The Bhumi-gita: The Earth's Lament

Verse 1 (bhagavata.12.3.1)

श्री शुक उवाचः दृष्ट्वात्मनि जये व्यग्रान् नृपान् हसति भूरियम् । अहो मा विजिगीषन्ति मृत्योः क्रीडनका नृपाः ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca dṛṣṭvātmani jaye vyagrān nṛpān hasati bhūr iyam aho mā vijigīṣanti mṛtyoḥ krīḍanakā nṛpāḥ

Shri Shuka said: Seeing kings intent on conquering her, this earth laughs. She says: 'Ah, these kings, mere playthings in the hands of death, wish to conquer me!'

Verse 2 (bhagavata.12.3.2)

काम एष नरेन्द्राणां मोघः स्याद् विदुषामपि । येन फेनोपमे पिण्डे येऽतिविश्रम्भिता नृपाः ॥ २ ॥

kāma eṣa narendrāṇāṁ moghaḥ syād viduṣām api yena phenopame piṇḍe ye ’ti-viśrambhitā nṛpāḥ

'This very desire proves futile even for learned kings among men — the desire by which they place such excessive trust in this lump of flesh, no more lasting than foam.'

Verse 3 (bhagavata.12.3.3)

पूर्वं निर्जित्य षड्वर्गं जेष्यामो राजमन्त्रिणः । ततः सचिवपौराप्तकरीन्द्रानस्य कण्टकान् ॥ ३ ॥

pūrvaṁ nirjitya ṣaḍ-vargaṁ jeṣyāmo rāja-mantriṇaḥ tataḥ saciva-paurāpta- karīndrān asya kaṇṭakān

'First, having conquered the six enemies of the senses and mind, we kings and ministers shall be victorious; then we shall clear away the thorn-like obstacles that are our own counselors, citizens, kinsmen, and keepers of elephants —'

Verse 4 (bhagavata.12.3.4)

एवं क्रमेण जेष्यामः पृथ्वीं सागरमेखलाम् । इत्याशाबद्धहृदया न पश्यन्त्यन्तिकेऽन्तकम् ॥ ४ ॥

evaṁ krameṇa jeṣyāmaḥ pṛthvīṁ sāgara-mekhalām ity āśā-baddha-hṛdayā na paśyanty antike ’ntakam

'thus, step by step, we shall conquer this earth girdled by the ocean' — their hearts bound by such hope, they fail to see death standing close beside them.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.12.3.5)

समुद्रावरणां जित्वा मां विशन्त्यब्धिमोजसा । कियदात्मजयस्यैतन्मुक्तिरात्मजये फलम् ॥ ५ ॥

samudrāvaraṇāṁ jitvā māṁ viśanty abdhim ojasā kiyad ātma-jayasyaitan muktir ātma-jaye phalam

'Having conquered me, girded as I am by the sea, they force their way even into the ocean itself. How small a portion this is of true self-conquest! For the real fruit of mastering the self is liberation.'

Verse 6 (bhagavata.12.3.6)

यां विसृज्यैव मनवस्तत्सुताश्च कुरूद्वह । गता यथागतं युद्धे तां मां जेष्यन्त्यबुद्धयः ॥ ६ ॥

yāṁ visṛjyaiva manavas tat-sutāś ca kurūdvaha gatā yathāgataṁ yuddhe tāṁ māṁ jeṣyanty abuddhayaḥ

O best of the Kurus, the earth went on: 'Even the Manus and their sons, having left me behind, departed in battle just as helplessly as they had come — and still these foolish ones seek to conquer me.'

Verse 7 (bhagavata.12.3.7)

मत्कृते पितृपुत्राणां भ्रातृणां चापि विग्रहः । जायते ह्यसतां राज्ये ममताबद्धचेतसाम् ॥ ७ ॥

mat-kṛte pitṛ-putrāṇāṁ bhrātṝṇāṁ cāpi vigrahaḥ jāyate hy asatāṁ rājye mamatā-baddha-cetasām

'For my sake, fathers quarrel with sons, and brothers with brothers — this happens in the reign of the wicked, whose hearts are bound by the sense of "mine".'

