे कूरकर्मसु उत्साद्य पार्थिवान्सर्वांस् तेष्वतीतेषु वै तदा
Then, when those portions of twilight and the prescribed rites were lost, and all the kings had been destroyed, when those times had passed,
ततः संध्यांशके काले सम्प्राप्ते च युगान्तिके स्थितास्वल्पावशिष्टासु प्रजास्विह क्वचित् क्वचित्
Then, when the portion of twilight arrived at the end of the age, and only a few scattered beings remained here and there,
स्वाप्रदानास् तदा ते वै लोभाविष्टास्तु वृन्दशः उपहिंसन्ति चान्योन्यं प्रलुम्पन्ति परस्परम्
At that time, overcome by greed, they withheld gifts, gathered in groups, harmed one another, and plundered each other.
अराजके युगांशे तु संक्षये समुपस्थिते प्रजास्ता वै तदा सर्वाः परस्परभयार्दिताः
In that portion of the age, when there was no king and destruction was at hand, all the people were afflicted by fear of one another.
व्याकुलास्ताः परावृत्तास् त्यक्त्वा देवं गृहाणि तु स्वान्स्वान्प्राणानवेक्षन्तो निष्कारुण्यात् सुदुःखिताः
Distressed and turned away, abandoning gods and their homes, each one cared only for their own life, devoid of compassion and deeply miserable.
नष्टे श्रौतस्मृते धर्मे कामक्रोधवशानुगाः निर्मर्यादा निरानन्दा निःस्नेहा निरपत्रपाः
With the Vedic and traditional law lost, driven by desire and anger, they became without boundaries, without joy, without affection, and without shame.
नष्टे धर्मे प्रतिहता ह्रस्वकाः पञ्चविंशकाः हित्वा दारांश्च पुत्रांश्च विषादव्याकुलप्रजाः
With righteousness lost and their strength diminished to a mere twenty-five, abandoning wives and children, the people were overcome by grief and confusion.
अनावृष्टिहतास्ते वै वार्त्तामुत्सृज्य दुःखिताः आश्रयन्ति स्म प्रत्यन्तान् हित्वा जनपदान्स्वकान्
Struck by drought, they abandoned their livelihoods in sorrow, left their own lands, and sought refuge in border regions.
सरितः सागरानूपान् सेवन्ते पर्वतानपि चीरकृष्णाजिनधरा निष्क्रिया निष्परिग्रहाः
They took to rivers, seashores, and even mountains, wearing bark and black antelope skins, performing no rites, and possessing nothing.
वर्णाश्रमपरिभ्रष्टाः संकरं घोरमास्थिताः एवं कष्टमनुप्राप्ता ह्य् अल्पशेषाः प्रजास्ततः
Having fallen away from the order of caste and stage of life, they entered into terrible confusion; thus, the remaining people endured great hardship.
जन्तवश्च क्षुधाविष्टा दुःखान्निर्वेदमागमन् संश्रयन्ति च देशांस्तांश् चक्रवत्परिवर्तनाः
Creatures, overcome by hunger and suffering, became despondent and wandered from place to place, constantly changing like a wheel.
ततः प्रजास्तु ताः सर्वा मांसाहारा भवन्ति हि मृगान्वराहान्वृषभान् ये चान्ये वनचारिणः
Then all those people became eaters of flesh, consuming deer, boars, bulls, and other forest-dwelling animals.
भक्ष्यांश्चैवाप्यभक्ष्यांश्च सर्वांस्तान्भक्षयन्ति ताः समुद्रं संश्रिता यास्तु नदीश्चैव प्रजास्तु ताः
They ate both what was fit and unfit for food, consuming everything; and those who took refuge in the sea and rivers did the same.
ते ऽपि मत्स्यान्हरन्तीह आहारार्थं च सर्वशः अभक्ष्याहारदोषेण एकवर्णगताः प्रजाः
They too caught fish here for food in every way; through the fault of eating the forbidden, all people became of one class.