now have I seen my elder brother. It is a great
favour shown unto me; and I have been well pleased with thee. Now I wish
that thou mayst fulfil this desire of mine. I desire to behold. O hero,
that incomparable form of thine, which thou at that time hadst had, in
bounding over the main, that abode of sharks and crocodiles. Thereby I
shall be satisfied, and also believe in thy words.' Thus addressed, that
mighty monkey said with a smile, 'That form of mine neither thou, not any
one else can behold. At that age, the state of things was different, and
doth not exist at present. In the Krita age, the state of things was one;
and in the Treta, another; and in the Dwapara, still another. Diminution
is going on this age; and I have not that form now. The ground, rivers,
plants, and rocks, and siddhas, gods, and celestial sages conform to
Time, in harmony with the state of things in the different yugas.
Therefore, do not desire to see my former shape, O perpetuator of the
Kuru race. I am conforming to the tendency of the age. Verily, Time is
irresistible' Bhimasena said, 'Tell me of the duration of the different
yugas, and of the different manners and customs and of virtue, pleasure
and profit, and of acts, and energy, and of life and death in the
different yugas.' Thereupon Hanuman said, 'O child, that yuga is called
Krita when the one eternal religion was extant. And in that best of
yugas, every one had religious perfection, and, therefore, there was no
need of religious acts. And then virtue knew no deterioration; nor did
people decrease. It is for this that this age is called Krita (perfect).
But in time the yuga had come to be considered as an inferior one. And, O
child, in the Krita age, there were neither gods, nor demons, nor
Gandharvas, nor Yakshas, nor Rakshasas, nor Nagas. And there was no
buying and selling. And the Sama, the Rich, and the Yajus did not exist.
And there was no manual labour. And then the necessaries of life were
obtained only by being thought of. And the only merit was in renouncing
the world. And during that yuga, there was neither disease, nor decay of
the senses. And there was neither malice, nor pride, nor hypocrisy, nor
discord, nor ill-will, nor cunning, nor fear, nor misery, nor envy, nor
covetousness. And for this, that prime refuge of Yogis, even the Supreme
Brahma, was attainable to all. And Narayana wearing a white hue was the
soul of all creatures. And in the Krita Yuga, the distinctive
ch