Verse 8 (bhagavata.12.3.8)

ममैवेयं मही कृत्स्ना न ते मूढेति वादिनः । स्पर्धमाना मिथो घ्नन्ति म्रियन्ते मत्कृते नृपाः ॥ ८ ॥

mamaiveyaṁ mahī kṛtsnā na te mūḍheti vādinaḥ spardhamānā mitho ghnanti mriyante mat-kṛte nṛpāḥ

'"This whole earth is mine alone, fool, not yours!" — so saying, and rivaling one another, kings strike each other down and die for my sake.'

Verse 9 (bhagavata.12.3.9)

श्रीशुक उवाच पृथुः पुरूरवा गाधिर्नहुषो भरतोऽर्जुनः । मान्धाता सगरो रामः खट्वाङ्गो धुन्धुहा रघुः ॥ ९ ॥

pṛthuḥ purūravā gādhir nahuṣo bharato ’rjunaḥ māndhātā sagaro rāmaḥ khaṭvāṅgo dhundhuhā raghuḥ

Shri Shuka said: Prithu, Pururava, Gadhi, Nahusha, Bharata, Arjuna Kartavirya, Mandhata, Sagara, Rama, Khatvanga, Dhundhuha, Raghu —

Verse 10 (bhagavata.12.3.10)

तृणबिन्दुर्ययातिश्च शर्यातिः शन्तनुर्गयः । भगीरथः कुवलयाश्वः ककुत्स्थो नैषधो नृगः ॥ १० ॥

tṛṇabindur yayātiś ca śaryātiḥ śantanur gayaḥ bhagīrathaḥ kuvalayāśvaḥ kakutstho naiṣadho nṛgaḥ

Trinabindu, Yayati, Sharyati, Shantanu, Gaya, Bhagiratha, Kuvalayashva, Kakutstha, Naishadha (Nala), Nriga —

Verse 11 (bhagavata.12.3.11)

हिरण्यकशिपुर्वृत्रो रावणो लोकरावणः । नमुचिः शम्बरो भौमो हिरण्याक्षोऽथ तारकः ॥ ११ ॥

hiraṇyakaśipur vṛtro rāvaṇo loka-rāvaṇaḥ namuciḥ śambaro bhaumo hiraṇyākṣo ’tha tārakaḥ

Hiranyakashipu, Vritra, Ravana who made the whole world weep, Namuchi, Shambara, Bhauma, Hiranyaksha, and Taraka —

Verse 12 (bhagavata.12.3.12)

अन्ये च बहवो दैत्या राजानो ये महेश्वराः । सर्वे सर्वविदः शूराः सर्वे सर्वजितोऽजिताः ॥ १२ ॥

anye ca bahavo daityā rājāno ye maheśvarāḥ sarve sarva-vidaḥ śūrāḥ sarve sarva-jito ’jitāḥ

and many other daitya kings besides, mighty and glorious — every one all-knowing, every one heroic, every one a conqueror of all, yet none of them unconquered by Time itself —

Verse 13 (bhagavata.12.3.13)

ममतां मय्यवर्तन्त कृत्वोच्चैर्मर्त्यधर्मिणः । कथावशेषाः कालेन ह्यकृतार्थाः कृता विभो ॥ १३ ॥

mamatāṁ mayy avartanta kṛtvoccair martya-dharmiṇaḥ kathāvaśeṣāḥ kālena hy akṛtārthāḥ kṛtā vibho

— all these mortal beings proclaimed their claim of 'mine' over me in the loudest terms, but, O mighty one, Time made them, their desires unfulfilled, into nothing more than remnants of story.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.12.3.14)

कथा इमास्ते कथिता महीयसां विताय लोकेषु यशः परेयुषाम् । विज्ञानवैराग्यविवक्षया विभो वचोविभूतीर्न तु पारमार्थ्यम् ॥ १४ ॥

kathā imās te kathitā mahīyasāṁ vitāya lokeṣu yaśaḥ pareyuṣām vijñāna-vairāgya-vivakṣayā vibho vaco-vibhūtīr na tu pāramārthyam

O mighty Parikshit, I have told you these stories of great men, who spread their fame through the world and then departed, so that you might grasp true knowledge and dispassion. Such tales are an ornament of speech, but they are not themselves the ultimate goal.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.12.3.15)

यस्तूत्तमःश्लोकगुणानुवादः सङ्गीयतेऽभीक्ष्णममङ्गलघ्नः । तमेव नित्यं शृणुयादभीक्ष्णं कृष्णेऽमलां भक्तिमभीप्समानः ॥ १५ ॥

yas tūttamaḥ-śloka-guṇānuvādaḥ saṅgīyate ’bhīkṣṇam amaṅgala-ghnaḥ tam eva nityaṁ śṛṇuyād abhīkṣṇaṁ kṛṣṇe ’malāṁ bhaktim abhīpsamānaḥ

