Brahma Purana Chapter 122-123) Foretelling future (Part-1)

The sages said:

1. What has been narrated by you, O Vyāsa, regarding the inscrutable Māyā of Viṣṇu, has been heard by us.

2. From you, O great sage, we wish to hear the precise process of annihilation at the end of a Kalpa, called Mahāpralaya.

Vyāsa said:

3. Let it be heard precisely, O excellent sages, how the process of annihilation takes place at the end of a Kalpa as well as at the time of Prākṛta Pralaya.

4. O excellent brahmins, the human month is a day unto the Pitṛs (Manes), the human year is a day unto the heaven-dwellers and a thousand sets of four Yugas constitute a day of Brahmā.

5. Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali constitute a set of four Yugas containing twelve thousand Divine years.

6. The four Yugas are similar in form. Kṛta is the Yuga first. O sages, Kaliyuga is the last.

7. That is because creation is carried out by Brahmā in the first Kṛta yuga and similarly annihilation is carried out in the end in the Kaliyuga.

The sages said:

8. O holy Sir, it beloves you to describe in detail the nature of Kaliyuga when the four-footed sacred Dharma undergoes deficiency.

Vyāsa said:

9. Understand the form of Kali, O sinless brahmins, about which you have asked me. It is extensive but understand it briefly.

10. In the age of Kali the actions of men are not based on the conduct prescribed for Varṇas and Āśramas. Nor do they follow the specific injunctions of the Sāma, Ṛk and Yajus Vedas as their guide.

11. In Kaliyuga marriages are not sacred ties, students are not under the control of preceptors, sons are not righteous, there are no orderly holy rites in the sacred fire.

12. In Kaliyuga the strongest man, whoever he may be and in whichever family he is born, becomes the lord of all. Man maintains himself through girls taken from all the castes.

13. A brahmin is initiated in the Kali age by any expedient and, O leading brahmins, anything can be considered a mode of atonement.

14. Everything is considered a sacred text in the Kali age, O brahmins. Whoever utters whatever thing is taken to be a holy scripture. Deities are on the same footing in the Kali age. Everything is everyone’s Āśrama (stage in life).

15. Fast, exertion and charity constitute pious activities in Kali age and rites are performed as one pleases.

16. In Kali age men become haughty and arrogant even with a little wealth. Pride of beauty in women will be on the basis of their tresses of hair.

17. As gold, jewels, diamonds as well as garments dwindle in the Kali age, women will be embellished by their tresses.

18. Women will forsake their husbands having no wealth. In Kali age it is the moneyed man who becomes the lord of damsels.

19. Whoever gives the maximum amount is considered their lord. Nobility in men is based on this lordship.

20. Hoarded wealth is exhausted in the maintenance of a home; intellect has the one end of hoarding wealth; riches come to an end in the enjoyment of pleasures in Kali age.

21. Women in Kali age will be harlots desirous of luxury. They covet men who have earned much by illegal means.

22. At that time, O brahmins, no man will brook a loss to his vested interest even to the extent of a fourth of a Paṇa (the smallest coin) even when he is entreated by his own friend.

23. O brahmins, in the Kali age, the mind will always be manly and courageous. Cows will be solemnly honoured as long as they yield milk.

24. Fearing a drought the subjects will be afraid of hunger. They will then have their eyes riveted to the sky.

25. Like the sages of yore men will have roots, leaves and fruits for their food. They will think of killing themselves in their misery due to the absence of rain.

26. They will have perpetual famine and pain. They will he incapable of mastering things. By virtue of their lapses their happiness will be spoiled.

27. At the advent of Kali age people will take food without taking bath. They will not honour and worship fire, gods, and guests. They will not offer libations and oblations with water and balls of rice.

28. In Kali age women will be greedy and lecherous. They will have puny bodies but they will be gluttonous. They will have little good fortune but plenty of offsprings.

29. Scratching their heads with hands, women will disobey their elders and husbands. They will be unrestrained.

30. Women will be furious. They will be more interested in sustaining themselves; they will be wanting in the purity of bodies. They will habitually speak harsh and untruthful words.

31. Even the women of noble families will be ill-behaved. They will yearn for men of bad conduct. They will be unchaste and disloyal to their husbands.

32. Men of no holy rites will study the Vedas. Householders will not perform homas nor will they give appropriate things in charity.

33. Forest-dwellers will take to the diet pertaining to the villagers. Mendicants will be influenced by filial affection and other contacts towards sons.

34. At the advent of Kali age kings will no longer protect their subjects. They will take the wealth of common man under the pretext of taxes and fees.

35. Whoever happens to possess horses, chariots and elephants will become the king. In the Kali age, those who happen to be weak will be servants.

36. Vaiśyas will forsake their traditional duty such as agriculture, trade etc., and take to the Śūdra activities. They will sustain themselves by means of crafts etc.

37. Śūdras will take up the holy rite of begging for alms. Base men will display their signs of renunciation. Unconsecrated men will resort to heretic activities.

38. Harassed by the burden of taxes and famine, people will become miserable. They will migrate to those lands where wheat and barley abound.

39. As the Vedic path falls into disuse, as the people become more and more heretic, sins will increase and the span of life of the people will shrink.

40. When men begin to undertake austerities not prescribed by sacred texts there will be infantile mortality due to the fault of kings.

41. Girls will give birth to children at the ages of five, six and seven years begotten by men of the ages of eight, nine and ten.

