Before Verses
Devanagari
Verse Text
Synonyms
Translation
Purport
CHAPTER THREE
The Bhūmi-gītā
This chapter describes how the earth took note of the foolishness of the many kings bent on conquering her. It also describes how even though the Age of Kali is full of faults, the glorification of the name of Lord Hari destroys them all.
Great kings, who are actually just playthings of death, desire to subdue their six internal enemies — the five senses and the mind — and afterward they imagine they will go on to conquer the earth and all its oceans. Seeing their false hopes, the earth simply laughs, for eventually they all must leave this planet and go elsewhere, as have all the great kings and monarchs of the past. Moreover, after usurping the earth or some part of it — which is actually unconquerable and must in every case be given up — fathers, sons, brothers, friends and relatives quarrel over it.
Thus the study of history naturally leads to the conclusion that all worldly achievements are temporary, and this conclusion should give rise to a sense of renunciation. Ultimately, the highest goal of life for any living entity is pure devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa, which annihilates all inauspiciousness. In the age of Satya, religion was complete, still possessing its four legs of truth, mercy, austerity and charity. With the coming of each succeeding age, starting with Tretā, these religious qualities each diminish by one quarter. In Kali-yuga the legs of religion retain only one fourth of their power, and even that will be lost with the progress of the age. The mode of goodness is predominant during Satya-yuga, and the mode of passion is predominant during the Tretā-yuga. The mixed modes of passion and ignorance are predominant during Dvāpara-yuga, and in the Age of Kali the mode of ignorance is predominant. Atheism, the smallness and inferiority of all things, and devotion to the genitals and belly are very much evident in the Age of Kali. Living entities contaminated by the influence of Kali do not worship the Supreme Lord, Śrī Hari, even though they can be freed from all bondage and easily achieve the supreme destination simply by chanting the glories of His name and taking shelter of Him. But if somehow or other the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes manifest within the hearts of the conditioned souls in Kali-yuga, then all faults of place, time and personality inherent in the age will be destroyed. Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, but it possesses one great quality: simply by the chanting of the name of Kṛṣṇa, one can be delivered from material association and attain the Absolute Truth. All that was accomplished in the age of Satya by meditation, in the age of Tretā by sacrificial performances and in the age of Dvāpara by temple worship is easily gained during the Kali-yuga by the simple process of hari-kīrtana.
Devanagari
श्री शुक उवाच:
दृष्ट्वात्मनि जये व्यग्रान् नृपान् हसति भूरियम् ।
अहो मा विजिगीषन्ति मृत्यो: क्रीडनका नृपा: ॥ १ ॥
दृष्ट्वात्मनि जये व्यग्रान् नृपान् हसति भूरियम् ।
अहो मा विजिगीषन्ति मृत्यो: क्रीडनका नृपा: ॥ १ ॥
Verse text
śrī-śuka uvāca
dṛṣṭvātmani jaye vyagrān
nṛpān hasati bhūr iyam
aho mā vijigīṣanti
mṛtyoḥ krīḍanakā nṛpāḥ
dṛṣṭvātmani jaye vyagrān
nṛpān hasati bhūr iyam
aho mā vijigīṣanti
mṛtyoḥ krīḍanakā nṛpāḥ
Synonyms
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; dṛṣṭvā — observing; ātmani — of herself; jaye — in conquest; vyagrān — busily engaged; nṛpān — the kings; hasati — she laughs; bhūḥ — the earth; iyam — this; aho — ah; mā — me; vijigīṣanti — they are desiring to conquer; mṛtyoḥ — of death; krīḍanakāḥ — playthings; nṛpāḥ — the kings.
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Seeing the kings of this earth busy trying to conquer her, the earth herself laughed. She said: “Just see how these kings, who are actually playthings in the hands of death, are desiring to conquer me.
Devanagari
काम एष नरेन्द्राणां मोघ: स्याद् विदुषामपि ।
येन फेनोपमे पिण्डे येऽतिविश्रम्भिता नृपा: ॥ २ ॥
येन फेनोपमे पिण्डे येऽतिविश्रम्भिता नृपा: ॥ २ ॥
Verse text
kāma eṣa narendrāṇāṁ
moghaḥ syād viduṣām api
yena phenopame piṇḍe
ye ’ti-viśrambhitā nṛpāḥ
moghaḥ syād viduṣām api
yena phenopame piṇḍe
ye ’ti-viśrambhitā nṛpāḥ
Synonyms
Translation
“Great rulers of men, even those who are learned, meet frustration and failure because of material lust. Driven by lust, these kings place great hope and faith in the dead lump of flesh called the body, even though the material frame is as fleeting as bubbles of foam on water.
Devanagari
पूर्वं निर्जित्य षड्वर्गं जेष्यामो राजमन्त्रिण: ।
तत: सचिवपौराप्तकरीन्द्रानस्य कण्टकान् ॥ ३ ॥
एवं क्रमेण जेष्याम: पृथ्वीं सागरमेखलाम् ।
इत्याशाबद्धहृदया न पश्यन्त्यन्तिकेऽन्तकम् ॥ ४ ॥
तत: सचिवपौराप्तकरीन्द्रानस्य कण्टकान् ॥ ३ ॥
एवं क्रमेण जेष्याम: पृथ्वीं सागरमेखलाम् ।
इत्याशाबद्धहृदया न पश्यन्त्यन्तिकेऽन्तकम् ॥ ४ ॥
Verse text
pūrvaṁ nirjitya ṣaḍ-vargaṁ
jeṣyāmo rāja-mantriṇaḥ
tataḥ saciva-paurāpta-
karīndrān asya kaṇṭakān
jeṣyāmo rāja-mantriṇaḥ
tataḥ saciva-paurāpta-
karīndrān asya kaṇṭakān
evaṁ krameṇa jeṣyāmaḥ
pṛthvīṁ sāgara-mekhalām
ity āśā-baddha-hṛdayā
na paśyanty antike ’ntakam
pṛthvīṁ sāgara-mekhalām
ity āśā-baddha-hṛdayā
na paśyanty antike ’ntakam
Synonyms
pūrvam — first of all; nirjitya — conquering; ṣaṭ-vargam — the five senses and the mind; jeṣyāmaḥ — we will conquer; rāja-mantriṇaḥ — the royal ministers; tataḥ — then; saciva — the personal secretaries; paura — the citizens of the capital; āpta — the friends; kari-indrān — the elephant keepers; asya — ridding ourselves of; kaṇṭakān — the thorns; evam — in this way; krameṇa — gradually; jeṣyāmaḥ — we shall conquer; pṛthvīm — the earth; sāgara — the ocean; mekhalām — whose girdle; iti — thus thinking; āśā — by hopes; baddha — bound up; hṛdayāḥ — their hearts; na paśyanti — they do not see; antike — nearby; antakam — their own end.
