The Four Ages and the Span of Life

Verse 1 (6.10.1)

भारतस्यास्य वर्षस्य तथा हैमवतस्य च । प्रमाणमायुषः सूत बलं चापि शुभाशुभम् ॥

bhāratasyāsya varṣasya tathā haimavatasya ca | pramāṇamāyuṣaḥ sūta balaṃ cāpi śubhāśubham

Tell me, O Suta, the measure of life in this Bharatavarsha and in Haimavata, and the strength of its people, their good fortune and their ill —

Verse 2 (6.10.2)

अनागतमतिक्रान्तं वर्तमानं च संजय । आचक्ष्व मे विस्तरेण हरिवर्षं तथैव च ॥

anāgatamatikrāntaṃ vartamānaṃ ca saṃjaya | ācakṣva me vistareṇa harivarṣaṃ tathaiva ca

past, future and present, O Sanjaya. Describe it to me in detail, and Harivarsha as well.

Verse 3 (6.10.3)

चत्वारि भारते वर्षे युगानि भरतर्षभ । कृतं त्रेता द्वापरं च तिष्यं च कुरुवर्धन ॥

catvāri bhārate varṣe yugāni bharatarṣabha | kṛtaṃ tretā dvāparaṃ ca tiṣyaṃ ca kuruvardhana

In Bharatavarsha there are four ages, O bull of the Bharatas: the Krita, the Treta, the Dvapara and the Tishya, O increaser of the Kurus.

Verse 4 (6.10.4)

पूर्वं कृतयुगं नाम ततस्त्रेतायुगं प्रभो । संक्षेपाद्द्वापरस्याथ ततस्तिष्यं प्रवर्तते ॥

pūrvaṃ kṛtayugaṃ nāma tatastretāyugaṃ prabho | saṃkṣepāddvāparasyātha tatastiṣyaṃ pravartate

First comes the age called Krita, then the Treta, my lord; when the Dvapara has run its course, the Tishya sets in.

Note on the text: Corrected ततस्रेतायुगं → ततस्त्रेतायुगं (misprint in Wikisource; a dropped त in the sandhi of ततः + त्रेता; the critical edition reads tatas tretāyugaṃ).

Verse 5 (6.10.5)

चत्वारि तु सहस्राणि वर्षाणां कुरुसत्तम । आयुःसंख्या कृतयुगे संख्याता राजसत्तम ॥

catvāri tu sahasrāṇi varṣāṇāṃ kurusattama | āyuḥsaṃkhyā kṛtayuge saṃkhyātā rājasattama

In the Krita age, best of the Kurus, the span of life is reckoned at four thousand years, O best of kings;

Verse 6 (6.10.6)

तथा त्रीणि सहस्राणि त्रेतायां मनुजाधिप । द्वे सहस्रे द्वापरे तु भुवि तिष्ठन्ति सांप्रतम् ॥

tathā trīṇi sahasrāṇi tretāyāṃ manujādhipa | dve sahasre dvāpare tu bhuvi tiṣṭhanti sāṃpratam

in the Treta, three thousand, O lord of men; and in the Dvapara, two thousand — so long do men now remain on the earth.

Verse 7 (6.10.7)

न प्रमाणस्थितिर्ह्यस्ति तिष्येऽस्मिन्भरतर्षभ । गर्भस्थाश्च म्रियन्तेऽत्र तथा जाता म्रियन्ति च ॥

na pramāṇasthitirhyasti tiṣye'sminbharatarṣabha | garbhasthāśca mriyante'tra tathā jātā mriyanti ca

In this Tishya age, O bull of the Bharatas, there is no fixed measure of life: here some die while still in the womb, and others die soon after they are born.

Verse 8 (6.10.8)

महाबला महासत्त्वाः प्रज्ञागुणसमन्विताः । प्रजायन्ते च जाताश्च शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः ॥

mahābalā mahāsattvāḥ prajñāguṇasamanvitāḥ | prajāyante ca jātāśca śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ

Men of great strength and great spirit, endowed with wisdom and virtue, are born, and once born they beget offspring by hundreds and by thousands.

Note on the text: Corrected महासत्वाः → महासत्त्वाः (misprint in Wikisource; sattva is spelt with त्त्व; the critical edition reads mahāsattvāḥ). Line 1 is CE 6.11.8ab; line 2 is not in the critical edition's text (its apparatus has it as the star passage 6.11.8b*0052).

