Destruction. And, O lord of men, numerous
_Mleccha_ kings then rule over the earth! And those sinful monarchs,
addicted to false speech, govern their subjects on principles that are
false. The _Andhhas_, the _Sakas_, the _Pulindas_, the _Yavanas_, the
_Kamvojas_, the _Valhikas_ and the _Abhiras_, then become, O best of
men, possessed of bravery and the sovereignty of the earth. This, O
tiger among men, becometh the state of the world during the eve, O
Bharata, of the _Kali_ age! Not a single Brahmana then adhereth to the
duties of his order. And the Kshatriyas and the Vaisyas also, O monarch,
follow practices contrary to those that are proper for their own orders.
And men become short-lived, weak in strength, energy, and prowess; and
endued with small might and diminutive bodies, they become scarcely
truthful in speech. And the human population dwindles away over large
tracts of country, and the regions of the earth, North and South, and
East and West, become crowded with animals and beasts of prey. And
during this period, they also that utter _Brahma_, do so in vain. The
_Sudras_ address _Brahmanas_, saying, _Bho_, while the Brahmanas address
Sudras, saying _Respected Sir_. And, O tiger among men, at the end of
the _Yuga_, animals increase enormously. And, O king, odours and
perfumes do not then become so agreeable to our sense of scent, and, O
tiger among men, the very tastes of things do not then so well accord
with our organs of taste as at other periods! And, O king, women then
become mothers of numerous progeny, endued with low statures, and
destitute of good behaviour and good manners. And they also make their
very mouths serve the purposes of the organ of procreation. And famine
ravages the habitations of men, and the highways are infested by women
of ill fame, while females in general, O king, become at such periods
hostile to their lords and destitute of modesty! And, O king, the very
kine at such periods yield little milk, while the trees, sat over with
swarms of crows, do not produce many flowers and fruits. And, O lord of
the earth, regenerate classes, tainted with the sin of slaying
Brahmanas, accept gifts from monarchs that are addicted to falsehood in
speech. And filled with covetousness and ignorance, and bearing on their
persons the outward symbols of religion, they set out on eleemosynary
rounds, afflicting the people of the Earth. And people leading domestic
lives, afraid of the burden of taxes, become