Srimad Bhagavatam - Skandha XII.01, Thursday, 10 August 2023 - The sordid story of Kali Yuga's bad kings.
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We have read so far the course of events in different epochs. Each narrative has a king of noteworthy qualities and his interactions with sages. This gives rise to adherence to Dharma, especially Raja Dharma.
Sage Shuka says that with the dawn of Kali Yoga, the intrinsic values of Raja Dharma will be sacrificed. Kings will worship power and nothing else. As such, society will go to dogs.
The word in Sanskrit is म्लेच्छ for a barbaric man of low birth and low worth in the sense of Dharma and contribution to society. After seeing so many despots, tyrants, terrorists and iconoclasts in our time, we can relate to such people who do immense harm to society and mankind and pretty much erase all that is good. This is the sordid story of bad kings.
I shall share only a sample of shlokas from this chapter as it is unedifying reading anyway.
योऽन्त्य: पुरञ्जयो नाम भविष्यो बारहद्रथ: । तस्यामात्यस्तु शुनको हत्वा स्वामिनमात्मजम् ॥
T: The last of the Magadhas, Punranjaya, will be slain in a coup by his own minister Shunaka (means dog!) who shall install his son as the king...
Then many kings, dynasties, bloody coups and so on are listed, each lineage holding power for several decades and centuries, without distinguishing themselves either in Dharma or Artha.
There is a notable mention of the Maurya king who will be installed by his wise Brahmin minister in power and whose grandson will be called Ashoka!
T: Vasudeva, an intelligent minister coming from the Kanva family, will kill the last of the Sunga kings, a lusty debauchee named Devabhuti, and assume rulership himself.
T: Eight Yavanas will then take power, followed by fourteen Turushkas, ten Gurundas and eleven kings of the Maula dynasty. (Yavana is used for Greek, Turushka for Turks/Barbarians, Maulas for Muslims?)
स्त्रीबालगोद्विजघ्नाश्च परदारधनादृता: । उदितास्तमितप्राया अल्पसत्त्वाल्पकायुष: ॥
असंस्कृता: क्रियाहीना रजसा तमसावृता: । प्रजास्ते भक्षयिष्यन्ति म्लेच्छा राजन्यरूपिण: ॥
तन्नाथास्ते जनपदास्तच्छीलाचारवादिन: । अन्योन्यतो राजभिश्च क्षयं यास्यन्ति पीडिता: ॥
T: There will be many such uncivilized kings ruling at the same time, and they will all be uncharitable, possessed of fierce tempers, and be great devotees of Adharma and Asatya. These barbarians in the guise of kings will devour the citizenry, murder innocent women, children, cows and holy men and covet 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 Yajnas and lacking in the practice of Dharma, they will be completely covered by the modes of Rajas and Tamas. The citizens governed by these low-class kings will imitate the character, behaviour and speech of their rulers. Harassed by their leaders and by each other, they will all suffer ruination.
