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The Skanda Purana

by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words
Hinduism Purana

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This page describes Characteristics of the

Four Yugas (Caturyuga) which is chapter
27 of the English translation of the Skanda
Purana, the largest of the eighteen
Mahapuranas, preserving the ancient
Indian society and Hindu traditions in an
encyclopedic format, detailling on topics
such as dharma (virtous lifestyle),
cosmogony (creation of the universe),
mythology (itihasa), genealogy (vamsha)
etc. This is the twenty-seventh chapter of
the Tirtha-mahatmya of the Nagara-
khanda of the Skanda Purana.

Chapter 27 - Characteristics of the

Four Yugas (Caturyuga)
< Previous parent: Section 1 - Tīrtha-māhātmya Next >

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Note: This topic is popular with other Purāṇas also. It

describes continuous deterioration of the span of life,
living conditions and morals in the course of time. The
sinfulness and wretchedness of the people is probably
the result of the unsettled condition of India after ancient
foreign invasions like those of Greeks, Scythians and
Huns.—Curiously enough the description of the Kali age
is applicable in toto even today.

The sages said:

1-7. O Sūtaja, do tell us fully the general characteristics
of Caturyuga (the group of four Yugas), its greatness and
the extent thereof. We arc extremely interested in it.

Sūta said
This very same topic was asked by Vāsava from
Bṛhaspati. I shall tell you all, O leading Brāhmaṇas,
what Bṛhaspati told him.

Formerly Śakra, the noble-souled one, was seated in the

assembly along with Devas and Śacī. Suras served him.
So also did Gandharvas, Apsarās, Vidyādharas,
Guhyakas, Kinnaras, Daityas, Rākṣasas, serpents, (units
of time like) Kalās, Kāṣṭhās, Nimeṣas, Constellations,
Planets, the Vedas with their ancillaries in their
personified form. The holy Tīrthas and sacred shrines
also were present there.

They discussed diverse stories of the Devas, Dānavas,

Rākṣasas, saintly kings and particularly of old
Brāhmaṇa-sages.

In a certain context, the Lord of Devas politely asked

Bṛhaspati, the most excellent Brāhmaṇa:

8. “O holy Sir, I wish to hear the extent of the Yugas,

their greatness and special characteristics. It behoves
you to recount duly.”

Bṛhaspati said:
9. I shall expound to you the greatness of the Yugas,
their extent and special features Listen attentively.

[KṚTA YUGA]
10-18. Kṛta Yuga is said to consist of seventeen lakh
twenty-eight thousand years, when Janārdana remains
white in colour, and Dharma has all its four feet intact.
(Then) the earth is full (in all respects). The people are
devoid of lust and anger, fear and hatred. All people are
long-lived with quiescent souls and full control over the
sense-organs. They are as tall as five Tālas (Palms).
They are brilliant and well-informed. Men’s childhood
extends to sixteen thousand years. Thereafter the youth
extends to thirty-two thousand years. It is only thereafter
that old age befalls men slowly. The ultimate life span is
one lakh years. In certain cases it extends even beyond
that. All living beings, animals, birds and beasts speak
the divine language. They are not mutually inimical.
Serpents sport about along with mongooses, cats along
with mice, deer with lions, and owls with crows. Even
without being cultivated, the earth (though not
ploughed) produces much vegetation consisting of
cereals, pulses, barleys etc. They are tasty and able to
accord strength and nourishment. The trees bear fruits in
all the seasons with excellent flowers and fruits, good
leaves etc. They are devoid of thorns and they resemble
Kalpa trees.

19-29. Cows yield the desired tasty milk at all times.

The butter and ghee produced from it is enormous. No
woman becomes a widow there, nor an unfortunate
wretch. There is no Kākavandhyā (a woman with but
one child) there bereft of sons. There is no woman
without virtue (all women are virtuous). Birth and death
befall men in due order. A father never sees death of his
son. People who die do not become ghosts. No one is
compelled to stay in Naraka. No one suffers pain due to
sickness. All Brāhmaṇas are well-versed in Vedānta.
They regularly study their Vedic Mantras. They are
delighted in expounding the Vedas and well-versed in
the knowledge of Brahman.

Kṣatriyas make one of them the king with great devotion

and loyalty. They enjoy the earth righteously following
his behests.

Vaiśyas are engaged in the various activities befitting the

Vaiśya community such as breeding of cattle, buying and
selling of commodities etc.

O most excellent one among Suras, Śūdras are extremely

faithful. They do not do anything except service unto
Brāhmaṇas and twice-born ones.

No one is base-born there nor is there anyone of mixed

caste. No impure one and no one of the fifth caste is to
be seen there on the earth.

