Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 6
Kali-yuga Dynasties and the Degradation of Kingship
नन्दिवर्धन आजेयो महानन्दि: सुतस्तत: । शिशुनागा दशैवैते सष्ट्युत्तरशतत्रयम् ॥ ६ ॥ समा भोक्ष्यन्ति पृथिवीं कुरुश्रेष्ठ कलौ नृपा: । महानन्दिसुतो राजन् शूद्रागर्भोद्भवो बली ॥ ७ ॥ महापद्मपति: कश्चिन्नन्द: क्षत्रविनाशकृत् । ततो नृपा भविष्यन्ति शूद्रप्रायास्त्वधार्मिका: ॥ ८ ॥
nandivardhana ājeyo mahānandiḥ sutas tataḥ śiśunāgā daśaivaite saṣṭy-uttara-śata-trayam
Ajaya will beget a second Nandivardhana, whose son will be Mahānandi. O best of the Kurus, these ten kings of the Śiśunāga dynasty will rule the earth for a total of 360 years in the age of Kali. My dear King Parīkṣit, Mahānandi will father, in the womb of a śūdra woman, a most powerful son known as Nanda, lord of countless troops and vast riches. He will devastate the kṣatriyas, and thereafter nearly all kings will be irreligious śūdras.
Here is a description of how authentic political authority degenerated and disintegrated throughout the world. There is a Supreme Godhead, and there are saintly, powerful men who have taken the role of government leaders and represented that Godhead on earth. With the advent of the Age of Kali, however, this transcendental system of government collapsed, and unauthorized, uncivilized men gradually took the reins of power.
FAQs
It lists successive Śiśunāga rulers—such as Nandivardhana, Ajeya, and Mahānandi—and states that ten Śiśunāga kings will rule for a combined 360 years.
He is outlining Kali-yuga’s historical progression and decline in dharma, helping Parīkṣit detach from worldly politics and focus on the ultimate shelter—hearing and chanting about Bhagavān.
They remind us that political power and fame are temporary; lasting benefit comes from bhakti—using time for śravaṇa and kīrtana rather than obsession with changing rulers.