Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Canto Twelve / CHAPTER ONE
The Degraded Dynasties of Kali-yuga

ŚB 12.1.1-2

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The last king mentioned in our previous enumeration of the future rulers of the Māgadha dynasty was Purañjaya, who will take birth as the descendant of Brihadratha. Purañjaya’s minister Śunaka will assassinate the king and install his own son, Pradyota, on the throne. The son of Pradyota will be Pālaka, his son will be Viśākhayūpa, and his son will be Rājaka.

Purport ▼

The vicious political intrigue described here is symptomatic of the Age of Kali. In the Ninth Canto of this work, Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes how the great rulers of men descended from two royal dynasties, that of the sun and that of the moon. The Ninth Canto’s description of Lord Rāmacandra, a most famous incarnation of God, occurs in this genealogical narration, and at the end of the Ninth Canto Śukadeva describes the forefathers of Lord Krishna and Lord Balarāma. Finally, the appearance of Lord Krishna and that of Lord Balarāma are mentioned within the context of the narration of the moon dynasty.

The Tenth Canto is devoted exclusively to a description of Lord Krishna’s childhood pastimes in Vrindāvana, His teenage activities in Mathurā and His adult activities in Dvārakā. The famous epic Mahābhārata also describes the events of this period, focusing upon the five Pāndava brothers and their activities in relation with Lord Krishna and other leading historical figures, such as Bhīshma, Dhritarāshtra, Dronācārya and Vidura. Within the Mahābhārata is Bhagavad-gītā, in which Lord Krishna is declared to be the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, of which we are presently translating the twelfth and final canto, is considered a more advanced literature than the Mahābhārata because throughout the entire work Lord Śrī Krishna, the Absolute Truth and supreme source of all existence, is directly, centrally and irrefutably revealed. In fact, the First Canto of the Bhāgavatam describes how Śrī Vyāsadeva composed this great work because he was dissatisfied with his rather sporadic glorification of Lord Krishna in the Mahābhārata.

Although Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam narrates the histories of many royal dynasties and the lives of innumerable kings, not until the description of the present age, the Age of Kali, do we find a minister assassinating his own king and installing his son on the throne. This incident resembles Dhritarāshtra’s attempt to assassinate the Pāndavas and crown his son Duryodhana king. As the Mahābhārata describes, Lord Krishna thwarted this attempt, but with the departure of the Lord for the spiritual sky, the Age of Kali became fully manifested, ushering in political assassination within one’s own house as a standard technique.

ŚB 12.1.3

The son of Rājaka will be Nandivardhana, and thus in the Pradyotana dynasty there will be five kings, who will enjoy the earth for 138 years.

ŚB 12.1.4

Nandivardhana will have a son named Śiśunāga, and his son will be known as Kākavarna. The son of Kākavarna will be Kshemadharmā, and the son of Kshemadharmā will be Kshetrajña.

ŚB 12.1.5

The son of Kshetrajña will be Vidhisāra, and his son will be Ajātaśatru. Ajātaśatru will have a son named Darbhaka, and his son will be Ajaya.

ŚB 12.1.6-8

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 Parīkshit, 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 kshatriyas, 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.

ŚB 12.1.9

That lord of Mahāpadma, King Nanda, will rule over the entire earth just like a second Paraśurāma, and no one will challenge his authority.

Purport ▼

In the eighth verse of this chapter it was mentioned that King Nanda would destroy the remnants of the kshatriya order. Therefore he is here compared to Lord Paraśurāma, who annihilated the kshatriya class twenty-one times in a previous age.

ŚB 12.1.10

He will have eight sons, headed by Sumālya, who will control the earth as powerful kings for one hundred years.

ŚB 12.1.11

A certain brāhmana [Cānakya] will betray the trust of King Nanda and his eight sons and will destroy their dynasty. In their absence the Mauryas will rule the world as the Age of Kali continues.

Purport ▼

Śrīdhara Svāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura both confirm that the brāhmana mentioned here is Cānakya, also known as Kautilya or Vātsyāyana. The great historical narration Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which began with the events prior to the cosmic manifestation, now reaches into the realm of modern recorded history. Modern historians recognize both the Maurya dynasty and Candragupta, the king mentioned in the following verse.

ŚB 12.1.12

This brāhmana will enthrone Candragupta, whose son will be named Vārisāra. The son of Vārisāra will be Aśokavardhana.

ŚB 12.1.13

Aśokavardhana will be followed by Suyaśā, whose son will be Sangata. His son will be Śāliśūka, Śāliśūka’s son will be Somaśarmā, and Somaśarmā’s son will be Śatadhanvā. His son will be known as Brihadratha.

ŚB 12.1.14

O best of the Kurus, these ten Maurya kings will rule the earth for 137 years of the Kali-yuga.

Purport ▼

Although nine kings are mentioned by name, Daśaratha appeared after Sujyeshtha, before the rule of Sangata, and thus there are ten Maurya kings.

ŚB 12.1.15-17

My dear King Parīkshit, Agnimitra will follow as king, and then Sujyeshtha. Sujyeshtha will be followed by Vasumitra, Bhadraka, and the son of Bhadraka, Pulinda. Then the son of Pulinda, named Ghosha, will rule, followed by Vajramitra, Bhāgavata and Devabhūti. In this way, O most eminent of the Kuru heroes, ten Śunga kings will rule over the earth for more than one hundred years. Then the earth will come under the subjugation of the kings of the Kānva dynasty, who will manifest very few good qualities.