But whoever desires pure, unblemished devotion to Krishna should instead listen, constantly and repeatedly, to that other recitation — the ceaseless glorification of the qualities of Uttamashloka, of matchless renown, which destroys everything inauspicious.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.12.3.16)

श्रीराजोवाच केनोपायेन भगवन् कलेर्दोषान् कलौ जनाः । विधमिष्यन्त्युपचितांस्तन्मे ब्रूहि यथा मुने ॥ १६ ॥

śrī-rājovāca kenopāyena bhagavan kaler doṣān kalau janāḥ vidhamiṣyanty upacitāṁs tan me brūhi yathā mune

The king said: My lord, by what means will people living in the Age of Kali cast off the accumulated faults of that age? O sage, please tell me this exactly as it is.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.12.3.17)

युगानि युगधर्मांश्च मानं प्रलयकल्पयोः । कालस्येश्वररूपस्य गतिं विष्णोर्महात्मनः ॥ १७ ॥

yugāni yuga-dharmāṁś ca mānaṁ pralaya-kalpayoḥ kālasyeśvara-rūpasya gatiṁ viṣṇor mahātmanaḥ

Please tell me also of the ages and the duties proper to each, the measure of dissolution and of a cosmic cycle, and the movement of Time, which is the very form of the Lord — of Vishnu, the great soul.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.12.3.18)

श्रीशुक उवाच कृते प्रवर्तते धर्मश्चतुष्पात्तज्जनैर्धृतः । सत्यं दया तपो दानमिति पादा विभोर्नृप ॥ १८ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca kṛte pravartate dharmaś catuṣ-pāt taj-janair dhṛtaḥ satyaṁ dayā tapo dānam iti pādā vibhor nṛpa

Shri Shuka said: My dear King, in Satya-yuga, dharma stands on all four of its legs, and the people of that age uphold it firmly. Those four legs of mighty dharma are truth, compassion, austerity, and charity.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.12.3.19)

सन्तुष्टाः करुणा मैत्राः शान्ता दान्तास्तितिक्षवः । आत्मारामाः समदृशः प्रायशः श्रमणा जनाः ॥ १९ ॥

santuṣṭāḥ karuṇā maitrāḥ śāntā dāntās titikṣavaḥ ātmārāmāḥ sama-dṛśaḥ prāyaśaḥ śramaṇā janāḥ

The people of that age are, for the most part, content, compassionate, friendly to all, peaceful, self-controlled, forbearing, delighting within themselves, equal-sighted toward all, and given to spiritual striving.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.12.3.20)

त्रेतायां धर्मपादानां तुर्यांशो हीयते शनैः । अधर्मपादैरनृतहिंसासन्तोषविग्रहैः ॥ २० ॥

tretāyāṁ dharma-pādānāṁ turyāṁśo hīyate śanaiḥ adharma-pādair anṛta- hiṁṣāsantoṣa-vigrahaiḥ

In Treta-yuga, dharma's legs are gradually reduced by one quarter each, through the four legs of adharma — falsehood, violence, discontent, and quarrel.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.12.3.21)

तदा क्रियातपोनिष्ठा नातिहिंस्रा न लम्पटाः । त्रैवर्गिकास्त्रयीवृद्धा वर्णा ब्रह्मोत्तरा नृप ॥ २१ ॥

tadā kriyā-tapo-niṣṭhā nāti-hiṁsrā na lampaṭāḥ trai-vargikās trayī-vṛddhā varṇā brahmottarā nṛpa

O King, people then are devoted to ritual and austerity, not excessively violent nor given over to sensual pleasure; they pursue the threefold goals of life, prosper through the three Vedas, and among the classes brahmanas predominate.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.12.3.22)

तपःसत्यदयादानेष्वर्धं ह्रस्वति द्वापरे । हिंसातुष्टयनृतद्वेषैर्धर्मस्याधर्मलक्षणैः ॥ २२ ॥

tapaḥ-satya-dayā-dāneṣv ardhaṁ hrasvati dvāpare hiṁsātuṣṭy-anṛta-dveṣair dharmasyādharma-lakṣaṇaiḥ

