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INTRODUCTION.
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with the preceding twi. with their twilights prelights and in the twilights ceding and following, the following them, the thousands thousands and hundreds are and hundreds are diminished by diminished by one in each). one-fourth (in each)
22. These support the eternal, everlasting worlds; this is known as the eternal Brahman to those who know Brahman.
23. In the Krita age Dharma 81. In the Krita age Dharma is four-footed and entire, and (so is four-footed and entire, and is) Truth; nor does any gain (so is) Truth; nor does any gain which is opposed to that accrue to men by unrighteous(spirit of justice) accrue by ness. unrighteousness
24. In the other (three ages), 82. In the other (three ages), by reason of (unjust) gains, by reason of (unjust) gains, Dharma is deprived successively Dharma is deprived successively of one foot, and unrighteous- of one foot, and through (the ness increases through theft, prevalence of) theft, falsehood, falsehood, and fraud.
and fraud the merit (gained by men) is diminished by
one-fourth (in each). 25. (Men are) free from dis- 83. (Men are) free from disease, accomplish all their aims, ease, accomplish all their aims, and live four hundred years in and live four hundred years in the Krita (age); but in the the Krita (age), but in the Tretâ age (and the follow- Tretâ and (in each of the ing ones) their life is lessened succeeding (ages) their life is by one quarter in each'; lessened by one quarter.
26. And the doctrines of 84. The life of mortals, menthe Veda decrease, as we tioned in the Veda, the de
The reading of Mana, sasamdhyamsesho ka for samdhâmseshu tatah, seems preferable, but his ekâ pâyena is inferior to the eka padena of the Mahabharata.
* Nilakantha explains agama in this verse and the next by doctrine. I translate it by 'gain,' in accordance with the rendering adopted for Manu, but willingly acknowledge that the other rendering is possible in both works, and that the meaning may be 'nor does any unrighteous doctrine, opposed to that (Dharma), prevail' (Mah.), 'nor is any unrighteous doctrine spread among men' (Manu).
• The reading krite tretâyuge tvesham instead of Manu's krite tretádisbu hyesham is more archaic.
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