kṣīyamāṇeṣu deheṣu
dehināḿ kali-doṣataḥ
varṇāśramavatāḿ dharme
naṣṭe veda-pathe nṛṇām
pāṣaṇḍa-pracure dharme
dasyu-prāyeṣu rājasu
cauryānṛta-vṛthā-hiḿsā-
nānā-vṛttiṣu vai nṛṣu
śūdra-prāyeṣu varṇeṣu
cchāga-prāyāsu dhenuṣu
gṛha-prāyeṣv āśrameṣu
yauna-prāyeṣu bandhuṣu
aṇu-prāyāsv oṣadhīṣu
śamī-prāyeṣu sthāsnuṣu
vidyut-prāyeṣu megheṣu
śūnya-prāyeṣu sadmasu
itthaḿ kalau gata-prāye
janeṣu khara-dharmiṣu
dharma-trāṇāya sattvena
bhagavān avatariṣyati
kshiyamaneshu -- having become smaller; deheshu -- the bodies; dehinam -- of all living entities; kali-doshatah -- by the contamination of the age of Kali; varna-asrama-vatam -- of the members of varnasrama society; dharme -- when their religious principles; nashte -- have been destroyed; veda-pathe -- the path of the Vedas; nrinam -- for all men; pashanda-pracure -- mostly atheism; dharme -- religion; dasyu-prayeshu -- mostly thieves; rajasu -- the kings; caurya -- banditry; anrita -- lying; vritha-himsa -- useless slaughter; nana -- various; vrittishu -- their occupations; vai -- indeed; nrishu -- when men; sudra-prayeshu -- mostly low-class sudras; varneshu -- the so-called social orders; chaga-prayasu -- no better than goats; dhenushu -- the cows; griha-prayeshu -- just like materialistic homes; asrameshu -- the spiritual hermitages; yauna-prayeshu -- extending no further than marriage; bandhushu -- family ties; anu-prayasu -- mostly very small; oshadhishu -- plants and herbs; sami-prayeshu -- just like sami trees; sthasnushu -- all the trees; vidyut-prayeshu -- always manifesting lightning; megheshu -- the clouds; sunya-prayeshu -- devoid of religious life; sadmasu -- the homes; ittham -- thus; kalau -- when the age of Kali; gata-praye -- is almost finished; janeshu -- the people; khara-dharmishu -- when they have assumed the characteristics of asses; dharma-tranaya -- for the deliverance of religion; sattvena -- in the pure mode of goodness; bhagavan -- the Supreme Personality of Godhead; avatarishyati -- will descend.
Significantly, these verses point out that most so-called religions in this age will be atheistic (pasanda-pracure dharme). In confirmation of the Bhagavatam's prediction, the United States Supreme Court has recently ruled that to be considered a religion a system of belief need not recognize a supreme being. Also, many atheistic, voidistic belief systems, often imported from the Orient, have attracted the attention of modern atheistic scientists, who expound on the similarities between Eastern and Western voidism in fashionable, esoteric books.
These verses vividly describe many unsavory symptoms of the age of Kali. Ultimately, at the end of this age, Lord Krishna will descend as Kalki and remove the thoroughly demonic persons from the face of the earth.