In Dvapara-yuga, austerity, truth, compassion and charity are each reduced by half, through violence, self-absorbed complacency, falsehood and hatred — the marks of adharma set against dharma.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.12.3.23)

यशस्विनो महाशीलाः स्वाध्यायाध्ययने रताः । आढ्याः कुटुम्बिनो हृष्टा वर्णाः क्षत्रद्विजोत्तराः ॥ २३ ॥

yaśasvino mahā-śīlāḥ svādhyāyādhyayane ratāḥ āḍhyāḥ kuṭumbino hṛṣṭā varṇāḥ kṣatra-dvijottarāḥ

The people of that age are eager for renown, of noble character, devoted to studying and reciting the scriptures, wealthy, family-minded, and cheerful; among the classes, kshatriyas and brahmanas predominate.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.12.3.24)

कलौ तु धर्मपादानां तुर्यांशोऽधर्महेतुभिः । एधमानैः क्षीयमाणो ह्यन्ते सोऽपि विनङ्क्ष्यति ॥ २४ ॥

kalau tu dharma-pādānāṁ turyāṁśo ’dharma-hetubhiḥ edhamānaiḥ kṣīyamāṇo hy ante so ’pi vinaṅkṣyati

But in Kali-yuga only one quarter of dharma's legs remains, and even that is steadily worn away by the ever-growing causes of adharma, until at the very end it too will perish.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.12.3.25)

तस्मिन् लुब्धा दुराचारा निर्दयाः शुष्कवैरिणः । दुर्भगा भूरितर्षाश्च शूद्रदासोत्तराः प्रजाः ॥ २५ ॥

tasmin lubdhā durācārā nirdayāḥ śuṣka-vairiṇaḥ durbhagā bhūri-tarṣāś ca śūdra-dāsottarāḥ prajāḥ

In that age, people become greedy, ill-behaved, merciless, given to quarreling for no real cause, unfortunate, filled with insatiable craving, and mostly no better than shudras and slaves.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.12.3.26)

सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति दृश्यन्ते पुरुषे गुणाः । कालसञ्चोदितास्ते वै परिवर्तन्त आत्मनि ॥ २६ ॥

sattvaṁ rajas tama iti dṛśyante puruṣe guṇāḥ kāla-sañcoditās te vai parivartanta ātmani

Goodness, passion, and ignorance — these three qualities are seen within a person; set in motion by Time, it is these very qualities that turn and change within the mind.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.12.3.27)

प्रभवन्ति यदा सत्त्वे मनोबुद्धीन्द्रियाणि च । तदा कृतयुगं विद्याज्ज्ञाने तपसि यद् रुचिः ॥ २७ ॥

prabhavanti yadā sattve mano-buddhīndriyāṇi ca tadā kṛta-yugaṁ vidyāj jñāne tapasi yad ruciḥ

When the mind, intelligence and senses become established in goodness, know that to be the age of Krita, or Satya; at that time people take a natural delight in knowledge and austerity.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.12.3.28)

यदा कर्मसु काम्येषु भक्तिर्यशसि देहिनाम् । तदा त्रेता रजोवृत्तिरिति जानीहि बुद्धिमन् ॥ २८ ॥

yadā karmasu kāmyeṣu bhaktir yaśasi dehinām tadā tretā rajo-vṛttir iti jānīhi buddhiman

O wise one, when embodied beings, though occupied with desire-driven works, become devoted instead to fame, know that then to be Treta, governed by passion.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.12.3.29)

यदा लोभस्त्वसन्तोषो मानो दम्भोऽथ मत्सरः । कर्मणां चापि काम्यानां द्वापरं तद् रजस्तमः ॥ २९ ॥

yadā lobhas tv asantoṣo māno dambho ’tha matsaraḥ karmaṇāṁ cāpi kāmyānāṁ dvāparaṁ tad rajas-tamaḥ

When greed, discontent, pride, hypocrisy and envy come to prevail, along with a turn toward desire-driven action, know that to be Dvapara, a mixture of passion and ignorance.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.12.3.30)

यदा मायानृतं तन्द्रा निद्रा हिंसा विषादनम् । शोकमोहौ भयं दैन्यं स कलिस्तामसः स्मृतः ॥ ३० ॥

yadā māyānṛtaṁ tandrā nidrā hiṁsā viṣādanam śoka-mohau bhayaṁ dainyaṁ sa kalis tāmasaḥ smṛtaḥ