42. Hairs will begin to turn grey at the twelfth year. No one will live upto the twentieth year.

43. Men will be destroyed in a short time because their wisdom and intelligence will be mediocre and their kings will be wicked. They will wear false marks.

44. The increase in the severity of the Kali age should be inferred by wise persons as the heretic activities are observed more and more.

45. Whenever there is destruction and loss of good people following the Vedic path the increase in the severity of Kali age should be inferred by wise persons.

46. When the undertakings of men of virtuous activities do not flourish, O brahmins, the prominence of Kali age should be inferred by wise persons.

47. When persons cease to perform sacrifices in the worship of Puruṣottama, lord of sacrifices, the influence of Kali age should be inferred.

48. The increase in the severity of Kali should be inferred by wise and intelligent persons when there is no interest in Vedic discussions and heretical doctrines are entertained.

49. In the Kali age, O brahmins, men overpowered by heresy will never worship Viṣṇu, the lord of the Universe, the Supreme lord, the Creator of everything.

50. Men influenced by heresy will prattle thus: of what avail are Devas? Of what use are the brahmins and the Vedas? Of what avail is the purificatory wash with water?”.

51. At the advent of Kali age, O brahmins, clouds will shower less rain, plants will produce less, and fruits will have less nutritional value.

52. In Kali age clothes will come down only upto the knees, the trees will be like the Śamī tree, the castes will exhibit the characteristics of Śūdras.

53. When the Kali age approaches and advances food-grains will turn into atoms; cow milk will be mostly that got from goats and the unguent will be Uśita grass.

54. In the Kali age, O excellent sages, mothers- and fathers-in-law will be mainly considered elders. Men and women shall take food in open buildings (Eating Houses) along with their friends (?).

55. Men following their fathers-in-law will say: “Whose mother? Whose father? A man is the product of his own Karman.”

56. Men of insignificant intellect will be afflicted again and again by verbal, mental and physical faults and they will commit sins everyday.

57. O brahmins, everything that is conducive to misery in respect of persons without truth, cleanliness and honourable shyness will take place in the Kali age.

58. At that time when there is no self-study of the Vedas, when there is no utterance of the Mantra Vaṣaṭ, when there is no utterance of Svadhā and Svāhā, there will rarely be a brahmin in the world.

59. In a short time he will perform an excellent meritorious rite which in the Kṛta yuga is done by hard penance.

The sages said:

60. At what time does a simple act of piety yield a great benefit? It behoves you to mention it entirely. We have a keen desire to hear.

Vyāsa said:

61. In the blessed Kali age, O brahmins, there shall be a great benefit through less strain. Women and Śūdras shall become blessed. Understand one thing more.

62-63. In regard to penance, practice of celibacy, performance of Japa, O brahmins, what is achieved in the Kṛtayuga in ten years is achieved in a year in the Tretāyuga. It is achieved in a month in the Dvāparayuga and in a day and night in the Kaliyuga. Hence we can say a person achieves good things in the Kali age easily.

64. By singing songs in praise of Keśava in the Kali age one obtains what one obtains in the Kṛta yuga by meditation, in the Tretā yuga by performing sacrifices and in the Dvāpara by conducting worship.

65. In the Kali age, a person attains increased virtue by means of a simple effort. People become well-versed in piety with a little strain. Hence I am pleased with Kali age.

66-69. Formerly, the twice-born grasped the Vedas by observing the holy rites. Thereafter, they performed sacrifices by means of wealth acquired by pious means. Meaningless talk, eating unconsecrated food (Vrata Bhojana) and aimless squandering of money (Vrata Svam) shall lead to the downfall of the twice-born along with their attendants. Improper performance of everything leads to faults. O brahmins, the twice-born cannot take in food and drink as they wish because they are bound by certain conventions in every activity. They are endowed with humility and they attain other worlds with great stress and strain.

70. But a Śūdra achieves salvation merely by serving the twice-born. He is authorized in Pākayajña (mere cooking of his food is no less than a Yajña). Hence a Śūdra is more blessed.

71. In the Kaliyuga, there is no restriction on what should be eaten or what should not be eaten. There is no restraining law in regard to sins. O leading sages, hence this has been mentioned as something good.

72. Wealth should be acquired by men without a conflict with their duties; wealth should be distributed among deserving persons; sacrifices should be duly performed.

73. In its acquisition and maintenance there is great strain and pain, O excellent brahmins. Similarly, in the matter of utilising it properly too there is great effort; wealth should be known as something very difficult to deal with.

74. By means of these and other strenuous efforts, O excellent brahmins, people attain Prājāpatya and other worlds in due order.

75. A women attains other worlds by duly serving her husband by thoughts, words and deeds. That is because, O brahmins, she attains the same world as he.

76. Thus she attains those worlds without much effort like the man.

For the third time it has been mentioned by me that women are good.

77. Thus has been mentioned, O brahmins, what you have come here for. Hence, ask as you please. I shall explain everything clearly to you.

78-80. In the Kali age, virtue is achieved with very little effort by men who wash off their sins by means of water in the form of qualities of the soul. O excellent sages, the same is achieved by Śūdras devoted to the service of the twice-born. Similarly, it is achieved by women without strain merely by serving their husbands. Hence, all these three are considered by me highly blessed.

In the Kṛta and other yugas the twice-born have to undergo great strain in accomplishing piety.

81-82. But O excellent sages, in Kaliyuga, men attain Siddhi (spiritual achievement) by means of simple austerities. Blessed people act virtually. O sages, conversant with virtue, what has been desired by you has been described by me even without being asked. What else shall be done, O brahmins?