Four yugas means . . . forty-three thousand . . . forty-three hundred thousands of years. It is very long. That is the duration of four yugas. Similarly, one thousand yugas passes, then one day of Brahmā finished, twelve hours. It is a big calculation. Anyway, there are four yuga: this Satya-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, Tretā-yuga and Kali-yuga.
So in the previous chapter, some description of these yugas have been described. Now here, in this chapter . . . this is Second Chapter of Twelfth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is describing:
- tataś cānu-dinaṁ dharmaḥ
- satyaṁ śaucaṁ kṣamā dayā
- kālena balinā rājan
- naṅkṣyaty āyur balaṁ smṛtiḥ
- (SB 12.2.1)
"My dear King . . ." Śukadeva Gosvāmī was speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who was emperor of this planet. Mahārāja Parīkṣit. And he was cursed by a Brahmin that he should die within seven days. So he was utilizing the seven days by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
So he's explaining, "My dear King, as the days of Kali-yuga will make progress . . ." Make progress means, we have passed only five thousand years of this Kali-yuga. The total duration of Kali-yuga is four hundred thirty two thousands of years. Out of that, we have passed only five thousands of years.
I think in the world history there is no . . . nobody can place records of 5,000. At most, the historians can present history of 3,000 years. That's all. So Kali-yuga has begun pre-historic. And before that, what was there in the history nobody can say. But in the Vedic literatures everything is there. You believe or not believe, that is different.
Now here, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, tataś ca anudinaṁ. Anu-dinam means "as the days will pass." Then what will be the symptoms? Now, naṅkṣyaty. Naṅkṣyaty means gradually diminish, will diminish. What will diminish? Now, dharmaḥ, religiosity; satyam, truthfulness; śaucam, cleanliness; kṣamā, forgiveness; dayā, mercifulness; āyuḥ, duration of life; balam, strength; and smṛtiḥ, memory. These eight items, just try to know.
First thing is religious. As the age of Kali will make progress, people will become more and more irreligious. And they will become more and more liars. They will forget to speak what is true. Śaucam, cleanliness, that will also diminish. Cleanliness is required. Bahyābhyantaraḥ-śuciḥ. If one is to advance, he has to clean himself.