६.१
षष्ठांशे प्रथमोऽध्यायः
Social and physical decline in the final age.
Summary
AI
The Kaliyuga begins as dharma declines. Rulers seize property through taxes and social status depends on wealth. Men abandon Vedic rituals for heretical paths as physical bodies shrink and life expectancy drops. Crops fail and ritual offerings like svadhā and svāhā cease. Despite this decay, small efforts in the Kaliyuga yield the same merit as ancient penance.
६.२
षष्ठांशे द्वितीयोऽध्यायः
Viṣṇu enters Devakī's womb and the gods praise her.
Summary
AI
Yoganidrā transfers the seventh embryo to Rohiṇī before Viṣṇu enters the womb of Devakī. Yoganidrā is born to Yaśodā. Devakī radiates a light that onlookers cannot face. Invisible deities praise her as Prakṛti and the mother of all beings. They acknowledge that because she bears the sustainer of the worlds, the oceans, mountains, and the cosmic egg rest within her body.
६.३
षष्ठांशे तृतीयोऽध्यायः
The three types of dissolution and the world's end.
Summary
AI
Dissolution occurs in three forms: occasional, elemental, and ultimate. At the conclusion of a kalpa, a drought destroys all life. Viṣṇu, as Rudra, uses seven suns to parch the earth. The Kālāgnirudra fire rises from the serpent Śeṣa, burning the triple world. Finally, Saṃvartaka clouds pour torrential rains to extinguish the heat and submerge the universe.
६.४
षष्ठांशे चतुर्थोऽध्यायः
The universe dissolves back into the Supreme Soul.
Summary
AI
Waters flood the worlds while Viṣṇu sleeps upon Śeṣa during the naimittika dissolution. In the prākṛta collapse, elements consume one another. Water swallows the fragrance of earth, fire drinks the taste of water, and wind devours the radiance of fire. Ego swallows the space and sinks into the intellect. All matter and soul merge into the Supreme Soul, Viṣṇu, whose cycles measure the universe.
६.५
षष्ठांशे पञ्चमोऽध्यायः
Human suffering and the path to liberation.
Summary
AI
Living beings endure disease, mental pain, and the pressure of birth. Life declines into old age and ends when illness severs the vital organs. To escape this cycle, the wise seek Vāsudeva. Known as Bhagavān for his six attributes, including aiśvarya and jñāna, he offers refuge from the pain of rebirth.
६.६
षष्ठांशे षष्ठोऽध्यायः
Two kings exchange ritual advice for instruction.
Summary
AI
King Keśidhvaja deposes Khāṇḍikya, who flees to the woods. When a tiger kills a homa-dhenu, the king seeks his rival’s expertise for the prāyaścitta. Khāṇḍikya instructs his enemy. After the sacrifice, Keśidhvaja returns to pay guru-dakṣiṇā. Khāṇḍikya asks only for the knowledge that terminates all kleśa, or worldly afflictions.
६.७
षष्ठांशे सप्तमोऽध्यायः
Keśidhvaja teaches Khāṇḍikya about yoga and liberation.
Summary
AI
Keśidhvaja identifies the identification of the self with the body as the source of bondage. A practitioner employs yoga to steady the mind upon Brahman. This involves yama, niyama, and breath regulation. The meditator focuses on the four-armed form of Viṣṇu. Gradually, the mind reaches a state of samādhi where distinctions between the soul and the absolute vanish.
६.८
षष्ठांशे अष्टमोऽध्यायः
The sun's orbit and the river Gaṅgā.
Summary
AI
Sūrya travels in a chariot pulled by seven horses named after Vedic meters like Gāyatrī. The vehicle circles Mount Mānasottara. At twilight, Brāhmaṇas cast water with the Oṃ syllable to repel Mandeha demons. Above the Saptarṣis resides Dhruva in the station of Viṣṇu. From this height, the Gaṅgā flows from Viṣṇu’s foot, descending upon Mount Meru to divide into four streams.
॥ इति षष्टांशः ॥
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Sanskrit Sahitya is a free, open-access digital library of classical Sanskrit literature with AI-powered tools and translations.