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艢ail膩di said:

1. On hearing the narration of Indra, my father, the great sage, bowed to the lord of Devas, and with the palms joined in reverence he asked him again.

艢颈濒腻诲补 said:

2- 3. O lord Indra, O omniscient one, bowed down by the chiefs of Devas O lord of 艢补肠墨, O thousand-eyed lord of the universe, O 惭补丑别艣惫补谤补, how did the lotus-born deity 叠谤补丑尘腻 evolve the specific dharmas of the yugas? It behoves you now to recount it to me who have bowed down to you.

艢ail膩di said:

4. On hearing the words of 艢颈濒腻诲补, the noble-souled Indra recounted the dharmas of the yugas in detail in the manner seen by him,

Indra said:

5. Know that first comes 碍峁泃补测耻驳补. O sage, 罢谤别迟腻 comes next. Thereafter 顿惫腻辫补谤补 and 罢颈峁�y补 (Kali) yugas. These are the four yugas in brief.

6. 厂补迟迟惫补驳耻峁嘺 signifies 碍峁泃补 yuga; rajas signifies 罢谤别迟腻; rajas-cum-tamas signifies 顿惫腻辫补谤补. Tamas signifies Kali. These should be known as the special characteristics in each of the different yugas.

7. Meditation is the greatest activity in 碍峁泃补 yuga; 测补箩帽补 (sacrifice) in 罢谤别迟腻; worship is the main activity in 顿惫腻辫补谤补 and pure charitable gift in the Kali age.

8. Four thousand divine years constitute 碍峁泃补 yuga. So many hundred years (i.e four hundred) constitute the preceding transition period (蝉补苍诲丑测腻). The following transition period (蝉补苍诲丑测腻峁兣沘) is also of the same duration.

9. O 艢il膩艣ana, O man of good holy rites, know that the longevity of the subjects in 碍峁泃补 is four thousand human years.

10. When the 碍峁泃补测耻驳补 together with its 蝉补苍诲丑测腻峁兣沘 passes off, the yuga dharma becomes reduced by a quarter all round.

11. The excellent 罢谤别迟腻 yuga extends to a period one fourth less than 碍峁泃补. Know that 顿惫腻辫补谤补 extends to half of the duration of 碍峁泃补. Kaliyuga is still half of it.

12. O sage, the Sandhya periods are respectively three hundred, two hundred and one hundred years. The 蝉补苍诲丑测腻峁兣沘 periods are also the same. The same thing holds good in all the kalpas, and yugas.

13- 14. In 碍峁泃补, the eternal dharma has all the four feet; in 罢谤别迟腻 it has three feet; it stays on two feet in 顿惫腻辫补谤补; in Kali, it is devoid of three feet and is stationed by its mere existence. In 碍峁泃补, the subjects are born in twins; their avocation abounds in taste and happiness.

15. They are always satisfied. They enjoy all pleasures and bliss. There is no inferiority or superiority among them; there are no special characteristics among subjects; they are all auspicious.

16. Longevity, happiness and features among the people in 碍峁泃补 are the same for all; they have no special liking; they have no Dvandvas (mutually opposing pairs), no hatred, no fatigue.

17-19. Those who have no abodes live on mountains and in the oceans. Even then they are devoid of misery. They have mostly sattva gu峁嘺s and are mostly isolated. They move about without specific desires; they are perpetually delighted in their minds. They refrain from virtuous and sinful activities.

At that time there was a well-defined arrangement of castes and stages of life; but there was no intermingling of castes. O brahmin, by efflux of time, in 罢谤别迟腻 yuga their tastes and happiness perish.

20-22. When that Siddhi has perished another is generated. When water attains subtlety it gets transformed into clouds. From the thundering clouds rainfall proceeds. As soon as the surface of the earth comes into contact with rain, trees appear. These trees form their abodes. The subjects have their sustenance and pleasures out of these trees.

23-26. In the beginning of 罢谤别迟腻 the subjects sustained, themselves through them. Then after the lapse of a great deal

of time, when there was a change, the feeling of lust and covetousness was sudden. The trees which formed their abodes began to perish. When they perished the twin-born subjects at that time were bewildered. Thereafter they began to ponder over the matter. Since they were truthful in their thought the trees reappeared.

27-28. They used to produce clothes, fruits and ornaments. On the very same trees honey of great potency but not generated by bees, got evolved in every leafy cup. This honey had great fragrance, good colour and sweet taste The subjects always sustained themselves thereby and passed their days comfortably at all times.