When deceit, falsehood, sloth, sleepiness, violence, despair, grief, delusion, fear and wretchedness prevail, that is remembered as Kali, ruled by ignorance.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.12.3.31)

तस्मात् क्षुद्रदृशो मर्त्याः क्षुद्रभाग्या महाशनाः । कामिनो वित्तहीनाश्च स्वैरिण्यश्च स्त्रियोऽसतीः ॥ ३१ ॥

tasmāt kṣudra-dṛśo martyāḥ kṣudra-bhāgyā mahāśanāḥ kāmino vitta-hīnāś ca svairiṇyaś ca striyo ’satīḥ

For this reason, in Kali-yuga human beings will become narrow-minded, ill-fortuned, gluttonous, lustful and destitute, and women, growing unchaste, will wander freely as they please.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.12.3.32)

दस्यूत्कृष्टा जनपदा वेदाः पाषण्डदूषिताः । राजानश्च प्रजाभक्षाः शिश्नोदरपरा द्विजाः ॥ ३२ ॥

dasyūtkṛṣṭā janapadā vedāḥ pāṣaṇḍa-dūṣitāḥ rājānaś ca prajā-bhakṣāḥ śiśnodara-parā dvijāḥ

The countryside will be overrun by thieves, the Vedas will be corrupted by heretical teachings, kings will come to devour their own subjects, and brahmanas will care for nothing beyond their bellies and their organs of sense.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.12.3.33)

अव्रता बटवोऽशौचा भिक्षवश्च कुटुम्बिनः । तपस्विनो ग्रामवासा न्यासिनोऽत्यर्थलोलुपाः ॥ ३३ ॥

avratā baṭavo ’śaucā bhikṣavaś ca kuṭumbinaḥ tapasvino grāma-vāsā nyāsino ’tyartha-lolupāḥ

Brahmacharis will abandon their vows and their purity, mendicants will settle into households, ascetics will dwell in villages, and renunciants will become greedy for wealth.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.12.3.34)

ह्रस्वकाया महाहारा भूर्यपत्या गतह्रियः । शश्वत्कटुकभाषिण्यश्चौर्यमायोरुसाहसाः ॥ ३४ ॥

hrasva-kāyā mahāhārā bhūry-apatyā gata-hriyaḥ śaśvat kaṭuka-bhāṣiṇyaś caurya-māyoru-sāhasāḥ

Women will grow small of stature, eat far too much, bear many children, and lose all sense of shame; ever harsh of speech, they will show a bent for thievery, deceit and reckless daring.

Verse 35 (bhagavata.12.3.35)

पणयिष्यन्ति वै क्षुद्राः किराटाः कूटकारिणः । अनापद्यपि मंस्यन्ते वार्तां साधु जुगुप्सिताम् ॥ ३५ ॥

paṇayiṣyanti vai kṣudrāḥ kirāṭāḥ kūṭa-kāriṇaḥ anāpady api maṁsyante vārtāṁ sādhu jugupsitām

Petty, deceitful traders will haggle over trifling goods, and even without any real necessity, people will consider disgraceful occupations perfectly acceptable.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.12.3.36)

पतिं त्यक्ष्यन्ति निर्द्रव्यं भृत्या अप्यखिलोत्तमम् । भृत्यं विपन्नं पतयः कौलं गाश्चापयस्विनीः ॥ ३६ ॥

patiṁ tyakṣyanti nirdravyaṁ bhṛtyā apy akhilottamam bhṛtyaṁ vipannaṁ patayaḥ kaulaṁ gāś cāpayasvinīḥ

Servants will abandon a master who has lost his wealth, even one of the finest character; masters will abandon a servant fallen on hardship, even one who has served the family for generations; and cows will be abandoned once they stop giving milk.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.12.3.37)

पितृभ्रातृसुहृज्ज्ञातीन् हित्वा सौरतसौहृदाः । ननान्दृश्यालसंवादा दीनाः स्त्रैणाः कलौ नराः ॥ ३७ ॥

pitṛ-bhrātṛ-suhṛj-jñātīn hitvā saurata-sauhṛdāḥ nanāndṛ-śyāla-saṁvādā dīnāḥ straiṇāḥ kalau narāḥ

Abandoning fathers, brothers, friends and kin, and building their closest bonds on sexual ties alone, men in the Age of Kali will be wretched and ruled by their women, keeping company mainly with their wives' brothers and sisters.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.12.3.38)