Translation
“Kings and politicians imagine: ‘First I will conquer my senses and mind; then I will subdue my chief ministers and rid myself of the thorn-pricks of my advisors, citizens, friends and relatives, as well as the keepers of my elephants. In this way I will gradually conquer the entire earth.’ Because the hearts of these leaders are bound by great expectations, they fail to see death waiting nearby.
Purport
To satisfy their greed for power, determined politicians, dictators and military leaders undergo severe austerities and sacrifice, with much self-discipline. Then they lead their great nations in a struggle to control the sea, land, air and space. Although the politicians and their followers will soon be dead — since birth and death are all inevitable in this world — they persist in their frenetic struggle for ephemeral glory.
Devanagari
समुद्रावरणां जित्वा मां विशन्त्यब्धिमोजसा ।
कियदात्मजयस्यैतन्मुक्तिरात्मजये फलम् ॥ ५ ॥
कियदात्मजयस्यैतन्मुक्तिरात्मजये फलम् ॥ ५ ॥
Verse text
samudrāvaraṇāṁ jitvā
māṁ viśanty abdhim ojasā
kiyad ātma-jayasyaitan
muktir ātma-jaye phalam
māṁ viśanty abdhim ojasā
kiyad ātma-jayasyaitan
muktir ātma-jaye phalam
Synonyms
Translation
“After conquering all the land on my surface, these proud kings forcibly enter the ocean to conquer the sea itself. What is the use of their self-control, which is aimed at political exploitation? The actual goal of self-control is spiritual liberation.”
Devanagari
यां विसृज्यैव मनवस्तत्सुताश्च कुरूद्वह ।
गता यथागतं युद्धे तां मां जेष्यन्त्यबुद्धय: ॥ ६ ॥
गता यथागतं युद्धे तां मां जेष्यन्त्यबुद्धय: ॥ ६ ॥
Verse text
yāṁ visṛjyaiva manavas
tat-sutāś ca kurūdvaha
gatā yathāgataṁ yuddhe
tāṁ māṁ jeṣyanty abuddhayaḥ
tat-sutāś ca kurūdvaha
gatā yathāgataṁ yuddhe
tāṁ māṁ jeṣyanty abuddhayaḥ
Synonyms
yām — whom; visṛjya — giving up; eva — indeed; manavaḥ — human beings; tat-sutāḥ — their sons; ca — also; kuru-udvaha — O best of the Kurus; gatāḥ — gone away; yathā-āgatam — just as they had originally come; yuddhe — in battle; tām — that; mām — me, the earth; jeṣyanti — they try to conquer; abuddhayaḥ — unintelligent.
Translation
O best of the Kurus, the earth continued as follows: “Although in the past great men and their descendants have left me, departing from this world in the same helpless way they came into it, even today foolish men are trying to conquer me.
Devanagari
मत्कृते पितृपुत्राणां भ्रातृणां चापि विग्रह: ।
जायते ह्यसतां राज्ये ममताबद्धचेतसाम् ॥ ७ ॥
जायते ह्यसतां राज्ये ममताबद्धचेतसाम् ॥ ७ ॥
Verse text
mat-kṛte pitṛ-putrāṇāṁ
bhrātṝṇāṁ cāpi vigrahaḥ
jāyate hy asatāṁ rājye
mamatā-baddha-cetasām
bhrātṝṇāṁ cāpi vigrahaḥ
jāyate hy asatāṁ rājye
mamatā-baddha-cetasām
Synonyms
mat-kṛte — for the sake of me; pitṛ-putrāṇām — between fathers and sons; bhrātṝṇām — among brothers; ca — and; api — also; vigrahaḥ — conflict; jāyate — arises; hi — indeed; asatām — among the materialistic; rājye — for political rule; mamatā — by the sense of possession; baddha — bound up; cetasām — whose hearts.
Translation
“For the sake of conquering me, materialistic persons fight one another. Fathers oppose their sons, and brothers fight one another, because their hearts are bound to possessing political power.
Devanagari
ममैवेयं मही कृत्स्ना न ते मूढेति वादिन: ।
स्पर्धमाना मिथो घ्नन्ति म्रियन्ते मत्कृते नृपा: ॥ ८ ॥
स्पर्धमाना मिथो घ्नन्ति म्रियन्ते मत्कृते नृपा: ॥ ८ ॥
Verse text
mamaiveyaṁ mahī kṛtsnā
na te mūḍheti vādinaḥ
spardhamānā mitho ghnanti
mriyante mat-kṛte nṛpāḥ
na te mūḍheti vādinaḥ
spardhamānā mitho ghnanti
mriyante mat-kṛte nṛpāḥ
Synonyms
Translation
“Political leaders challenge one another: ‘All this land is mine! It’s not yours, you fool!’ Thus they attack one another and die.
Purport
This verse describes with brilliant clarity the mundane political mentality that provokes innumerable conflicts in the world. For example, as we prepare this translation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, British and Argentine military forces are bitterly fighting over the tiny Falkland Islands.
The fact is that the Supreme Lord is the proprietor of all land. Of course, even in a God-conscious world political boundaries exist. But in such a God-conscious atmosphere political tensions are greatly eased, and people of all lands welcome each other and respect each other’s right to live in peace.
