Shloka 27
Kali-yuga Dynasties and the Degradation of Kingship
सप्ताभीरा आवभृत्या दश गर्दभिनो नृपा: । कङ्का: षोडश भूपाला भविष्यन्त्यतिलोलुपा: ॥ २७ ॥
saptābhīrā āvabhṛtyā daśa gardabhino nṛpāḥ kaṅkāḥ ṣoḍaśa bhū-pālā bhaviṣyanty ati-lolupāḥ
ततः सप्ताभीराः आवभृत्यनगरसम्भवाः नृपाः भविष्यन्ति, ततः दश गर्दभिनः। तेषामनन्तरं षोडश कङ्कभूपालाः राज्यं करिष्यन्ति, अतिलोभेन प्रसिद्धाः॥
FAQs
In this verse, Śukadeva Gosvāmī foretells successive dynasties—Ābhīras, Āvabhṛtyas, Gardabhīs, and Kaṅkas—describing the later rulers as excessively greedy, reflecting the moral decline of Kali-yuga governance.
He was answering Parīkṣit’s inquiries about the course of time in Kali-yuga—how dharma diminishes and how rulers and society change—so the king could understand the age’s dangers and fix his consciousness on devotion to the Lord.
It warns seekers not to place ultimate faith in changing political power and material leadership; instead, cultivate steadiness through bhakti, ethical living, and discernment, especially when greed becomes socially normalized.