शूद्राः प्रतिग्रहीष्यन्ति तपोवेषोपजीविनः । धर्मं वक्ष्यन्त्यधर्मज्ञा अधिरुह्योत्तमासनम् ॥ ३८ ॥

śūdrāḥ pratigrahīṣyanti tapo-veṣopajīvinaḥ dharmaṁ vakṣyanty adharma-jñā adhiruhyottamāsanam

Men of shudra nature will accept religious gifts, earning their living merely by dressing as ascetics; those who know nothing of dharma will mount the high seat and hold forth on religious matters.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.12.3.39)

नित्यमुद्विग्नमनसो दुर्भिक्षकरकर्शिताः । निरन्ने भूतले राजननावृष्टिभयातुराः ॥ ३९ ॥

nityam udvigna-manaso durbhikṣa-kara-karśitāḥ niranne bhū-tale rājan anāvṛṣṭi-bhayāturāḥ

O King, the minds of the people will always be agitated; worn thin by famine and heavy taxes, upon an earth stripped of grain, they will be tormented by constant fear of drought.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.12.3.40)

वासोऽन्नपानशयनव्यवायस्नानभूषणैः । हीनाः पिशाचसन्दर्शा भविष्यन्ति कलौ प्रजाः ॥ ४० ॥

vāso-’nna-pāna-śayana- vyavāya-snāna-bhūṣaṇaiḥ hīnāḥ piśāca-sandarśā bhaviṣyanti kalau prajāḥ

Lacking proper clothing, food, drink, rest, union, bathing and adornment, the people of Kali-yuga will come to look like ghosts.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.12.3.41)

कलौ काकिणिकेऽप्यर्थे विगृह्य त्यक्तसौहृदाः । त्यक्ष्यन्ति च प्रियान् प्राणान् हनिष्यन्ति स्वकानपि ॥ ४१ ॥

kalau kākiṇike ’py arthe vigṛhya tyakta-sauhṛdāḥ tyakṣyanti ca priyān prāṇān haniṣyanti svakān api

In Kali-yuga, people will quarrel and abandon all friendship even over the value of a single small coin; they will be ready to give up their own dear lives, and will even kill their own kin.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.12.3.42)

न रक्षिष्यन्ति मनुजाः स्थविरौ पितरावपि । पुत्रान् भार्यां च कुलजां क्षुद्राः शिश्नोदरंभराः ॥ ४२ ॥

na rakṣiṣyanti manujāḥ sthavirau pitarāv api putrān bhāryāṁ ca kula-jāṁ kṣudrāḥ śiśnodaraṁ-bharāḥ

Petty men, caring for nothing beyond their bellies and organs of sense, will no longer protect their aged parents, their children, or their wife of good family.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.12.3.43)

कलौ न राजन्जगतां परं गुरुं त्रिलोकनाथानतपादपङ्कजम् । प्रायेण मर्त्या भगवन्तमच्युतं यक्ष्यन्ति पाषण्डविभिन्नचेतसः ॥ ४३ ॥

kalau na rājan jagatāṁ paraṁ guruṁ tri-loka-nāthānata-pāda-paṅkajam prāyeṇa martyā bhagavantam acyutaṁ yakṣyanti pāṣaṇḍa-vibhinna-cetasaḥ

O King, in Kali-yuga mortal beings, their minds fractured by heresy, will almost never worship Bhagavan Achyuta, the supreme teacher of all the worlds, at whose lotus feet even the lords of the three worlds bow down.

Verse 44 (bhagavata.12.3.44)

यन्नामधेयं म्रियमाण आतुरः पतन् स्खलन् वा विवशो गृणन् पुमान् । विमुक्तकर्मार्गल उत्तमां गतिं प्राप्नोति यक्ष्यन्ति न तं कलौ जनाः ॥ ४४ ॥

yan-nāmadheyaṁ mriyamāṇa āturaḥ patan skhalan vā vivaśo gṛṇan pumān vimukta-karmārgala uttamāṁ gatiṁ prāpnoti yakṣyanti na taṁ kalau janāḥ

Though a man, dying and in distress, falling or stumbling, may utter that Name even helplessly and thereby be freed from the bolt of his own karma to attain the highest destination — even so, people in Kali-yuga will not worship it.

