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Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 12

Kali-yuga’s Degradation, the Advent of Kalki, and the Reset of the Yuga Cycle

क्षीयमाणेषु देहेषु देहिनां कलिदोषत: । वर्णाश्रमवतां धर्मे नष्टे वेदपथे नृणाम् ॥ १२ ॥ पाषण्डप्रचुरे धर्मे दस्युप्रायेषु राजसु । चौर्यानृतवृथाहिंसानानावृत्तिषु वै नृषु ॥ १३ ॥ शूद्रप्रायेषु वर्णेषुच्छागप्रायासु धेनुषु । गृहप्रायेष्वाश्रमेषु यौनप्रायेषु बन्धुषु ॥ १४ ॥ अणुप्रायास्वोषधीषु शमीप्रायेषु स्थास्नुषु । विद्युत्प्रायेषु मेघेषु शून्यप्रायेषु सद्मसु ॥ १५ ॥ इत्थं कलौ गतप्राये जनेषु खरधर्मिषु । धर्मत्राणाय सत्त्वेन भगवानवतरिष्यति ॥ १६ ॥

kṣīyamāṇeṣu deheṣu dehināṁ kali-doṣataḥ varṇāśramavatāṁ dharme naṣṭe veda-pathe nṛṇām

By the time the Age of Kali ends, the bodies of all creatures will be greatly reduced in size, and the religious principles of followers of varṇāśrama will be ruined. The path of the Vedas will be completely forgotten in human society, and so-called religion will be mostly atheistic. The kings will mostly be thieves, the occupations of men will be stealing, lying and needless violence, and all the social classes will be reduced to the lowest level of śūdras. Cows will be like goats, spiritual hermitages will be no different from mundane houses, and family ties will extend no further than the immediate bonds of marriage. Most plants and herbs will be tiny, and all trees will appear like dwarf śamī trees. Clouds will be full of lightning, homes will be devoid of piety, and all human beings will have become like asses. At that time, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear on the earth. Acting with the power of pure spiritual goodness, He will rescue eternal religion.

क्षीयमाणेषुin (bodies) that are wasting away
क्षीयमाणेषु:
अधिकरण (सप्तमी/अधिकरण)
TypeAdjective
Rootक्षी (धातु) + यमाण (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
Formवर्तमानकाले कर्मणि/भावे शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्
देहेषुin bodies
देहेषु:
अधिकरण (सप्तमी/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootदेह (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे नपुंसकत्वं सामान्यं), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन
देहिनाम्of the embodied beings
देहिनाम्:
सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootदेहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)
कलि-दोषतःdue to the fault of Kali
कलि-दोषतः:
हेतु (कारण/हेतु)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकलि (प्रातिपदिक) + दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: कल्याः दोषः); तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) = 'from/because of'
वर्ण-आश्रम-वताम्of those who have (the system of) varṇas and āśramas
वर्ण-आश्रम-वताम्:
सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित)
Formवर्ण+आश्रम इति द्वन्द्व-समास (समाहार/इतरेतर-आधार); तदन्ते वत्-तद्धित (possessing); पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन
धर्मेin dharma
धर्मे:
अधिकरण (सप्तमी/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootधर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन
नष्टेwhen (it is) destroyed/lost
नष्टे:
अधिकरण (सप्तमी/अधिकरण)
TypeAdjective
Rootनश् (धातु) → नष्ट (कृदन्त)
Formभूतकाले क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (धर्मे इत्यस्य)
वेद-पथेin the path of the Veda
वेद-पथे:
अधिकरण (सप्तमी/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootवेद (प्रातिपदिक) + पथ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: वेदस्य पथः); पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन
नृणाम्of men
नृणाम्:
सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootनृ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

Significantly, these verses point out that most so-called religions in this age will be atheistic ( pāsaṇḍa-pracure dharme ). In confirmation of the Bhāgavatam’s prediction, the United States Supreme Court has recently ruled that to be considered a religion a system of belief need not recognize a supreme being. Also, many atheistic, voidistic belief systems, often imported from the Orient, have attracted the attention of modern atheistic scientists, who expound on the similarities between Eastern and Western voidism in fashionable, esoteric books.