29. They were delighted and well-nourished. Through this achievement they were free from ailments. Then after the lapse of some time, they became greedy.

30-32. They began to chop off the trees and take the honey forcibly. Due to their misdemeanour as well as their greed the kalpa trees perished in certain places along with honey. As time rolled on only a little of this perfection survived. As 罢谤别迟腻 was repeated in every cycle the Dvandvas (mutually conflicting pairs) cropped up. Then the subjects became very miserable due to the chilly rain and scorching sun.

33. When they were harassed by Dvandvas they began to make clothes and garments for covering themselves. They made abodes on the mountains in order to ward off Dvandvas.

34. Formerly they roamed about as they pleased. They had no fixed abodes. Now they began to stay in houses in accordance with their availability and pleasure.

35-36. After taking preventive measures against the Dvandvas they began to think about their means of sustenance. When the kalpa trees had perished along with honey, the subjects became confounded and agitated due to disputes. They were harassed by thirst and hunger. Then, again in 罢谤别迟腻, new perfections came in sight.

37. They had more rains than they desired or needed for production. Heavy downpour of waters flowed down the slopes.

38. Due to continuous rain sources of water currents arose. Thus in the course of second creation of rains, streams and rivers began to function.

39. Small collection of those waters fell on the earth. Due to the mingling of waters and the earth, plants and herbs came into being.

40-41. Then trees and hedges grew up. Very few of them were cultivated. They were not sown. Fourteen^[1] types of trees and grasses grew up in the rural and forest areas. They put forth flowers and fruits in accordance with the season. Different types of trees and medicinal herbs also appeared. The subjects sustained themselves with these at that time of 罢谤别迟腻.

42. Thereafter the subjects became lustful and greedy in every respect on account of what is destined to happen inevitably in 罢谤别迟腻 age.

43. Then the subjects forcibly occupied the fields near the rivers and on the mountains. They seized the trees, hedges and herbs as much as they could.

44-45. On account of this perversity the fourteen types of medicinal herbs perished. Thinking that these plants and herbs have entered the earth, 叠谤补丑尘腻 milked the earth assiduously for the welfare of living beings. Ever since, the plants are ploughed by ploughshares here and there.

46. Those who were desirous of sustaining themselves assiduously took to agriculture. The word Varta means avocation and the avocation in this context is the endeavour and desire for agriculture.

47. Otherwise, towards the close of 罢谤别迟腻, the subjects have no means of livelihood. Then water has to be lifted by hand in general.

48. In that 罢谤别迟腻 the subjects in their fury seized one another, even their sons, wives, riches etc., forcibly. Such was the characteristic of that yuga.

49. Knowing all this, the lotus-born lord created 碍峁�a迟谤颈测补蝉, to protect people from wounds and injuries and also for establishing the rules of conduct.

50. Characterised by his own splendour the lord established castes and stages of life. The lord of the universe then created avocation and conduct of life for respective castes of people.

51. The avocation of sacrifices was evolved in 罢谤别迟腻 gradually. But persons of good holy rites did not resort to animal sacrifice even then.

52. It was then that the seer 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 performed sacrifices forcefully. That is why the brahmins praise a non-violent sacrifice.

53. In the 顿惫腻辫补谤补 too, men have different inclinations mentally, verbally and physically. It is with great difficulty that agriculture proceeds in that age.

54-55. Then all living beings exert gradually and strain their bodies. Covetousness, service on wage basis, business, fighting, indecision about principles, division of Vedas, confusion of dharmas, destruction of discipline among the four castes and stages of life, lust and hatred鈥攖hese are the specifics pertaining to that age.

56. It is in this 顿惫腻辫补谤补 that the following begin to function, viz鈥�passion, covetousness, arrogance, etc. In the beginnings of 顿惫腻辫补谤补 the Vedas are classified into four by 痴测腻蝉补.

57. It is laid down that during 罢谤别迟腻 the Vedas constituted one single whole with four sections. Since the span of life becomes less and less the Vedas are classified in 顿惫腻辫补谤补.

58-59. They are further differentiated through the whims of the sons of sages, when the order of Mantra and 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 texts is altered and the accents and letters are changed. The compendiums of 峁歬, Yajus and Samans are compiled by the learned men. Although the texts are common, they are differentiated due to different view-points.

60. The different sections to the Vedas are evolved, viz.,鈥�叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺s^[2] 碍补濒辫补蝉奴迟谤补蝉^[3] and Mantrapravacanas.^[4] Some departed from them and some abided by them.

