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.
यथा कृतयुगे पूर्वम् एकवर्णमभूत्किल तथा कलियुगस्यान्ते शूद्रीभूताः प्रजास्तथा
Just as in the beginning of the Krita age there was only one class, so at the end of the Kali age, all people became like Shudras.
एवं वर्षशतं पूर्णं दिव्यं तेषां न्यवर्तत षट्त्रिंशच्च सहस्राणि मानुषाणि तु तानि वै
Thus, a full hundred divine years passed for them, and those were thirty-six thousand human years.
अथ दीर्घेण कालेन पक्षिणः पशवस्तथा मत्स्याश्चैव हताः सर्वैः क्षुधाविष्टैश्च सर्वशः
Then, after a long time, birds, animals, and fish were all killed by those who were overcome by hunger.
निःशेषेष्वथ सर्वेषु मत्स्यपक्षिपशुष्वथ संध्यांशे प्रतिपन्ने तु निःशेषास्तु तदा कृताः
When all the fish, birds, and animals were completely gone, and the portion of twilight had arrived, then all were utterly destroyed.
ततः प्रजास्तु सम्भूय कन्दमूलमथो ऽखनन् फलमूलाशनाः सर्वे अनिकेतास्तथैव च
Then the people, gathering together, dug up roots and tubers; all subsisted on fruits and roots, and likewise lived without fixed dwellings.
वल्कलान्यथ वासांसि अधःशय्याश्च सर्वशः परिग्रहो न तेष्वस्ति धनशुद्धिमवाप्नुयुः
Their garments were bark-cloth, and they all slept on the ground; they possessed nothing, and thus attained purity of wealth.
एवं क्षयं गमिष्यन्ति ह्य् अल्पशिष्टाः प्रजास्तदा तासामल्पावशिष्टानाम् आहारादृद्धिरिष्यते
In this way, the people—few remaining—will decline; for those few who are left, abundance will arise from their food.
एवं वर्षशतं दिव्यं संध्यांशस्तस्य वर्तते ततो वर्षशतस्यान्ते अल्पशिष्टाः स्त्रियः सुताः
Thus, for a divine hundred years, the twilight period endures; at the end of that century, only a few women and children remain.
मिथुनानि तु ताः सर्वा ह्य् अन्योन्यं सम्प्रजज्ञिरे ततस्तास्तु म्रियन्ते वै पूर्वोत्पन्नाः प्रजास्तु याः
All those women then unite in pairs and produce offspring with one another; then, those previously born people die.
जातमात्रेष्वपत्येषु ततः कृतमवर्तत यथा स्वर्गे शरीराणि नरके चैव देहिनाम्
As soon as children are born, the conditions of the Krita age arise, just as bodies exist in heaven and in hell for embodied beings.