Texts 39-40
nityam udvigna-manaso
durbhikṣa-kara-karśitāḥ
niranne bhū-tale rājan
anāvṛṣṭi-bhayāturāḥ
vāso-’nna-pāna-śayana-
vyavāya-snāna-bhūṣaṇaiḥ
hīnāḥ piśāca-sandarśā
bhaviṣyanti kalau prajāḥ
nityam — constantly; udvigna — agitated; manasaḥ — their minds; durbhikṣa — by famine; kara — and taxes; karśitāḥ — emaciated; niranne — when there is no food to be found; bhū-tale — upon the surface of the earth; rājan — O King Parīkṣit; anāvṛṣṭi — of drought; bhaya — because of fear; āturāḥ — anxious; vāsaḥ — clothing; anna — food; pāna — drink; śayana — rest; vyavāya — sex; snāna — bathing; bhūṣaṇaiḥ — and personal ornaments; hīnāḥ — lacking; piśāca-sandarśāḥ — appearing just like ghostly demons; bhaviṣyanti — they will become; kalau — in the Age of Kali; prajāḥ — the people.
In the Age of Kali, people’s minds will always be agitated. They will become emaciated by famine and taxation, my dear King, and will always be disturbed by fear of drought. They will lack adequate clothing, food and drink, will be unable to properly rest, have sex or bathe themselves, and will have no ornaments to decorate their bodies. In fact, the people of Kali-yuga will gradually come to appear like ghostly, haunted creatures.
The symptoms described here are already prevalent in many countries of the world and will gradually spread to other places engulfed by impiety and materialism.