Devanagari
श्रीशुक उवाच
पृथु: पुरूरवा गाधिर्नहुषो भरतोऽर्जुन: ।
मान्धाता सगरो राम: खट्वाङ्गो धुन्धुहा रघु: ॥ ९ ॥
तृणबिन्दुर्ययातिश्च शर्याति: शन्तनुर्गय: ।
भगीरथ: कुवलयाश्व: ककुत्स्थो नैषधो नृग: ॥ १० ॥
हिरण्यकशिपुर्वृत्रो रावणो लोकरावण: ।
नमुचि: शम्बरो भौमो हिरण्याक्षोऽथ तारक: ॥ ११ ॥
अन्ये च बहवो दैत्या राजानो ये महेश्वरा: ।
सर्वे सर्वविद: शूरा: सर्वे सर्वजितोऽजिता: ॥ १२ ॥
ममतां मय्यवर्तन्त कृत्वोच्चैर्मर्त्यधर्मिण: ।
कथावशेषा: कालेन ह्यकृतार्था: कृता विभो ॥ १३ ॥
पृथु: पुरूरवा गाधिर्नहुषो भरतोऽर्जुन: ।
मान्धाता सगरो राम: खट्वाङ्गो धुन्धुहा रघु: ॥ ९ ॥
तृणबिन्दुर्ययातिश्च शर्याति: शन्तनुर्गय: ।
भगीरथ: कुवलयाश्व: ककुत्स्थो नैषधो नृग: ॥ १० ॥
हिरण्यकशिपुर्वृत्रो रावणो लोकरावण: ।
नमुचि: शम्बरो भौमो हिरण्याक्षोऽथ तारक: ॥ ११ ॥
अन्ये च बहवो दैत्या राजानो ये महेश्वरा: ।
सर्वे सर्वविद: शूरा: सर्वे सर्वजितोऽजिता: ॥ १२ ॥
ममतां मय्यवर्तन्त कृत्वोच्चैर्मर्त्यधर्मिण: ।
कथावशेषा: कालेन ह्यकृतार्था: कृता विभो ॥ १३ ॥
Verse text
pṛthuḥ purūravā gādhir
nahuṣo bharato ’rjunaḥ
māndhātā sagaro rāmaḥ
khaṭvāṅgo dhundhuhā raghuḥ
nahuṣo bharato ’rjunaḥ
māndhātā sagaro rāmaḥ
khaṭvāṅgo dhundhuhā raghuḥ
tṛṇabindur yayātiś ca
śaryātiḥ śantanur gayaḥ
bhagīrathaḥ kuvalayāśvaḥ
kakutstho naiṣadho nṛgaḥ
śaryātiḥ śantanur gayaḥ
bhagīrathaḥ kuvalayāśvaḥ
kakutstho naiṣadho nṛgaḥ
hiraṇyakaśipur vṛtro
rāvaṇo loka-rāvaṇaḥ
namuciḥ śambaro bhaumo
hiraṇyākṣo ’tha tārakaḥ
rāvaṇo loka-rāvaṇaḥ
namuciḥ śambaro bhaumo
hiraṇyākṣo ’tha tārakaḥ
anye ca bahavo daityā
rājāno ye maheśvarāḥ
sarve sarva-vidaḥ śūrāḥ
sarve sarva-jito ’jitāḥ
rājāno ye maheśvarāḥ
sarve sarva-vidaḥ śūrāḥ
sarve sarva-jito ’jitāḥ
mamatāṁ mayy avartanta
kṛtvoccair martya-dharmiṇaḥ
kathāvaśeṣāḥ kālena
hy akṛtārthāḥ kṛtā vibho
kṛtvoccair martya-dharmiṇaḥ
kathāvaśeṣāḥ kālena
hy akṛtārthāḥ kṛtā vibho
Synonyms
pṛthuḥ purūravāḥ gādhiḥ — Mahārājas Pṛthu, Purūravā and Gādhi; nahuṣaḥ bharataḥ arjunaḥ — Nahuṣa, Bharata and Kārtavīrya Arjuna; māndhātā sagaraḥ rāmaḥ — Māndhātā, Sagara and Rāma; khaṭvāṅgaḥ dhundhuhā raghuḥ — Khaṭvāṅga, Dhundhuhā and Raghu; tṛṇabinduḥ yayātiḥ ca — Tṛṇabindu and Yayāti; śaryātiḥ śantanuḥ gayaḥ — Śaryāti, Śantanu and Gaya; bhagīrathaḥ kuvalayāśvaḥ — Bhagīratha and Kuvalayāśva; kakutsthaḥ naiṣadhaḥ nṛgaḥ — Kakutstha, Naiṣadha and Nṛga; hiraṇyakaśipuḥ vṛtraḥ — Hiraṇyakaśipu and Vṛtrāsura; rāvaṇaḥ — Rāvaṇa; loka-rāvaṇaḥ — who made the whole world cry; namuciḥ śambaraḥ bhaumaḥ — Namuci, Śambara and Bhauma; hiraṇyākṣaḥ — Hiraṇyākṣa; atha — and; tārakaḥ — Tāraka; anye — others; ca — as well; bahavaḥ — many; daityāḥ — demons; rājānaḥ — kings; ye — who; mahā-īśvarāḥ — great controllers; sarve — all of them; sarva-vidaḥ — all-knowing; śūrāḥ — heroes; sarve — all; sarva-jitaḥ — all-conquering; ajitāḥ — unconquerable; mamatām — possessiveness; mayi — for me; avartanta — they lived; kṛtvā — expressing; uccaiḥ — to a great degree; martya-dharmiṇaḥ — subject to the laws of birth and death; kathā-avaśeṣāḥ — remaining merely as historical narrations; kālena — by the force of time; hi — indeed; akṛta-arthāḥ — incomplete in perfecting their desires; kṛtāḥ — they have been made; vibho — O Lord.
