So in the Satya-yuga people were very religious, full, four parts full. In the Dvāpara-yuga, then one part was missing, only three parts. Then Tretā-yuga. Satya, Tretā, then Dvāpara. But in the Kali-yuga, the one part of religiosity, that is also diminishing. This is one of the symptom. And another symptom, "Or are you in great anxiety because henceforward the unlawful meat-eaters will exploit you?" The unlawful meat-eaters, they will eat cows and bulls. This is predicted in this verse. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was written five thousand years ago. So at that time the prediction is there that in the Kali-yuga the meat-eaters will be unlawful and they will especially eat cows and bulls.
So what is the unlawful and lawful? Lawful means so those who eat meat under the religious regulation. Just like lawful sex. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, dharma aviruddhaḥ kāmo 'smi (BG 7.11). Sex life which is not illicit, according to the regulative principle of Vedic literature, that kind of sex life, Kṛṣṇa says: "I am that." That means that is pious, that is not sinful. Illicit sex life is sinful, but, I mean to say, marriage, that is also one of the function of religiosity. Just like we perform marriage ceremony under fire sacrifice, mantra. So that is legalized. Similarly, meat-eating also . . . first of all, the first-class men, second-class men and third-class men means the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya and vaiśya, they were not interested in meat-eating. Only the fourth-class men and fifth-class men, they were allowed, or they were eating meat. Nobody is allowed. But the first-class, second-class men, they have got sense. They voluntarily give up. But the third-class . . . fourth-class, fifth-class men, they do not. Up to fourth class, they also abide. From the fifth-class men—they are called pañcama—they are very irregular. They don't care for any rules and regulation or any śāstra, scripture. They do whatever they like, fifth class. So what is legal meat-eating? Legal meat-eating is that you sacrifice one animal before the goddess, deity Kālī, Goddess Kālī, and there are so many rules and regulation. Under regulative principle one was allowed to eat meat. Not that maintain big, big slaughterhouse and purchase from the butcher shop and eat meat. This is illegal.