Shloka 16
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
À la fin de l’âge de Kali, sous l’effet du défaut de Kali, les corps des êtres vivants se réduiront; le dharma du varṇāśrama sera ruiné et la voie des Veda sera oubliée parmi les hommes. La religion sera saturée d’imposture et d’athéisme; les rois seront pour la plupart des brigands; les hommes vivront de vol, de mensonge et de violence inutile; toutes les classes tomberont au niveau des śūdras. Les vaches seront comme des chèvres, les āśramas ne vaudront pas mieux que des maisons mondaines, et les liens familiaux ne dépasseront pas le seul lien du mariage. Les plantes médicinales seront minuscules, les arbres rabougris comme le śamī, les nuages chargés d’éclairs, les demeures privées de piété; les hommes deviendront semblables à des ânes. Alors Bhagavān descendra, porté par la puissance de la pure sattva, pour sauver et protéger le dharma éternel.
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.
FAQs
Bhagavatam 12.2.16 states that when Kali-yuga is nearly finished and people have become degraded, the Supreme Lord will descend in pure goodness to protect and restore dharma.
He is emphasizing extreme moral and spiritual dullness—people burdened by material life and ignorance—setting the context for why divine intervention is needed to reestablish dharma.
Recognize Kali-yuga’s degrading pressures, cultivate sattva through sādhana (hearing, chanting, clean living), and take shelter of the Lord’s guidance as the true protection of dharma.