Translation
“Such kings as Pṛthu, Purūravā, Gādhi, Nahuṣa, Bharata, Kārtavīrya Arjuna, Māndhātā, Sagara, Rāma, Khaṭvāṅga, Dhundhuhā, Raghu, Tṛṇabindu, Yayāti, Śaryāti, Śantanu, Gaya, Bhagīratha, Kuvalayāśva, Kakutstha, Naiṣadha, Nṛga, Hiraṇyakaśipu, Vṛtra, Rāvaṇa, who made the whole world lament, Namuci, Śambara, Bhauma, Hiraṇyākṣa and Tāraka, as well as many other demons and kings who possessed great powers of control over others, were all full of knowledge, heroic, all-conquering and unconquerable. Nevertheless, O almighty Lord, although they lived their lives intensely trying to possess me, these kings were subject to the passage of time, which reduced them all to mere historical accounts. None of them could permanently establish their rule.”
Purport
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, and as confirmed by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the King Rāma mentioned here is not the incarnation of Godhead Rāmacandra. Pṛthu Mahārāja is understood to be an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who completely exhibited the characteristics of an earthly king, claiming proprietorship over the entire earth. A saintly king like Pṛthu Mahārāja, however, controls the earth on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas a demon such as Hiraṇyakaśipu or Rāvaṇa tries to exploit the earth for his personal sense gratification. Nevertheless, both saintly kings and demons must leave the earth. In this way their political supremacy is ultimately neutralized by the force of time.
Modern political leaders cannot even temporarily control the entire earth, nor are their opulences and intelligence unlimited. Possessing hopelessly fragmented power, enjoying a minuscule life span, and lacking deep existential intelligence, modern leaders inevitably are symbols of frustration and misdirected ambition.
Devanagari
कथा इमास्ते कथिता महीयसां
विताय लोकेषु यश: परेयुषाम् ।
विज्ञानवैराग्यविवक्षया विभो
वचोविभूतीर्न तु पारमार्थ्यम् ॥ १४ ॥
विताय लोकेषु यश: परेयुषाम् ।
विज्ञानवैराग्यविवक्षया विभो
वचोविभूतीर्न तु पारमार्थ्यम् ॥ १४ ॥
Verse text
kathā imās te kathitā mahīyasāṁ
vitāya lokeṣu yaśaḥ pareyuṣām
vijñāna-vairāgya-vivakṣayā vibho
vaco-vibhūtīr na tu pāramārthyam
vitāya lokeṣu yaśaḥ pareyuṣām
vijñāna-vairāgya-vivakṣayā vibho
vaco-vibhūtīr na tu pāramārthyam
Synonyms
kathāḥ — the narrations; imāḥ — these; te — unto you; kathitāḥ — have been spoken; mahīyasām — of great kings; vitāya — spreading; lokeṣu — throughout all the worlds; yaśaḥ — their fame; pareyuṣām — who have departed; vijñāna — transcendental knowledge; vairāgya — and renunciation; vivakṣayā — with the desire for teaching; vibho — O mighty Parīkṣit; vacaḥ — of words; vibhūtīḥ — the decoration; na — not; tu — but; pārama-arthyam — of the most essential purport.
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O mighty Parīkṣit, I have related to you the narrations of all these great kings, who spread their fame throughout the world and then departed. My real purpose was to teach transcendental knowledge and renunciation. Stories of kings lend power and opulence to these narrations but do not in themselves constitute the ultimate aspect of knowledge.
Purport
Since all the narrations of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam bring the reader to the perfection of transcendental knowledge, they all give supreme spiritual lessons though apparently dealing with kings or other mundane subject matter. In relation with Kṛṣṇa, all ordinary topics become transcendental narrations, with the power to bring the reader to the perfection of life.
Devanagari
यस्तूत्तम:श्लोकगुणानुवाद:
सङ्गीयतेऽभीक्ष्णममङ्गलघ्न: ।
तमेव नित्यं शृणुयादभीक्ष्णं
कृष्णेऽमलां भक्तिमभीप्समान: ॥ १५ ॥
सङ्गीयतेऽभीक्ष्णममङ्गलघ्न: ।
तमेव नित्यं शृणुयादभीक्ष्णं
कृष्णेऽमलां भक्तिमभीप्समान: ॥ १५ ॥
Verse text
yas tūttamaḥ-śloka-guṇānuvādaḥ
saṅgīyate ’bhīkṣṇam amaṅgala-ghnaḥ
tam eva nityaṁ śṛṇuyād abhīkṣṇaṁ
kṛṣṇe ’malāṁ bhaktim abhīpsamānaḥ
saṅgīyate ’bhīkṣṇam amaṅgala-ghnaḥ
tam eva nityaṁ śṛṇuyād abhīkṣṇaṁ
kṛṣṇe ’malāṁ bhaktim abhīpsamānaḥ
Synonyms
yaḥ — which; tu — on the other hand; uttamaḥ-śloka — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is praised in transcendental verses; guṇa — of the qualities; anuvādaḥ — the recounting; saṅgīyate — is sung; abhīkṣṇam — always; amaṅgala-ghnaḥ — which destroys everything inauspicious; tam — that; eva — indeed; nityam — regularly; śṛṇuyāt — one should hear; abhīkṣṇam — constantly; kṛṣṇe — unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; amalām — untainted; bhaktim — devotional service; abhīpsamānaḥ — he who desires.
Translation
The person who desires pure devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa should hear the narrations of Lord Uttamaḥśloka’s glorious qualities, the constant chanting of which destroys everything inauspicious. The devotee should engage in such listening in regular daily assemblies and should also continue his hearing throughout the day.
Purport
Since any topic related to Lord Kṛṣṇa is auspicious and transcendental, the direct narration of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s own activities, political and nonpolitical, is certainly the supreme subject matter for hearing. The word nityam here indicates regulated cultivation of the topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and abhīkṣṇam indicates constant remembrance of such regulated spiritual experiences.
