The Description of the Four Yugas

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SB

12.3.18: Sukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, in the beginning,

during Satya-yuga, the age of truth, religion is present with all four

of its legs intact and is carefully maintained by the people of that

age. These four legs of powerful religion are truthfulness, mercy,

austerity and charity.

SB

12.3.19: The people of Satya-yuga are for the most part

self-satisfied, merciful, friendly to all, peaceful, sober and tolerant.

They take their pleasure from within, see all things equally and always

endeavor diligently for spiritual perfection.

SB

12.3.20: In Treta-yuga each leg of religion is gradually

reduced by one quarter by the influence of the four pillars of

irreligion — lying, violence, dissatisfaction and quarrel.

SB

12.3.21: In the Treta age people are devoted to ritual

performances and severe austerities. They are not excessively violent or

very lusty after sensual pleasure. Their interest lies primarily in

religiosity, economic development and regulated sense gratification, and

they achieve prosperity by following the prescriptions of the three

Vedas. Although in this age society evolves into four separate classes,

O King, most people are brāhmaṇas.

SB

12.3.22: In Dvapara-yuga the religious qualities of austerity,

truth, mercy and charity are reduced to one half by their irreligious

counterparts — dissatisfaction, untruth, violence and enmity.

SB

12.3.23: In the Dvapara age people are interested in glory and

are very noble. They devote themselves to the study of the Vedas,

possess great opulence, support large families and enjoy life with

vigor. Of the four classes, the kṣatriyas and brāhmaṇas are most

numerous.

SB

12.3.24: In the age of Kali only one fourth of the religious

principles remains. That last remnant will continuously be decreased by

the ever-increasing principles of irreligion and will finally be

destroyed.

SB

12.3.25: In the Kali age people tend to be greedy, ill-behaved

and merciless, and they fight one another without good reason.

Unfortunate and obsessed with material desires, the people of Kali-yuga

are almost all śūdras and barbarians.