Canto 12: The Age of Deterioration | Chapter 1: The Degraded Dynasties of Kali-yuga |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.1.6-8
nandivardhana ājeyo
mahānandiḥ sutas tataḥ
śiśunāgā daśaivaite
saṣṭy-uttara-śata-trayam
samā bhokṣyanti pṛthivīḿ
kuru-śreṣṭha kalau nṛpāḥ
mahānandi-suto rājan
śūdrā-garbhodbhavo balī
mahāpadma-patiḥ kaścin
nandaḥ kṣatra-vināśa-kṛt
tato nṛpā bhaviṣyanti
śūdra-prāyās tv adhārmikāḥ
SYNONYMS
nandivardhanaḥ — Nandivardhana; ājeyaḥ — the son of Ajaya; mahā-nandiḥ — Mahānandi; sutaḥ — the son; tataḥ — then (following Nandivardhana); śiśunāgāḥ — the Śiśunāgas; daśa — ten; eva — indeed; ete — these; saṣṭi — sixty; uttara — increased by; śata-trayam — three hundred; samāḥ — years; bhokṣyanti — they will rule; pṛthivīm — the earth; kuruśreṣṭha — O best of the Kurus; kalau — in this age of Kali; nṛpāḥ — the kings; mahānandi-sutaḥ — the son of Mahānandi; rājan — O King Parīkṣit; śūdrā-garbha — in the womb of a śūdra woman; udbhavaḥ — taking birth; balī — powerful; mahā-padma — of an army, or wealth, measured in the millions; patiḥ — the master; kaścit — a certain; nandaḥ — Nanda; kṣatra — of the royal class; vināśa-kṛt — the destroyer; tataḥ — then; nṛpāḥ — the kings; bhaviṣyanti — will become; śūdra-prāyāḥ — no better than śūdras; tu — and; adhārmikāḥ — irreligious.
TRANSLATION
Ajaya will father a second Nandivardhana, whose son will be Mahānandi. O best of the Kurus, these ten kings of the Śiśunāga dynasty will rule the earth for a total of 360 years during the age of Kali. My dear Parīkṣit, King Mahānandi will father a very powerful son in the womb of a śūdra woman. He will be known as Nanda and will be the master of millions of soldiers and fabulous wealth. He will wreak havoc among the kṣatriyas, and from that time onward virtually all kings will be irreligious śūdras.
PURPORT
Here is a description of how authentic political authority degenerated and disintegrated throughout the world. There is a Supreme Godhead, and there are saintly, powerful men who have taken the role of government leaders and represented that Godhead on earth. With the advent of the age of Kali, however, this transcendental system of government collapsed, and unauthorized, uncivilized men gradually took the reins of power.
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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari