Text 1: Sūta said: O brāhmaṇa! Just as those who knew about his birth had described him, Parīkṣit, the great devotee, possessing qualities of a great person, ruled the earth under the guidance of the best brāhmaṇas.

Text 2: He married Iṛāvatī, the daughter of King Uttara, and bore four sons starting with Janamejaya.

Text 3: Accepting Kṛpa as his guru and giving profuse donations, he performed three horse sacrifices on the banks of the Gaṅgā, in which the devatās became visible.

Text* 4: One time, while touring his kingdom, the hero valiantly punished Kali, a śūdra dressed as a king, who was kicking a cow and bull.

Text 5: Śaunaka said: Why did the king while touring punish Kali but not kill him? The person dressed as a king who was kicking the cow was a very low śūdra.

Text 6: O great soul! Please tell us if it concerns Kṛṣṇa, or concerns his devotees who lick the honey from his lotus feet.

Text 7: O Sūta! For those men who desire Kṛṣṇa, what is use of material talks which are a waste of life for short-lived humanity?

Text 8: The Lord as death has been called here to this sacrifice of animals. As long as he is here, no one will die.

Text 9: The sages have called death here so that no one dies. Therefore, men should drink the words containing sweet pastimes of the Lord.

Text 10: The lives of those who are lazy, foolish and short lived, are wasted at night in sleeping and in the day by useless actions.

Text 11: Sūta said: When Parīkṣit, expert in battle, was staying in Kuru-jāṅgala inspecting his kingdom, hearing the rather unpleasant news that Kali had entered, he took up his bow.

Text* 12: He had gone out from his city to gather tribute with his troops along with chariots, horses, and elephants on a chariot with lion flag, pulled by black horses and well decorated.

Text* 13: Conquering Bhadrāśva, Ketumāla, Bhārata, the northern Kuru provinces, and other countries such as Kimpuruṣa, he received taxes.

Text* 14-16: In those places, hearing the glories of his ancestors being sung which indicated glory to Kṛṣṇa, his deliverance from the brahmāstra of Aśvatthāmā, and the great devotion and affection of the Pāṇḍavas and Vṛṣṇis for Kṛṣṇa, highly satisfied and very generous, his eyes filled with affection, he gave those glorifiers great wealth and cloth.

Text 17: Hearing through their praises that Kṛṣṇa acted as charioteer, follower, servant, friend and messenger of the dear Pāṇḍavas and that Viṣṇu was respected by the whole world, he expressed devotion to the lotus feet of the Lord.

Text 18: Hear from me the most astonishing event that suddenly occurred while he was following this procedure of the previous kings daily.

Text 19: Dharma, moving about on one leg, seeing a cow with no effulgence, with tears in her eyes as if she had lost her calf, inquired from her.

Text 20: Dharma said: Auspicious cow! Are you well? You appear pale and your face is slightly withered. I think that you are in great anxiety. O mother! Are you lamenting for a friend in a distant land?

Text 21: Do you lament because I am standing on only one leg? Or are you lamenting for yourself being enjoyed by sinners? Or are you lamenting because the devatās have been deprived of their share of the sacrifices? Or are you lamenting for the citizens without rain?

Text 22: O earth! Are you lamenting because the women are not protected by the husbands, children are not protected by parents and moreover suffer at the hands of merciless people? Are you lamenting about learned words being spoken in brāhmaṇa families with sinful conduct? Are you lamenting the best of brāhmaṇas serving kings with no respect for brāhmaṇas?

Text 23: Are you lamenting about degraded kṣatriyas influenced by Kali, or countries ruled negligently by them? Are you lamenting because people are engaged in eating, drinking, dressing, bathing, and sexual relationships without regard for restrictions?

Text 24: O mother! O earth! Are you lamenting on remembering the activities — which make a mockery of liberation by their sweetness — of the Lord who appeared to relieve your heavy burden and then disappeared, leaving you alone?

Text 25: O earth! Please tell me the cause for your anxiety by which you have become extremely thin. O mother! Has time which is strongest of the strong, stolen your good fortune worshipped by the devatās?

Text 26-31: The earth said: You know all the dharma about which you are asking me. I am lamenting the population which is now influenced by the sinful glance of Kali, and which is devoid of the Lord, the abode of Lakṣmī, the abode of qualities, by whose power you existed with four legs which gave benefit to the people, and in whom reside the following eternal, great qualities, which do not disappear at any time: truthfulness, purity, compassion, control of anger, generosity, self-satisfaction, straightforwardness, control of mind, control of external senses, following his caste role during pastimes, neutrality to all, tolerance, indifference to material enjoyment, consideration of scripture, omniscience, distaste for material enjoyment, control of others, determination in battle, influence, skill, defining social duties, independence, expertise in arts, beauty, lack of confusion, tenderness, boldness, modesty, being good-natured, sharpness of mind, sharpness of the knowledge senses and action senses, the abode of enjoyment, imperturbability, steadiness, faith, fame, respectability, lack of pride, and as well, other qualities desirable for those who want greatness.

Text 32: O best of the devatās! I lament for myself and you, and for the devatās, Pitṛs, sages, devotees and all the varṇas and āśramas.

Text 33: Lakṣmī, desiring whose glance Brahmā and others, surrendered to the Lord for a long time, perform great penance, has left her abode of the lotus forest and with great attachment worships the beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s feet.

Text 34: Being ornamented with the footprints of the Lord marked with lotus, thunderbolt, goad, flag, I surpassed the three worlds in beauty. After I attained glory from the Lord, he left me who had become proud, even after the glory had dissipated.

Text 35: The independent Lord destroyed my great burden of a hundred auṣauhiṇīs of those who were previously of demonic dynasty of kings. By his prowess he made you whole when you were suffering with loss of your legs and had taken shelter of him. He appeared with a beautiful form in the Yadu family.

Text 36: Who can tolerate separation from that supreme person whose foot prints made my hair stand on end constantly, while he took away the pride and self-control of his queens who were proud by his loving glances, pleasant smiles and sweet speech?