61-63. The 滨迟颈丑腻蝉补蝉 and 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉^[5] differ from time to time. They are 叠谤腻丑尘补, 笔腻诲尘补, 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补, 艢补颈惫补, 叠丑腻驳补惫补迟补, 叠丑补惫颈峁�y补, 狈腻谤补诲墨测补, 惭腻谤办补峁囜笉别测补, 膧驳苍别测补, Brahmavaivarta. 尝补颈峁単补, 痴腻谤腻丑补, 痴腻尘补苍补, 碍奴谤尘补, 惭腻迟蝉测补, 骋腻谤耻岣峚, 厂办腻苍诲补 and 叠谤补丑尘腻峁囜笉a鈥攖hese are the eighteen 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉.

64-65. The eleventh Li峁単a Pur膩峁嘺 was classified in 顿惫腻辫补谤补. The following sages, thousands in number, wrote 厂尘峁泃颈蝉 别迟肠.鈥�Manu, Atri, 痴颈峁ａ箛耻, 贬腻谤墨迟补, 驰腻箩帽补惫补濒办测补, 鲍艣补苍补蝉, 础峁単颈谤补蝉, Yama, 膧辫补蝉迟补尘产补, 厂补峁僾补谤迟补, 碍腻迟测腻测补苍补 叠峁沨补蝉辫补迟颈, 笔补谤腻艣补谤补, 痴测腻蝉补, 艢补峁卥丑补, Likhita, 顿补办峁�a, Gautama, 艢腻迟腻迟补辫补, 痴补蝉颈峁ａ弓丑补 and others.

66-70. Absence of rain, death, the harassments of pestilence etc. occur. Indifference to worldly affairs results from various miseries, mental, verbal and physical. From this indifference they begin to think about their liberation from pain and misery. This process of thinking leads to detachment and from detachment they begin to realize the deformities and defects in the world. Thanks to this perception, perfect knowledge becomes possible in 顿惫腻辫补谤补. This is due to the behaviour of mixed rajas and tamas. In the first yuga viz. 碍峁泃补 yuga dharma originates. In 罢谤别迟腻 it begins to function. In 顿惫腻辫补谤补 it becomes distracted gradually and in Kali it perishes altogether.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

The 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉 divide the vegetation life into three classes, viz. (i) 驳谤腻尘测补, (2) gr膩m膩ra峁噛a, (3) yaj帽墨ya (cf. 痴腻测耻) but this classification is very obscure.鈥擬anu classifies the plant-world into (1) Vanaspati (trees not having flowers), (2) 痴腻苍补蝉辫补迟测补 (trees bearing fruits and flowers), (3) 翱峁�a诲丑颈 (plants such as grass) and (4) 尝补迟腻, Valli (creepers). Further, 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 (cited in 艢颈惫补迟辞峁�i峁嚹�.) mentions fourteen 辞峁�a诲丑颈蝉 by name. They are 惫谤墨丑颈, yava, 尘腻峁�a, 驳辞诲丑奴尘补, a峁噓, tila, 辫谤颈测补峁単耻, kulittha, 艣测腻尘腻办补, 苍墨惫腻谤补, jartila, gavedhuka, 痴别峁嘘测补惫补, and marka峁璦ka.

[2]:

叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺m. 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 literature comprises treatises such as Aitareya, 罢补颈迟迟颈谤墨测补, Gopatha, 艢补迟补辫补迟丑补, etc, and their ancillaries 膧谤补峁噛补办补蝉 and 鲍辫补苍颈峁�a诲蝉 which together with the mantra portion, called Sa峁乭it膩 constitute the Vedas. Cf. mantra-br膩hma峁嘺yor veda-苍腻尘补诲丑别测补尘.

[3]:

碍补濒辫补蝉奴迟谤补蝉鈥�办谤颈测腻-辫谤补迟颈辫腻诲补办补蝉奴迟谤补峁噄 艢颈惫补迟辞峁�i峁嚹�. ritual treatises鈥擜r峁�eya, etc.

[4]:

惭补苍迟谤补-辫谤补惫补肠补苍腻苍颈鈥�尘墨尘腻峁僺腻-苍测腻测补蝉奴迟谤腻峁噄 艢颈惫补迟辞峁�i峁嚹�., philosophical treatises such as 尘墨尘腻峁僺腻 and 苍测腻测补.

[5]:

On the authenticity, extent and number of the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉, see Introduction.