Devanagari
श्रीराजोवाच
केनोपायेन भगवन् कलेर्दोषान् कलौ जना: ।
विधमिष्यन्त्युपचितांस्तन्मे ब्रूहि यथा मुने ॥ १६ ॥
केनोपायेन भगवन् कलेर्दोषान् कलौ जना: ।
विधमिष्यन्त्युपचितांस्तन्मे ब्रूहि यथा मुने ॥ १६ ॥
Verse text
śrī-rājovāca
kenopāyena bhagavan
kaler doṣān kalau janāḥ
vidhamiṣyanty upacitāṁs
tan me brūhi yathā mune
kenopāyena bhagavan
kaler doṣān kalau janāḥ
vidhamiṣyanty upacitāṁs
tan me brūhi yathā mune
Synonyms
śrī-rājā uvāca — King Parīkṣit said; kena — by what; upāyena — means; bhagavan — my dear lord; kaleḥ — of the Age of Kali; doṣān — the faults; kalau — living in Kali-yuga; janāḥ — people; vidhamiṣyanti — will eradicate; upacitān — accumulated; tat — that; me — to me; brūhi — please explain; yathā — fittingly; mune — O sage.
Translation
King Parīkṣit said: My lord, how can persons living in the Age of Kali rid themselves of the cumulative contamination of this age? O great sage, please explain this to me.
Purport
King Parīkṣit was a compassionate, saintly ruler. Thus, after hearing of the abominable qualities of the Age of Kali, he naturally inquired as to how those born in this age can free themselves of its inherent contamination.
Devanagari
युगानि युगधर्मांश्च मानं प्रलयकल्पयो: ।
कालस्येश्वररूपस्य गतिं विष्णोर्महात्मन: ॥ १७ ॥
कालस्येश्वररूपस्य गतिं विष्णोर्महात्मन: ॥ १७ ॥
Verse text
yugāni yuga-dharmāṁś ca
mānaṁ pralaya-kalpayoḥ
kālasyeśvara-rūpasya
gatiṁ viṣṇor mahātmanaḥ
mānaṁ pralaya-kalpayoḥ
kālasyeśvara-rūpasya
gatiṁ viṣṇor mahātmanaḥ
Synonyms
yugāni — the ages of the universal history; yuga-dharmān — the special qualities of each age; ca — and; mānam — the measurement; pralaya — of annihilation; kalpayoḥ — and of universal maintenance; kālasya — of time; īśvara-rūpasya — the representation of the Personality of Godhead; gatim — the movement; viṣṇoḥ — of Lord Viṣṇu; mahā-ātmanaḥ — the Supreme Soul.
Translation
Please explain the different ages of universal history, the special qualities of each age, the duration of cosmic maintenance and destruction, and the movement of time, which is the direct representation of the Supreme Soul, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu.
Devanagari
श्रीशुक उवाच
कृते प्रवर्तते धर्मश्चतुष्पात्तज्जनैर्धृत: ।
सत्यं दया तपो दानमिति पादा विभोर्नृप ॥ १८ ॥
कृते प्रवर्तते धर्मश्चतुष्पात्तज्जनैर्धृत: ।
सत्यं दया तपो दानमिति पादा विभोर्नृप ॥ १८ ॥
Verse text
śrī-śuka uvāca
kṛte pravartate dharmaś
catuṣ-pāt taj-janair dhṛtaḥ
satyaṁ dayā tapo dānam
iti pādā vibhor nṛpa
kṛte pravartate dharmaś
catuṣ-pāt taj-janair dhṛtaḥ
satyaṁ dayā tapo dānam
iti pādā vibhor nṛpa
Synonyms
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; kṛte — in the Satya-yuga, the age of truth; pravartate — exists; dharmaḥ — religion; catuḥ-pāt — with four legs; tat — of that age; janaiḥ — by the people; dhṛtaḥ — maintained; satyam — truth; dayā — mercy; tapaḥ — austerity; dānam — charity; iti — thus; pādāḥ — the legs; vibhoḥ — of mighty religion; nṛpa — O King.
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, in the beginning, during Satya-yuga, the age of truth, religion is present with all four of its legs intact and is carefully maintained by the people of that age. These four legs of powerful religion are truthfulness, mercy, austerity and charity.
Purport
Just as there are four seasons, there are four ages of the earth, each lasting hundreds of thousands of years. The first of these is Satya-yuga, when such good qualities as charity are prominent.
Actual charity, here referred to as dānam, is to award fearlessness and freedom to others, not to give them some material means of temporary pleasure or relief. Any material “charitable” arrangement will inevitably be crushed by the onward march of time. Thus only realization of one’s eternal existence beyond the reach of time can make one fearless, and only freedom from material desire constitutes real freedom, for it enables one to escape the bondage of the laws of nature. Therefore real charity is to help people revive their eternal, spiritual consciousness.
Religion is here referred to as vibhu, “the mighty,” because universal religious principles are not different from the Supreme Lord Himself and ultimately lead one to His kingdom. The qualities mentioned here — truthfulness, mercy, austerity and charity — are universal, nonsectarian aspects of pious life.
In the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the fourth leg of religion is listed as cleanliness. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, this is an alternative definition of the word dānam in the present context.
Devanagari
सन्तुष्टा: करुणा मैत्रा: शान्ता दान्तास्तितिक्षव: ।
आत्मारामा: समदृश: प्रायश: श्रमणा जना: ॥ १९ ॥
आत्मारामा: समदृश: प्रायश: श्रमणा जना: ॥ १९ ॥
Verse text
santuṣṭāḥ karuṇā maitrāḥ
śāntā dāntās titikṣavaḥ
ātmārāmāḥ sama-dṛśaḥ
prāyaśaḥ śramaṇā janāḥ
śāntā dāntās titikṣavaḥ
ātmārāmāḥ sama-dṛśaḥ
prāyaśaḥ śramaṇā janāḥ
Synonyms
santuṣṭāḥ — self-satisfied; karuṇāḥ — merciful; maitrāḥ — friendly; śāntāḥ — pacified; dāntāḥ — self-controlled; titikṣavaḥ — tolerant; ātma-ārāmāḥ — enthused from within; sama-dṛśaḥ — possessed of equal vision; prāyaśaḥ — for the most part; śramaṇāḥ — endeavoring diligently (for self-realization); janāḥ — the people.
