The Degraded Dynasties of Kali-yuga

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The last king mentioned of the future rulers of the Māgadha dynasty was Purañjaya, a descendant of Bṛhadratha. Purañjaya's minister Śunaka will assassinate the king and install his own son, Pradyota, on the throne. The son of Pradyota will be Pālaka, his son will be Viśākhayūpa, and his son will be Rājaka.

Offering respects to guru and Kṛṣṇa, the ocean of mercy, I take shelter of Śukadeva, master of the world, eye of the universe. I offer myself and everything I possess to he who is the life of the gopīs, the controller, for service to his dear devotees.

The Twelfth Canto, in thirteen chapters, discusses the four types of nirodha or destruction. Amidst this, there are also topics about Kṛṣṇa. Three chapters discuses the destruction of dharma in Kali-yuga. Two chapters describe conversations between Śukadeva and Parīkṣit. One chapter discusses the Purāṇas. Three chapters describe Mārkaṇòeya and the movements of the sun. Three chapters conclude the Bhāgavata Purāṇa.

In two Cantos, the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in the moon dynasty has been described for drowning all people in bliss. Now, in order to produce detachment from all other things in people, the rest of the moon dynasty is described. The Ninth Canto described that in the Puru dynasty Uparicaravasu had a son named Bṛhadratha. His son was Jarāsandha, whose son was Sahadeva. Now, in this dynasty the son of Sahadeva was named Mārjārī, and Mārjārī’s son was Śrutaśravā. In this way, twenty kings up to Ripuñjaya were described.1 The end of the dynasty when the families become mixed is also described.

Purañjaya (another name for Ripuñjaya) was the descendant of Bṛhadratha. After killing him, Śunaka will install his son Pradyota as king. Pradoyta’s son was called Pālaka. Because this line arose from Pradyota it is called the Pradyotana dynasty.

mahāpadma-patiḥ kaścin

nandaḥ kṣatra-vināśa-kṛt

tato nṛpā bhaviṣyanti

śūdra-prāyās tv adhārmikāḥ

Ajaya will father a second Nandivardhana, whose son will be Mahānandi. O best of the Kurus, these ten kings of the Śiśunāga dynasty will rule the earth for a total of 360 years during the age of Kali. My dear Parīkṣit, King Mahānandi will father a very powerful son in the womb of a śūdra woman. He will be known as Nanda and will be the master of great wealth. He will destroy kṣatriyas, and from that time onward virtually all kings will be irreligious śūdras.

Ājeyaḥ means the son of Ajaya. The letter e is poetic license.

He is called mahā-padma because he was the master of great wealth or a great number of troops. He is compared to Paraśurāma because he destroyed the kṣatriyas.

Nava-nandān means Nanda and his eight sons. The brāhmaṇa named Cānakya will uproot them, though they trusted him (prannanān). The Maurya dynasty will rule after that.

How will the Mauryas rule? Candragupta was the first of the Mauryas. The word ca indicates Daśaratha, as mentioned in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa.

They will rule 137 years.

śuḍgā daśaite bhokṣyanti

bhūmiṁ varṣa-śatādhikam

tataḥ kāṇvān iyaṁ bhūmir

yāsyaty alpa-guṇān nṛpa

My dear King Parīkṣit! Agnimitra will follow as king, and then Sujyeṣṭha. Sujyeṣṭha will be followed by Vasumitra, Bhadraka, and the son of Bhadraka, Pulinda. Then the son of Pulinda, named Ghoṣa, will rule, followed by Vajramitra, Bhāgavata and Devabhūti. In this way, O best of the Kuru heroes, ten Śuḍga kings will rule over the earth for more than one hundred years. Then the earth will come under the control of the kings of the Kāṇva dynasty, who will have few good qualities.

The commander of Bṛhadratha’s army will kill Bhṛhadratha and make himself king. His name will be Puṣpamitra, the first king of the Śuḍga dynasty. He will be followed by nine others starting with Agnimitra. The ten kings will last for a hundred and twelve years.

