Kali Yuga
Last week we did a post entitled In the Age of Kali and are continuing it here today. We begin with the description of the previous ages from Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.21 followed by further descriptions of the age from text 1.1.22.
One thing that jumped out at me from my reading this morning was from the purport to text22, wherein Srila Prabhupada points out: “…people do not realize that this brief life, is but a moment on our great journey towards self-realization.” That put things in perspective for me.
This age of Kali is not at all suitable for self-realization as was Satya-yuga, the golden age, or Tretā- or Dvāpara-yugas, the silver and copper ages. For self-realization, the people in Satya-yuga, living a lifetime of a hundred thousand years, were able to perform prolonged meditation. And in Tretā-yuga, when the duration of life was ten thousand years, self-realization was attained by performance of great sacrifice. And in the Dvāpara-yuga, when the duration of life was one thousand years, self-realization was attained by worship of the Lord. But in the Kali-yuga, the maximum duration of life being one hundred years only and that combined with various difficulties, the recommended process of self-realization is that of hearing and chanting of the holy name, fame, and pastimes of the Lord. (purport SB 1.1.21)
The age of Kali is very dangerous for the human being. Human life is simply meant for self-realization, but due to this dangerous age, men have completely forgotten the aim of life. In this age, the life span will gradually decrease. People will gradually lose their memory, finer sentiments, strength, and better qualities. …And so this age is very difficult for those who want to utilize this life for self-realization. The people are so busy with sense gratification that they completely forget about self-realization. Out of madness they frankly say that there is no need for self-realization because they do not realize that this brief life is but a moment on our great journey towards self-realization. (purport 1.1.22)
Full Text and purports More
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