Verse 9 (6.10.9)

जाताः कृतयुगे राजन्धनिनः प्रियदर्शनाः । प्रजायन्ते च जाताश्च मुनयो वै तपोधनाः ॥

jātāḥ kṛtayuge rājandhaninaḥ priyadarśanāḥ | prajāyante ca jātāśca munayo vai tapodhanāḥ

Those born in the Krita age, O king, are wealthy and fair to look upon; then are born, and in turn beget offspring, sages rich in austerity,

Note on the text: Corrected प्रयदर्शनाः → प्रियदर्शनाः (misprint in Wikisource; dropped i-sign; the critical edition reads priyadarśanāḥ). Line 1 is CE 6.11.9cd; line 2 is a variant of CE 6.11.8cd (ajāyanta kṛte rājan munayaḥ sutapodhanāḥ).

Verse 10 (6.10.10)

महोत्साहा महात्मानो धार्मिकाः सत्यवादिनः । प्रियदर्शना वपुष्मन्तो महावीर्या धनुर्धराः ॥

mahotsāhā mahātmāno dhārmikāḥ satyavādinaḥ | priyadarśanā vapuṣmanto mahāvīryā dhanurdharāḥ

full of energy, great-souled, righteous and truthful. Handsome, well-built, of great valour and bearing bows,

Note on the text: Line 1 is CE 6.11.9ab; line 2 is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension; compare CE 6.11.10ab, āyuṣmanto mahāvīrā dhanurdharavarā yudhi).

Verse 11 (6.10.11)

वरार्हा युधि जायन्ते क्षत्रियाः शूरसत्तमाः । त्रेतायां क्षत्रिया राजन्सर्वे वै चक्रवर्तिनः ॥

varārhā yudhi jāyante kṣatriyāḥ śūrasattamāḥ | tretāyāṃ kṣatriyā rājansarve vai cakravartinaḥ

kshatriyas worthy of honour in battle, the foremost of heroes, are born; and in the Treta, O king, the kshatriyas are all emperors.

Note on the text: Line 1 is not in the critical edition's text (its apparatus has it as the star passage 6.11.10b*0053); line 2 is a variant of CE 6.11.10cd (jāyante kṣatriyāḥ śūrās tretāyāṃ cakravartinaḥ).

Verse 12 (6.10.12)

सर्ववर्णाश्च जायन्ते सदा चैव च द्वापरे । महोत्साहा वीर्यवन्तः परस्परजयैषिणः ॥

sarvavarṇāśca jāyante sadā caiva ca dvāpare | mahotsāhā vīryavantaḥ parasparajayaiṣiṇaḥ

In the Dvapara people of every class are born, full of energy and valour, each eager to conquer the other.

Note on the text: A variant of CE 6.11.11 (sarvavarṇā mahārāja jāyante dvāpare sati / mahotsāhā mahāvīryāḥ parasparavadhaiṣiṇaḥ).

Verse 13 (6.10.13)

तेजसाल्पेन संयुक्ताः क्रोधनाः पुरुषा नृप । लुब्धा अनृतकाश्चैव तिष्ये जायन्ति भारत ॥

tejasālpena saṃyuktāḥ krodhanāḥ puruṣā nṛpa | lubdhā anṛtakāścaiva tiṣye jāyanti bhārata

Men of little vigour, wrathful, greedy and untruthful, O king, are born in the Tishya age, O Bharata.

Verse 14 (6.10.14)

ईर्ष्या मानस्तथा क्रोधो मायाऽसूया तथैव च । तिष्ये भवति भूतानां रागो लोभश्च भारत ॥

īrṣyā mānastathā krodho māyā'sūyā tathaiva ca | tiṣye bhavati bhūtānāṃ rāgo lobhaśca bhārata

Envy, pride and anger, deceit and spite, passion and greed — these arise in beings in the Tishya age, O Bharata.

Verse 15 (6.10.15)

संक्षेपो वर्तते राजन्द्वापरेऽस्मिन्नराधिप । गुणोत्तरं हैमवतं हरिवर्षं ततः परम् ॥

saṃkṣepo vartate rājandvāpare'sminnarādhipa | guṇottaraṃ haimavataṃ harivarṣaṃ tataḥ param

In this Dvapara, O king, ruler of men, virtue is on the wane. Haimavata surpasses it in good qualities, and Harivarsha lies beyond that.