How will the Kānva dynasty appear? The minister of the Kānva family killed Devabhūti, who desired other men’s women.

Vasudeva and others were also called Kānva’s dynasty.

Suśarmā was the last king of the Kānva dynasty. Balī was the name of the person who killed him.

aniṣṭakarmā hāleyas

talakas tasya cātma-jaḥ

purīṣabhīrus tat-putras

tato rājā sunandanaḥ

cakoro bahavo yatra

śivasvātir arin-damaḥ

tasyāpi gomatī putraḥ

purīmān bhavitā tataḥ

medaśirāḥ śivaskando

yajñaśrīs tat-sutas tataḥ

vijayas tat-suto bhāvyaś

candravijñaḥ sa-lomadhiḥ

ete triṁśan nṛpatayaś

catvāry abda-śatāni ca

ṣaṭ-pañcāśac ca pṛthivīṁ

bhokṣyanti kuru-nandana

The brother of Balī, named Kṛṣṇa, will become the next ruler of the earth. His son will be Śāntakarṇa, and his son will be Paurṇamāsa. The son of Paurṇamāsa will be Lambodara, who will father Mahārāja Cibilaka. From Cibilaka will come Meghasvāti, whose son will be Aṭamāna. The son of Aṭamāna will be Aniṣṭakarmā. His son will be Hāleya, and his son will be Talaka. The son of Talaka will be Purīṣabhīru, and following him Sunandana will become king. Sunandana will be followed by Cakora and then the eight Bahus, among whom Śivasvāti will be a great subduer of enemies. The son of Śivasvāti will be Gomatī. His son will be Purīmān, whose son will be Medaśirā. His son will be Śivaskanda, and his son will be Yajñaśrī. The son of Yajñaśrī will be Vijaya, who will have two sons, Candravijña and Lomadhi. These thirty kings will enjoy sovereignty over the earth for a total of 456 years, O son of the Kurus.

Āvabhrtyā means from the city of Avabhṛti.

śiśunandiś ca tad-bhrātā

yaśonandiḥ pravīrakaḥ

ity ete vai varṣa-śataṁ

bhaviṣyanty adhikāni ṣaṭ

These Ābhīras, Gardabhīs and Kaḍkas will enjoy the earth for 1,099 years, and the eleven Maulas will rule for 300 years. When the Maulas disappear, there will appear in the city of Kilakilā a dynasty of kings consisting of Bhūtananda, Vaḍgiri, Śiśunandi, Śiśunandi's brother Yaśonandi, and Pravīraka. These kings of Kilakilā will rule for 106 years.

Other than the Maulas the other sixty-five kings starting with the Ābhīras will rule for 1099 years. The eleven Maulas will rule for three hundred years. When they die off, kings will appear in Kilakilā city. They will rule for a hundred and six years.

The Kilakilās will be followed by their thirteen sons, the Bāhlikas, and after them King Puṣpamitra, his son Durmitra, and then seven Andhras, seven Kauśalas and also kings of the Vidūra and Niṣadha provinces will separately rule in different parts of the world.

Among Bhūtānanda and others, thirteen sons called Bāhlikas will rule. Then Puṣpamitra, a kṣatriya, of a different family, will rule, and then his son Durmitra. After that, at one time, there will be different rulers in different states.

Then in the Māgadha family, a person called Viśvaphūri will appear, who will be a second Purañjaya. He will turn brāhmaṇas and others into Pulindas, Yadus and Madrakas-- almost into mlecchas.

He will make the citizens reject the Vedas and destroy the remaining pious kṣatriyas.

The brāhmaṇas of these states will be devoid of saṁskāras (vrātyāḥ).

These barbarians in the guise of kings will devour the citizenry, murdering innocent women, children, cows and brāhmaṇas, and coveting the wives and property of other men. They will be erratic in their moods, have little strength of character and be very short-lived. Devoid of Vedic rituals saṁskāras, they will be completely covered by the modes of passion and ignorance.

Thus ends the commentary on the First Chapter of the Twelfth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.