Verse 45 (bhagavata.12.3.45)

पुंसां कलिकृतान् दोषान् द्रव्यदेशात्मसम्भवान् । सर्वान् हरति चित्तस्थो भगवान् पुरुषोत्तमः ॥ ४५ ॥

puṁsāṁ kali-kṛtān doṣān dravya-deśātma-sambhavān sarvān harati citta-stho bhagavān puruṣottamaḥ

All the faults born of Kali in a person — whether arising from objects, from place, or from the self — Bhagavan Purushottama, once seated in the mind, removes them all.

Verse 46 (bhagavata.12.3.46)

श्रुतः सङ्कीर्तितो ध्यातः पूजितश्चादृतोऽपि वा । नृणां धुनोति भगवान् हृत्स्थो जन्मायुताशुभम् ॥ ४६ ॥

śrutaḥ saṅkīrtito dhyātaḥ pūjitaś cādṛto ’pi vā nṛṇāṁ dhunoti bhagavān hṛt-stho janmāyutāśubham

Whether heard of, glorified, meditated upon, worshipped, or merely honoured with reverence, Bhagavan, dwelling within the heart, shakes off from a person all the inauspiciousness accumulated across ten thousand births.

Verse 47 (bhagavata.12.3.47)

यथा हेम्नि स्थितो वह्निर्दुर्वर्णं हन्ति धातुजम् । एवमात्मगतो विष्णुर्योगिनामशुभाशयम् ॥ ४७ ॥

yathā hemni sthito vahnir durvarṇaṁ hanti dhātu-jam evam ātma-gato viṣṇur yoginām aśubhāśayam

Just as fire placed within gold burns away the discoloration caused by baser metal, so too Vishnu, seated within the self, burns away the inauspicious impressions in the minds of yogis.

Verse 48 (bhagavata.12.3.48)

विद्यातपःप्राणनिरोधमैत्री- तीर्थाभिषेकव्रतदानजप्यैः । नात्यन्तशुद्धिं लभतेऽन्तरात्मा यथा हृदिस्थे भगवत्यनन्ते ॥ ४८ ॥

vidyā-tapaḥ-prāṇa-nirodha-maitrī- tīrthābhiṣeka-vrata-dāna-japyaiḥ nātyanta-śuddhiṁ labhate ’ntarātmā yathā hṛdi-sthe bhagavaty anante

Through learning, austerity, breath-control, friendliness to all, bathing at holy places, vows, charity and japa, the inner self does not attain so complete a purity as it does when the infinite Bhagavan simply comes to abide within the heart.

Verse 49 (bhagavata.12.3.49)

तस्मात् सर्वात्मना राजन् हृदिस्थं कुरु केशवम् । म्रियमाणो ह्यवहितस्ततो यासि परां गतिम् ॥ ४९ ॥

tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan hṛdi-sthaṁ kuru keśavam mriyamāṇo hy avahitas tato yāsi parāṁ gatim

Therefore, O King, with your whole being, establish Lord Keshava within your heart. Held thus in mindfulness at the moment of death, you shall attain the supreme destination.

Verse 50 (bhagavata.12.3.50)

म्रियमाणैरभिध्येयो भगवान् परमेश्वरः । आत्मभावं नयत्यङ्ग सर्वात्मा सर्वसंश्रयः ॥ ५० ॥

mriyamāṇair abhidhyeyo bhagavān parameśvaraḥ ātma-bhāvaṁ nayaty aṅga sarvātmā sarva-saṁśrayaḥ

Bhagavan, the Supreme Lord, to be meditated upon by those who are dying, is the Self of all and the refuge of all; He alone, dear one, leads a being at the moment of death into its own true nature.

Verse 51 (bhagavata.12.3.51)

कलेर्दोषनिधे राजन्नस्ति ह्येको महान् गुणः । कीर्तनादेव कृष्णस्य मुक्तसङ्गः परं व्रजेत् ॥ ५१ ॥

kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet

O King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, it holds within it one great virtue — by the chanting alone of Krishna's name, a person becomes free of all bondage and attains the Supreme.

Verse 52 (bhagavata.12.3.52)

कृते यद्ध्यायतो विष्णुं त्रेतायां यजतो मखैः । द्वापरे परिचर्यायां कलौ तद्धरिकीर्तनात् ॥ ५२ ॥

kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt

Whatever result was attained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Vishnu, in Treta-yuga by worshipping Him through sacrifices, and in Dvapara-yuga by rendering Him personal service — that same result is attained in Kali-yuga simply by the chanting of Hari's name.