When the sacred duties ordained by the Vedas and Smṛtis have all but vanished from the earth, and only a faint glimmer of virtue remains, then a wondrous event will occur. A portion of the all-pervading, self-born Lord Vāsudeva—without beginning, middle, or end, and endowed with every divine quality and power—will descend to the world as Kalki. He will be born in the house of Viṣṇuyaśas, the foremost Brāhmaṇa of the village of Śambhala. As Kalki, the Lord will destroy all mlecchas, thieves, and those of evil conduct and mind, restoring righteousness and the proper order of duties to the world. With the end of the Kali age, as though awakening from a long night’s sleep, the people’s minds in those regions will become pure and transparent, clear as flawless crystal petals. Among these purified folk, even the elders will bring forth children suited to that era, and these children will embody the standards and virtues of the Kṛta (Golden) Age. It is said that when the Moon, the Sun, and Jupiter (Bṛhaspati) all unite in one sign, then the Kṛta Age will indeed dawn. O best of sages, thus have the kings of the two great lineages—past, present, and future—been described for you. The period from the birth of Parīkṣit to the coronation of Nanda spans one thousand and fifty years. Of the Seven Sages, those two who rise first in the sky mark an important sign; the constellation seen between them at night is to be observed. The Seven Sages remain joined with that constellation for a hundred years of men; at the time of Parīkṣit, O best of the twice-born, they were in Maghā. Thereafter, the Kali age began, spanning twelve hundred years. When the divine portion of Lord Viṣṇu, born in the family of Vasudeva, ascended to heaven, Kali entered this world. As long as Lord Viṣṇu touched the earth with his lotus feet, Kali could not embrace the land. But when that eternal portion of Viṣṇu departed to heaven, Dharma’s son Yudhiṣṭhira, with his brothers, renounced the kingdom. Seeing inauspicious omens after Kṛṣṇa’s departure, the Pāṇḍava performed the coronation of Parīkṣit. When those great sages are about to proceed to Pūrvāṣāḍhā, from that time onward, an increase in movement will be observed. On the very day that Kṛṣṇa ascended to heaven, know that the Kali Yuga began. Its duration, O twice-born, will be three hundred and sixty thousand years by human reckoning. In divine years, this is seven hundred and five; when that time is completed, the Kṛta Yuga will arise again. O best of the twice-born, in every age, thousands of noble souls have been born among brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras. Because of the multitude of names, their repetition, and similarity in each lineage, I have not enumerated them all. Devāpi, the Paurava king, and Puru, descended from the Ikṣvāku line, endowed with great yogic power, now dwell in the village of Kalāpa. In the coming Kṛta Yuga, these two will return as the founders of the kṣatriya line, established as seeds of Manu’s lineage. By this succession, the earth has been ruled by Manu’s descendants through the Kṛta, Tretā, and Dvāpara ages. Even in the Kali Yuga, some of these seed-bearers remain, just as Devāpi and Puru are presently established. Thus, I have briefly described to you the lineage of kings; its full recounting would take more than a hundred years. These and other kings, blinded by delusion, have claimed ownership over the earth, though they themselves are ever subject to decay. They thought, “How is this earth mine? How will it belong to my son or my lineage?”—but all of them met their end. Others came before them, and still others after them; and those yet to come will also be succeeded by others. Watching these kings, eager for conquest and anxious for expeditions, the earth herself seems to laugh in autumn, adorned with blossoming flowers. Maitreya, listen to the verses sung by the Earth, which the sage Asita once spoke to the righteous king Dharmadhvaja: The Earth herself said: “How does such delusion arise even among wise kings, that, though they share the same duties, their minds become excessively trusting? First, having conquered themselves, ministers desire to conquer others; then, they seek to subdue servants, citizens, and enemies alike. Thinking, ‘By this sequence we shall conquer the earth with its oceans,’ their minds become attached, and they do not see death, which is close at hand. The ocean becomes a boundary, and the world falls under their control; but what is the liberation gained by conquering oneself, and what is its fruit? Having abandoned their ancestors, and departed without taking them, kings, out of great delusion, desire to conquer me. Because of me, conflict arises among fathers and sons, and brothers as well, due to extreme delusion and the attachment of their minds. This whole earth is mine, it belongs to me and to my lineage forever; whoever, after death, became king elsewhere, had this mistaken thought. Seeing a mind bound by attachment, leaving me and going under the sway of death, how does attachment, born from me, take hold in the heart of one who follows him? ‘This earth is mine—quickly abandon it!’—say kings through their messengers to their enemies; among them, my attachment is excessive, yet compassion arises again for the deluded.” Thus, Maitreya, these are the verses of the Earth-song. When heard, attachment melts away, just as snow dissolves in the heat of the sun.