Purport ▼

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the Śunga dynasty began when General Pushpamitra killed his king, Brihadratha, and assumed power. After Pushpamitra came Agnimitra and the rest of the Śunga dynasty, which lasted for 112 years.

ŚB 12.1.18

Vasudeva, an intelligent minister coming from the Kānva family, will kill the last of the Śunga kings, a lusty debauchee named Devabhūti, and assume rulership himself.

Purport ▼

Apparently, because King Devabhūti was lusty after the wives of other men, his minister killed him, assuming leadership and thus beginning the Kānva dynasty.

ŚB 12.1.19

The son of Vasudeva will be Bhūmitra, and his son will be Nārāyana. These kings of the Kānva dynasty will rule the earth for 345 more years of the Kali-yuga.

ŚB 12.1.20

The last of the Kānvas, Suśarmā, will be murdered by his own servant, Balī, a low-class śūdra of the Andhra race. This most degraded Mahārāja Balī will have control over the earth for some time.

Purport ▼

Here is a further description of how uncultured men infiltrated government administration. The so-called king named Balī is described as asattama, a most impious, uncultured man.

ŚB 12.1.21-26

The brother of Balī, named Krishna, will become the next ruler of the earth. His son will be Śāntakarna, and his son will be Paurnamāsa. The son of Paurnamāsa will be Lambodara, who will father Mahārāja Cibilaka. From Cibilaka will come Meghasvāti, whose son will be Atamāna. The son of Atamāna will be Anishtakarmā. His son will be Hāleya, and his son will be Talaka. The son of Talaka will be Purīshabhīru, and following him Sunandana will become king. Sunandana will be followed by Cakora and the eight Bahus, among whom Śivasvāti will be a great subduer of enemies. The son of Śivasvāti will be Gomatī. His son will be Purīmān, whose son will be Medaśirā. His son will be Śivaskanda, and his son will be Yajñaśrī. The son of Yajñaśrī will be Vijaya, who will have two sons, Candravijña and Lomadhi. These thirty kings will enjoy sovereignty over the earth for a total of 456 years, O favorite son of the Kurus.

ŚB 12.1.27

Then will follow seven kings of the Ābhīra race from the city of Avabhriti, and then ten Gardabhīs. After them, sixteen kings of the Kankas will rule and will be known for their excessive greed.

ŚB 12.1.28

Eight Yavanas will then take power, followed by fourteen Turushkas, ten Gurundas and eleven kings of the Maula dynasty.

ŚB 12.1.29-31

These Ābhīras, Gardabhīs and Kankas will enjoy the earth for 1,099 years, and the Maulas will rule for 300 years. When all of them have died off there will appear in the city of Kilakilā a dynasty of kings consisting of Bhūtananda, Vangiri, Śiśunandi, Śiśunandi’s brother Yaśonandi, and Pravīraka. These kings of Kilakilā will hold sway for a total of 106 years.

ŚB 12.1.32-33

The Kilakilās will be followed by their thirteen sons, the Bāhlikas, and after them King Pushpamitra, his son Durmitra, seven Andhras, seven Kauśalas and also kings of the Vidūra and Nishadha provinces will separately rule in different parts of the world.

ŚB 12.1.34

There will then appear a king of the Māgadhas named Viśvasphūrji, who will be like another Purañjaya. He will turn all the civilized classes into low-class, uncivilized men in the same category as the Pulindas, Yadus and Madrakas.

ŚB 12.1.35

Foolish King Viśvasphūrji will maintain all the citizens in ungodliness and will use his power to completely disrupt the kshatriya order. From his capital of Padmavatī he will rule that part of the earth extending from the source of the Gangā to Prayāga.

ŚB 12.1.36

At that time the brāhmanas of such provinces as Śaurāshtra, Avantī, Ābhīra, Śūra, Arbuda and Mālava will forget all their regulative principles, and the members of the royal order in these places will become no better than śūdras.

ŚB 12.1.37

The land along the Sindhu River, as well as the districts of Candrabhāgā, Kauntī and Kāśmīra, will be ruled by śūdras, fallen brāhmanas and meat-eaters. Having given up the path of Vedic civilization, they will have lost all spiritual strength.

ŚB 12.1.38

There will be many such uncivilized kings ruling at the same time, O King Parīkshit, and they will all be uncharitable, possessed of fierce tempers, and great devotees of irreligion and falsity.

ŚB 12.1.39-40

These barbarians in the guise of kings will devour the citizenry, murdering innocent women, children, cows and brāhmanas and coveting the wives and property of other men. They will be erratic in their moods, have little strength of character and be very short-lived. Indeed, not purified by any Vedic rituals and lacking in the practice of regulative principles, they will be completely covered by the modes of passion and ignorance.

Purport ▼

These verses give a concise, accurate description of the fallen leaders of this age.

ŚB 12.1.41

The citizens governed by these low-class kings will imitate the character, behavior and speech of their rulers. Harassed by their leaders and by each other, they will all suffer ruination.

Purport ▼

At the end of the Ninth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is stated that Ripuñjaya, or Purañjaya, the first king mentioned in this chapter, ended his rule about one thousand years after the time of Lord Krishna. Since Lord Krishna appeared approximately five thousand years ago, Purañjaya must have appeared about four thousand years ago. That would mean that Viśvasphūrji, the last king mentioned, would have appeared approximately in the twelfth century of the Christian era.

Modern Western scholars have made the false accusation that Indian religious literature has no sense of chronological history. But the elaborate historical chronology described in this chapter certainly refutes that naive assessment.

Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Twelfth Canto, First Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Degraded Dynasties of Kali-yuga.”