Men there perform Yajña (Fire-worship), Yajana (Yajña

on behalf of others), Dāna, Vrata, Niyama etc. and
pilgrimage without any expectations of personal benefit
thereof. O Thousand-eyed One, of this sort is the first
Yuga named Kṛtayuga that is conducive to the happiness
of all the worlds.

[TRETĀ YUGA]
30-42. Thereafter the second Yuga named Tretā begins
to function. It consists of twelve lakh ninety-six
thousand years.

The Lord of the world resorts to Śvetadvīpa. The

Garuḍa-emblemed Lord assumes red complexion at that
time. Dharma has only three legs intact then. One leg is
that of Sin. Thereby mutual rivalry is generated among
the people of all Varṇas.

People begin to desire the benefits accruing from

pilgrimages. Vrata and Niyama are observed with the
motive of residence in heaven etc.

Overpowered by lust all men become deluded. Delusion

leads to hatred which induces them to commit sins.

Then, O Lord of Devas, Yama himself devises Raurava

and other Narakas which are twenty-one in number.

Base men resort to them in accordance with their

Karmas. Others attain the worlds of Mahendra etc., and
still others salvation.

There are three types of men: excellent, mediocre and

base ones. O King of Suras, they do three types of acts.
They are one Tāla (palm tree) in height. They possess
/lustre and virility. Vaiśyas are engaged in agricultural
activities motivated by their desire for food and food-
grains. They sow seeds only once in field but they reap
seven times. The trees bear fruits and flowers in
accordance with the seasons. They become very
beautiful with the foliage in accordance with the
seasons.

Thousands of Agniṣṭoma and other Yajñas are performed

by excellent kings and Brāhmaṇas vying with one
another in their eagerness to attain the heavenly world.
Men desirous of the other world undertake pilgrimage
and observe Vrata, Dāna, Niyama, Saṃyama etc.

43-54. There the youth of men extends to one thousand

years and old age to about five thousand years.

On account of mixture of castes the following (sub)

castes are born: Rajaka (washermen), Carmakāra
(cobbler), Naṭa (actor), Buruḍa, Kaivarta (fishermen),
Meda, Bhilla, Cāṇḍāla and Śūdra etc., in that Yuga.

There are other inferior people who are more censured

than these (above-mentioned castes) but their number is
less.

Indra said:
O excellent Brāhmaṇa, how do these base-born ones
(castes) originate? Do tell me duly and entirely. My
eagerness is great.

Bṛhaspati said:
On account of the defect of the source of origin eight
types of mixed castes are born of these, O excellent one
among Suras. I shall mention them dearly.

A son of a Kṣatriya born of a Brāhmaṇa’s girl (woman)

is called Sūta; one a Sūta begets is called Rajaka and one
a Rajaka begets is called a Carmakṛt and the one a
Carmakāra begets is called Naṭa. Thus these four are
born of Kṣatriya in Brāhmaṇa wives.

A son of a Vaiśya born of a Brāhmaṇa girl is Māgadha,

O most excellent one among Maruts. A son born of the
semen of a Māgadha in a Brāhmaṇa girl is Buruḍa a
Buruḍa begets a Kaivarta and a Kaivarta begets a
Medaka. These five are born of Vaiśyas in Brāhmaṇa
wives. They are despised in all holy rites. A Śūdra
begets a Bhilla in a Brāhmaṇa girl, O most excellent one
among Suras, and a Bhilla begets a Cāṇḍāla. These two
are born of Śūdras in the wife of a Brāhmaṇa caste, O
Overlord of all Suras. What I have mentioned is the
truth.

Thus I have explained Tretā Yuga, O most excellent one

among Suras. Listen attentively to the position of
Dvāpara now.

[DVĀPARA YUGA]
55-63. That Yuga consists of eight lakh sixty-four
thousand years. There the Garuḍa-emblemed Lord
becomes tawny-coloured, Dharma stands on two legs
and Sin also stands on two legs.

At the end of a hundred years people become youthful

and after lapse of five hundred years old age sets in.

There people, deities and kings are partially truthful and

partially untruthful.

Women too are reputed to be so in their features, O

excellent one among Suras.

Some come to a height of five Hastas and others four

Hastas. They are neither very beautiful nor devoid of
beauty.

Beasts, birds, and deer murmur indistinctly.

The trees do not bear too many flowers or fruits, O Lord

of Suras. Vegetation is produced on being sown duly by
farmers.

The clouds shower adequate rain. All medicinal herbs

are grown.

Whatever knowledge or scripture is available, O

excellent one among Suras, is of indifferent nature,
neither true nor false.

In Dvāpara, O excellent one among Suras, the benefits

of the Tīrtha, Dana and the Makha (sacrifices) are in
accordance with the ardour and faith.

Thus the Yuga called Dvāpara has been described to

you, O Lord of Suras, as seen and heard by me.