Translation
The people of Satya-yuga are for the most part self-satisfied, merciful, friendly to all, peaceful, sober and tolerant. They take their pleasure from within, see all things equally and always endeavor diligently for spiritual perfection.
Purport
Sama-darśana, equal vision, is based on the perception of the Supreme Spirit behind all material variety and within all living entities.
Devanagari
त्रेतायां धर्मपादानां तुर्यांशो हीयते शनै: ।
अधर्मपादैरनृतहिंसासन्तोषविग्रहै: ॥ २० ॥
अधर्मपादैरनृतहिंसासन्तोषविग्रहै: ॥ २० ॥
Verse text
tretāyāṁ dharma-pādānāṁ
turyāṁśo hīyate śanaiḥ
adharma-pādair anṛta-
hiṁṣāsantoṣa-vigrahaiḥ
turyāṁśo hīyate śanaiḥ
adharma-pādair anṛta-
hiṁṣāsantoṣa-vigrahaiḥ
Synonyms
Translation
In Tretā-yuga each leg of religion is gradually reduced by one quarter by the influence of the four pillars of irreligion — lying, violence, dissatisfaction and quarrel.
Purport
By falsity truth is diminished, by violence mercy is diminished, by dissatisfaction austerity is diminished, and by quarrel charity and cleanliness are diminished.
Devanagari
तदा क्रियातपोनिष्ठा नातिहिंस्रा न लम्पटा: ।
त्रैवर्गिकास्त्रयीवृद्धा वर्णा ब्रह्मोत्तरा नृप ॥ २१ ॥
त्रैवर्गिकास्त्रयीवृद्धा वर्णा ब्रह्मोत्तरा नृप ॥ २१ ॥
Verse text
tadā kriyā-tapo-niṣṭhā
nāti-hiṁsrā na lampaṭāḥ
trai-vargikās trayī-vṛddhā
varṇā brahmottarā nṛpa
nāti-hiṁsrā na lampaṭāḥ
trai-vargikās trayī-vṛddhā
varṇā brahmottarā nṛpa
Synonyms
tadā — then (in the Tretā age); kriyā — to ritualistic ceremonies; tapaḥ — and to penances; niṣṭhāḥ — devoted; na ati-hiṁsrāḥ — not excessively violent; na lampaṭāḥ — not wantonly desiring sense gratification; trai-vargikāḥ — interested in the three principles of religiosity, economic development and sense gratification; trayī — by the three Vedas; vṛddhāḥ — made prosperous; varṇāḥ — the four classes of society; brahma-uttarāḥ — mostly brāhmaṇas; nṛpa — O King.
Translation
In the Tretā age people are devoted to ritual performances and severe austerities. They are not excessively violent or very lusty after sensual pleasure. Their interest lies primarily in religiosity, economic development and regulated sense gratification, and they achieve prosperity by following the prescriptions of the three Vedas. Although in this age society evolves into four separate classes, O King, most people are brāhmaṇas.
Devanagari
तप:सत्यदयादानेष्वर्धं ह्रस्वति द्वापरे ।
हिंसातुष्टयनृतद्वेषैर्धर्मस्याधर्मलक्षणै: ॥ २२ ॥
हिंसातुष्टयनृतद्वेषैर्धर्मस्याधर्मलक्षणै: ॥ २२ ॥
Verse text
tapaḥ-satya-dayā-dāneṣv
ardhaṁ hrasvati dvāpare
hiṁsātuṣṭy-anṛta-dveṣair
dharmasyādharma-lakṣaṇaiḥ
ardhaṁ hrasvati dvāpare
hiṁsātuṣṭy-anṛta-dveṣair
dharmasyādharma-lakṣaṇaiḥ
Synonyms
tapaḥ — of austerity; satya — truth; dayā — mercy; dāneṣu — and charity; ardham — one half; hrasvati — diminishes; dvāpare — in the age of Dvāpara; hiṁsā — by violence; atuṣṭi — dissatisfaction; anṛta — untruth; dveṣaiḥ — and hatred; dharmasya — of religion; adharma-lakṣaṇaiḥ — by the qualities of irreligion.
Translation
In Dvāpara-yuga the religious qualities of austerity, truth, mercy and charity are reduced to one half by their irreligious counterparts — dissatisfaction, untruth, violence and enmity.
Devanagari
यशस्विनो महाशीला: स्वाध्यायाध्ययने रता: ।
आढ्या: कुटुम्बिनो हृष्टा वर्णा: क्षत्रद्विजोत्तरा: ॥ २३ ॥
आढ्या: कुटुम्बिनो हृष्टा वर्णा: क्षत्रद्विजोत्तरा: ॥ २३ ॥
Verse text
yaśasvino mahā-śīlāḥ
svādhyāyādhyayane ratāḥ
āḍhyāḥ kuṭumbino hṛṣṭā
varṇāḥ kṣatra-dvijottarāḥ
svādhyāyādhyayane ratāḥ
āḍhyāḥ kuṭumbino hṛṣṭā
varṇāḥ kṣatra-dvijottarāḥ
Synonyms
yaśasvinaḥ — eager for glory; mahā-śīlāḥ — noble; svādhyāya-adhyayane — in study of the Vedic literature; ratāḥ — absorbed; āḍhyāḥ — endowed with opulence; kuṭumbinaḥ — having large families; hṛṣṭāḥ — joyful; varṇāḥ — the four classes of society; kṣatra-dvija-uttarāḥ — represented mostly by the kṣatriyas and brāhmaṇas..
Translation
In the Dvāpara age people are interested in glory and are very noble. They devote themselves to the study of the Vedas, possess great opulence, support large families and enjoy life with vigor. Of the four classes, the kṣatriyas and brāhmaṇas are most numerous.
