Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Then came the Silver Age. Power began to rule people's minds, and they practiced strict self-control.
Goodness lost its fourth foot and stood on three. Anger burned in hearts and minds.
Anger spread like poison. Kings fought wars and got only pain.
Pride grew in them like an illness, and their big-headedness grew too.
When my Master shows mercy, the poison is cleared away by the Guru's teaching and the Name.
Then came the Silver Age, when power began to rule people's minds.
This one says: as power started to rule people's hearts, goodness began to wobble.
The second age is Trayta Yuga, the Silver Age. "Antar jor paa-i-aa" — power (jor) got inside people. They still practiced strict self-control. But "pag cha-uthaa khisi-aa" — the fourth foot slipped. Dharam, goodness, now stood on three legs.
Think of a table with one leg gone. It still stands, but lean on it and it tips.
The verse is honest. Anger burned in people's hearts like poison. Kings fought wars and got only pain. Ha-umai, the "me first" feeling, grew like an illness.
But look at the ending. Even while naming the slide, the verse does not end in gloom. When the One shows mercy, the poison is cleared away, through the Guru's teaching and the Name.
The story of things getting harder always carries the way back inside it. Getting worse is never the last word here.
Have you noticed how chasing power or winning can bring out anger? What cools it down?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI