Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 20
Kali-yuga Dynasties and the Degradation of Kingship
हत्वा काण्वं सुशर्माणं तद् भृत्यो वृषलो बली । गां भोक्ष्यत्यन्ध्रजातीय: कञ्चित् कालमसत्तम: ॥ २० ॥
hatvā kāṇvaṁ suśarmāṇaṁ tad-bhṛtyo vṛṣalo balī gāṁ bhokṣyaty andhra-jātīyaḥ kañcit kālam asattamaḥ
สุศರ್ಮา กษัตริย์กาณวะองค์สุดท้าย จะถูกสังหารโดยคนรับใช้ของตนเอง คือ บาลี ชูทรชั้นต่ำแห่งเผ่าอันธระ มหาราชบาลีผู้เสื่อมทรามยิ่งนี้จะครอบครองแผ่นดินอยู่ชั่วระยะหนึ่ง
Here is a further description of how uncultured men infiltrated government administration. The so-called king named Balī is described as asattama, a most impious, uncultured man.
FAQs
This verse foretells that dynastic rule will collapse into betrayal and usurpation—even a king’s own servant can seize the throne—showing how adharma replaces noble leadership in Kali Yuga.
Śukadeva uses this as a concrete prophecy: after the Kāṇvas, power shifts to new groups and unqualified rulers, illustrating the social and moral upheaval characteristic of Kali Yuga.
Worldly power structures are unstable in Kali Yuga; therefore, one should place faith in bhakti and dharma rather than expecting lasting security from political rulers.