Devanagari
कलौ तु धर्मपादानां तुर्यांशोऽधर्महेतुभि: ।
एधमानै: क्षीयमाणो ह्यन्ते सोऽपि विनङ्क्ष्यति ॥ २४ ॥
एधमानै: क्षीयमाणो ह्यन्ते सोऽपि विनङ्क्ष्यति ॥ २४ ॥
Verse text
kalau tu dharma-pādānāṁ
turyāṁśo ’dharma-hetubhiḥ
edhamānaiḥ kṣīyamāṇo
hy ante so ’pi vinaṅkṣyati
turyāṁśo ’dharma-hetubhiḥ
edhamānaiḥ kṣīyamāṇo
hy ante so ’pi vinaṅkṣyati
Synonyms
kalau — in the Age of Kali; tu — and; dharma-pādānām — of the legs of religion; turya-aṁśaḥ — one fourth; adharma — of irreligion; hetubhiḥ — by the principles; edhamānaiḥ — which are increasing; kṣīyamāṇaḥ — decreasing; hi — indeed; ante — in the end; saḥ — that one quarter; api — also; vinaṅkṣyati — will be destroyed.
Translation
In the Age of Kali only one fourth of the religious principles remains. That last remnant will continuously be decreased by the ever-increasing principles of irreligion and will finally be destroyed.
Devanagari
तस्मिन् लुब्धा दुराचारा निर्दया: शुष्कवैरिण: ।
दुर्भगा भूरितर्षाश्च शूद्रदासोत्तरा: प्रजा: ॥ २५ ॥
दुर्भगा भूरितर्षाश्च शूद्रदासोत्तरा: प्रजा: ॥ २५ ॥
Verse text
tasmin lubdhā durācārā
nirdayāḥ śuṣka-vairiṇaḥ
durbhagā bhūri-tarṣāś ca
śūdra-dāsottarāḥ prajāḥ
nirdayāḥ śuṣka-vairiṇaḥ
durbhagā bhūri-tarṣāś ca
śūdra-dāsottarāḥ prajāḥ
Synonyms
tasmin — in that age; lubdhāḥ — greedy; durācārāḥ — ill-behaved; nirdayāḥ — merciless; śuṣka-vairiṇaḥ — prone to useless quarrel; durbhagāḥ — unfortunate; bhūri-tarṣāḥ — obsessed by many kinds of hankering; ca — and; śūdra-dāsa-uttarāḥ — predominantly low-class laborers and barbarians; prajāḥ — the people.
Translation
In the Kali age people tend to be greedy, ill-behaved and merciless, and they fight one another without good reason. Unfortunate and obsessed with material desires, the people of Kali-yuga are almost all śūdras and barbarians.
Purport
In this age, we can already observe that most people are laborers, clerks, fishermen, artisans or other kinds of workers within the śūdra category. Enlightened devotees of God and noble political leaders are extremely scarce, and even independent businessmen and farmers are a vanishing breed as huge business conglomerates increasingly convert them into subservient employees. Vast regions of the earth are already populated by barbarians and semibarbarous peoples, making the entire situation dangerous and bleak. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is empowered to rectify the current dismal state of affairs. It is the only hope for the ghastly age called Kali-yuga.
Devanagari
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति दृश्यन्ते पुरुषे गुणा: ।
कालसञ्चोदितास्ते वै परिवर्तन्त आत्मनि ॥ २६ ॥
कालसञ्चोदितास्ते वै परिवर्तन्त आत्मनि ॥ २६ ॥
Verse text
sattvaṁ rajas tama iti
dṛśyante puruṣe guṇāḥ
kāla-sañcoditās te vai
parivartanta ātmani
dṛśyante puruṣe guṇāḥ
kāla-sañcoditās te vai
parivartanta ātmani
Synonyms
Translation
The material modes — goodness, passion and ignorance — whose permutations are observed within a person’s mind, are set into motion by the power of time.
Purport
The four ages described in these verses are manifestations of various modes of material nature. The age of truth, Satya-yuga, manifests the predominance of material goodness, and Kali-yuga manifests the predominance of ignorance. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, within each age the other three ages occasionally manifest as sub-ages. Thus even within Satya-yuga a demon in the mode of ignorance may appear, and within the Age of Kali the highest religious principles may flourish for some time. As described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the three modes of nature are present everywhere and in everything, but the predominant mode, or combination of modes, determines the general character of any material phenomenon. In each age, therefore, the three modes are present in varying proportions. The particular age represented by goodness (Satya), passion (Tretā), passion and ignorance (Dvāpara) or ignorance (Kali) exists within each of the other ages as a subfactor.
Devanagari
प्रभवन्ति यदा सत्त्वे मनोबुद्धीन्द्रियाणि च ।
तदा कृतयुगं विद्याज्ज्ञाने तपसि यद् रुचि: ॥ २७ ॥
तदा कृतयुगं विद्याज्ज्ञाने तपसि यद् रुचि: ॥ २७ ॥
Verse text
prabhavanti yadā sattve
mano-buddhīndriyāṇi ca
tadā kṛta-yugaṁ vidyāj
jñāne tapasi yad ruciḥ
mano-buddhīndriyāṇi ca
tadā kṛta-yugaṁ vidyāj
jñāne tapasi yad ruciḥ
Synonyms
prabhavanti — they are predominantly manifest; yadā — when; sattve — in the mode of goodness; manaḥ — the mind; buddhi — intelligence; indriyāṇi — senses; ca — and; tadā — then; kṛta-yugam — the age of Kṛta; vidyāt — should be understood; jñāne — in knowledge; tapasi — and austerity; yat — when; ruciḥ — pleasure.
Translation
When the mind, intelligence and senses are solidly fixed in the mode of goodness, that time should be understood as Satya-yuga, the age of truth. People then take pleasure in knowledge and austerity.
Purport
The word kṛta means “performed” or “executed.” Thus in the age of truth all religious duties are duly performed, and people take great pleasure in spiritual knowledge and austerity. Even in the Kali-yuga, those who are situated in the mode of goodness take pleasure in the cultivation of spiritual knowledge and the regulated performance of austerity. This sublime state of existence is possible for one who has conquered sex desire.
