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
Vào cuối thời Kali, cơ thể sinh vật sẽ nhỏ lại, đạo đức suy đồi, vua chúa là kẻ trộm. Khi đó, Thượng Đế sẽ xuất hiện để cứu vãn tôn giáo.
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.
This verse says that in Kali-yuga, “religion” becomes dominated by pāṣaṇḍa—heretical, atheistic, or misleading doctrines—so genuine Vedic dharma is obscured.
While instructing King Parīkṣit about the coming age, Śukadeva explains that leadership will degrade—many rulers will behave like plunderers (dasyu), exploiting citizens rather than protecting them.
A devotee should avoid dishonest livelihoods and needless harm, seek authentic śāstra-based dharma, and take shelter of bhakti (hearing, chanting, and saintly association) rather than following popular but misleading trends.