[KALI YUGA]
64. Even as I describe further, listen attentively.
Kaliyuga is indeed terrible. Janārdana is dark in colour
then.

65-66a. Kaliyuga which is avoided by good people

consists of four lakh thirty-two thousand years. Dharma
stands on a single leg and Pāpa stands on three.

66b-67. (In) everything after the first half, sin asserts

itself. Sons will not pay heed to fathers nor daughters-in-
law nor brothers. Neither servants nor wives will pay
heed to their elders. There shall be hatred for one
another.

68. In the sixteenth year men turn grey in their youth

itself. A girl begins to conceive even in the twelfth year.

69-72. O Lord of Suras, the maximum life expectancy of

men is a hundred years. In the case of elephants and
trees it is not more than that. Excellent horses live upto
thirty-two years; ass and camel upto twenty-four. It is
sixteen in the case of goats and twelve in that of dogs.
Other quadrupeds live upto twenty-five years. Crows,
vultures and owls live for a very long time. So also is the
case of sinful persons and those in wretched conditions
more particularly.

Trees are hard, thorny and devoid of fruits and flowers.

They are resorted to by vultures and they do not give
shade.

73. In this Yuga, O excellent one among Suras, Dharma

is tormented by Adharma, truth by untruth and kings by
thieves perpetually.

74. Preceptors are tormented by disciples and base men

by women; masters are troubled by groups of servants
and persons of deep learning by fools.

75-77. In Kaliyuga, righteous men, men dedicated to

truth, persons of full control over the sense-organs,
persons of discretion, quiescent ones and those devoted
to the good of others—all these suffer.

Mental anguish, ailments, afflictions of mysterious

origin—all are always prevalent in Kaliyuga causing
misery to the good. Men become short-lived due to
mixture of castes and those who survive are utterly
miserable.

78-82. Cloud never showers rain at requisite period.

Even if there is heavy rain, there shall not be the
production of vegetation as desired by the farmer. Even
well-bred cows do not yield ample milk. Even if they are
guarded carefully, there is not plenty of catde wealth.

People begin to relish and praise the milk of sheep and

camels. People become lustreless and dirty. Ascetics
become Śūdras and Śūdras become experts in Dharma-
śāstra. Śūdras begin to discuss the Vedas and endeavour
to perform Yajña rites.

Śūdras begin to receive monetary gifts and Śūdras

become liberal donors. Śūdras become worthy of honour
and Śūdras establish themselves in Tīrthas.

83. At the time of death men of beastly type begin to dig

five pits with their head, pair of hands and pair of feet.
Out of delusion they lose their consciousness.

84-89. Brāhmaṇas begin to sell the Vedas and are bereft

of cleanliness. They give up regular study of the Vedas
and always depend upon cooked food from Śūdras.
Mostly they take gifts from the non-righteous. They turn
into greedy and indiscrimate eaters addicted to tasty
foods.

Heretics indulge in misdeeds. They subsist on the bounty

of the wives of other men. Friendship develops only on
the basis of bussiness dealings (i.e. self-interest). O
Thousand-eyed One, it never depends on natural affinity.
All the castes of the twice-born ones become barbarous
in their tendency.

They lose interest in festivities; they are unrighteous and

they cause mixture of castes. In the beginning of the
Yuga, men reach the height of three and a half Hastas.
From there they diminish in size even as Kali advances.
Ultimately men become hole-dwellers.

90. On account of short and non-availability the people

are incapable of doing domestic duites. Yajñas and Vedic
Vratas are fruitless.

91. Niyamas and restraints too as well as the practice of

spells and incantations are also ineffective. O Śatakratu,
Tīrthas are defiled by the contact of Mlecchas. They lose
their intrinsic nature and are also deficient in water.

92-95. Those who practise spells and incantations are

despised. Ascetics too are despised. All the men become
despised.

They forsake a bridegroom of noble birth and endowed

with handsome features and youthful appearance and
men offer their daughters to despicable persons due to
greed of money.

Girls begin to give birth, virgins are eager to cohabit and

virgins carry on intercourse with grown-up men.

Even women of noble families become unfaithful to

their husbands. In all activities men of evil deeds are
guarded carefully.

96. Ruthless kings will harass farmers. In that Yuga

people will afflict undoubtedly blameless ones due to
greed for money.

97-98. They will let off even one deserving to be killed,

one who is defiled due to greed for money. They will let
alone men who continue to harass living beings. They
practise wait like activities without caring for
Kṣātradharma (rules of righteous war).

Bṛhaspati said:
99-101. Thus I have recounted everything connected
with the Yugas and their features. O excellent one
among Suras, the extent of the four Yugas also has been
described. One who recites this always with
concentration, is rid of his sins committed ever since his
birth till death. One who listens to this with a mind
purified by faith, becomes liberated from the sin of the
day.

Last Updated: 09 January, 2021

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