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.
उपभोगसमर्थानि एवं कृतयुगादिषु एवं कृतस्य संतानः कलेश्चैव क्षयस्तथा
Fit for enjoyment, such are the bodies in the beginning of the Krita and other ages; thus, the continuation of Krita, and likewise the decline in Kali.
विचारणात्तु निर्वेदः साम्यावस्थात्मना तथा ततश्चैवात्मसम्बोधः सम्बोधाद्धर्मशीलता
From reflection comes dispassion, and from the state of equality of mind, then arises self-knowledge; from self-knowledge comes righteousness.
कलिशिष्टेषु तेष्वेवं जायन्ते पूर्ववत्प्रजाः भाविनो ऽर्थस्य च बलात् ततः कृतमवर्तत
Thus, among those who survive Kali, people are born as before; by the force of the coming age, the Krita age then returns.
अतीतानागतानि स्युर् यानि मन्वन्तरेष्विह एते युगस्वभावास्तु मयोक्तास्तु समासतः
Whatever has occurred or will occur in these Manvantaras, these are the essential characteristics of the ages, which I have briefly described.
विस्तरेणानुपूर्व्याच्च नमस्कृत्य स्वयम्भुवे प्रवृत्ते तु ततस्तस्मिन् पुनः कृतयुगे तु वै
In detail and in order, having bowed to the Self-born, when the cycle begins again, then the Krita age indeed returns.
उत्पन्नाः कलिशिष्टेषु प्रजाः कार्तयुगास्तथा तिष्ठन्ति चेह ये सिद्धा अदृष्टा विहरन्ति च
Those people born at the end of Kali are also of the Krita age; and those perfected beings who remain here, though unseen, move about.
सह सप्तर्षिभिर्ये तु तत्र ये च व्यवस्थिताः ब्रह्मक्षत्रविशः शूद्रा बीजार्थे य इह स्मृताः कार्तयुगभवैः सार्धं निर्विशेषास्तदाभवन्
Together with the Seven Sages and those established there, the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras—those remembered here for the sake of seed—became undifferentiated along with the beings of the Krita age.
तेषां सप्तर्षयो धर्मं कथयन्तीह तेषु च
Among them, the Seven Sages here expound righteousness to those people.
वर्णाश्रमाचारयुतं श्रौतस्मार्तविधानतः एवं तेषु क्रियावत्सु प्रवर्तन्तीह वै कृते
Endowed with the practices of the orders and classes, according to Vedic and traditional injunctions, thus, when these rites are performed, the Krita age is established here.
श्रौतस्मार्तस्थितानां तु धर्मे सप्तर्षिदर्शिते ते तु धर्मव्यवस्थार्थं तिष्ठन्तीह कृते युगे
For those who abide in Vedic and traditional righteousness as shown by the Seven Sages, they remain here in the Krita age for the establishment of righteousness.