Shloka 30
The Earth Laughs at World-Conquering Kings; Yuga-Dharma and the Remedy for Kali
यदा मायानृतं तन्द्रा निद्रा हिंसा विषादनम् । शोकमोहौ भयं दैन्यं स कलिस्तामस: स्मृत: ॥ ३० ॥
yadā māyānṛtaṁ tandrā nidrā hiṁsā viṣādanam śoka-mohau bhayaṁ dainyaṁ sa kalis tāmasaḥ smṛtaḥ
यदा माया अनृतं तन्द्रा निद्रा हिंसा विषादनं, शोकमोहौ भयं दैन्यं च प्राधान्येन वर्तन्ते, स कालिः तामसः स्मृतः।
In Kali-yuga, people are almost exclusively devoted to gross materialism, with hardly any affinity for self-realization.
FAQs
It describes Kali-yuga as a time marked by illusion and deceit, lethargy and excessive sleep, violence, depression, lamentation and delusion, fear, and misery—showing dominance of the mode of ignorance (tamas).
Śukadeva instructs Parīkṣit about the nature of the coming age so he can understand the decline of dharma and remain fixed in spiritual hearing and devotion despite Kali-yuga conditions.
Reduce deceit and harmful habits, avoid violence and despair, and cultivate clarity through sāttvika discipline—especially by hearing and chanting the Lord’s names and teachings of the Bhāgavatam.