Devanagari
यदा कर्मसु काम्येषु भक्तिर्यशसि देहिनाम् ।
तदा त्रेता रजोवृत्तिरिति जानीहि बुद्धिमन् ॥ २८ ॥
तदा त्रेता रजोवृत्तिरिति जानीहि बुद्धिमन् ॥ २८ ॥
Verse text
yadā karmasu kāmyeṣu
bhaktir yaśasi dehinām
tadā tretā rajo-vṛttir
iti jānīhi buddhiman
bhaktir yaśasi dehinām
tadā tretā rajo-vṛttir
iti jānīhi buddhiman
Synonyms
yadā — when; karmasu — in duties; kāmyeṣu — based on selfish desire; bhaktiḥ — devotion; yaśasi — in honor; dehinām — of the embodied souls; tadā — then; tretā — the age of Tretā; rajaḥ-vṛttiḥ — predominated by activities in the mode of passion; iti — thus; jānīhi — you should understand; buddhi-man — O intelligent King Parīkṣit.
Translation
O most intelligent one, when the conditioned souls are devoted to their duties but have ulterior motives and seek personal prestige, you should understand such a situation to be the age of Tretā, in which the functions of passion are prominent.
Devanagari
यदा लोभस्त्वसन्तोषो मानो दम्भोऽथ मत्सर: ।
कर्मणां चापि काम्यानां द्वापरं तद् रजस्तम: ॥ २९ ॥
कर्मणां चापि काम्यानां द्वापरं तद् रजस्तम: ॥ २९ ॥
Verse text
yadā lobhas tv asantoṣo
māno dambho ’tha matsaraḥ
karmaṇāṁ cāpi kāmyānāṁ
dvāparaṁ tad rajas-tamaḥ
māno dambho ’tha matsaraḥ
karmaṇāṁ cāpi kāmyānāṁ
dvāparaṁ tad rajas-tamaḥ
Synonyms
yadā — when; lobhaḥ — greed; tu — indeed; asantoṣaḥ — dissatisfaction; mānaḥ — false pride; dambhaḥ — hypocrisy; atha — and; matsaraḥ — envy; karmaṇām — of activities; ca — and; api — also; kāmyānām — selfish; dvāparam — the age of Dvāpara; tat — that; rajaḥ-tamaḥ — predominated by a mixture of the modes of passion and ignorance.
Translation
When greed, dissatisfaction, false pride, hypocrisy and envy become prominent, along with attraction for selfish activities, such a time is the age of Dvāpara, dominated by the mixed modes of passion and ignorance.
Devanagari
यदा मायानृतं तन्द्रा निद्रा हिंसा विषादनम् ।
शोकमोहौ भयं दैन्यं स कलिस्तामस: स्मृत: ॥ ३० ॥
शोकमोहौ भयं दैन्यं स कलिस्तामस: स्मृत: ॥ ३० ॥
Verse text
yadā māyānṛtaṁ tandrā
nidrā hiṁsā viṣādanam
śoka-mohau bhayaṁ dainyaṁ
sa kalis tāmasaḥ smṛtaḥ
nidrā hiṁsā viṣādanam
śoka-mohau bhayaṁ dainyaṁ
sa kalis tāmasaḥ smṛtaḥ
Synonyms
yadā — when; māyā — deceit; anṛtam — false speech; tandrā — sloth; nidrā — sleep and intoxication; hiṁsā — violence; viṣādanam — depression; śoka — lamentation; mohau — and delusion; bhayam — fear; dainyam — poverty; saḥ — that; kaliḥ — the Age of Kali; tāmasaḥ — in the mode of ignorance; smṛtaḥ — is considered.
Translation
When there is a predominance of cheating, lying, sloth, sleepiness, violence, depression, lamentation, bewilderment, fear and poverty, that age is Kali, the age of the mode of ignorance.
Purport
In Kali-yuga, people are almost exclusively devoted to gross materialism, with hardly any affinity for self-realization.
Devanagari
तस्मात् क्षुद्रदृशो मर्त्या: क्षुद्रभाग्या महाशना: ।
कामिनो वित्तहीनाश्च स्वैरिण्यश्च स्त्रियोऽसती: ॥ ३१ ॥
कामिनो वित्तहीनाश्च स्वैरिण्यश्च स्त्रियोऽसती: ॥ ३१ ॥
Verse text
tasmāt kṣudra-dṛśo martyāḥ
kṣudra-bhāgyā mahāśanāḥ
kāmino vitta-hīnāś ca
svairiṇyaś ca striyo ’satīḥ
kṣudra-bhāgyā mahāśanāḥ
kāmino vitta-hīnāś ca
svairiṇyaś ca striyo ’satīḥ
Synonyms
tasmāt — due to these qualities of the Age of Kali; kṣudra-dṛśaḥ — shortsighted; martyāḥ — human beings; kṣudra-bhāgyāḥ — unfortunate; mahā-aśanāḥ — excessive in their eating habits; kāminaḥ — full of lust; vitta-hīnāḥ — lacking wealth; ca — and; svairiṇyaḥ — independent in their social dealings; ca — and; striyaḥ — the women; asatīḥ — unchaste.
Translation
Because of the bad qualities of the Age of Kali, human beings will become shortsighted, unfortunate, gluttonous, lustful and poverty-stricken. The women, becoming unchaste, will freely wander from one man to the next.
Purport
In the Age of Kali certain pseudointellectuals, seeking individual freedom, support sexual promiscuity. In fact, identification of the self with the body and the pursuit of “individual freedom” in the body rather than in the soul are signs of the most dismal ignorance and slavery to lust. When women are unchaste, many children are born out of wedlock as products of lust. These children grow up in psychologically unfavorable circumstances, and a neurotic, ignorant society arises. Symptoms of this are already manifest throughout the world.
Devanagari
दस्यूत्कृष्टा जनपदा वेदा: पाषण्डदूषिता: ।
राजानश्च प्रजाभक्षा: शिश्नोदरपरा द्विजा: ॥ ३२ ॥
राजानश्च प्रजाभक्षा: शिश्नोदरपरा द्विजा: ॥ ३२ ॥
Verse text
dasyūtkṛṣṭā janapadā
vedāḥ pāṣaṇḍa-dūṣitāḥ
rājānaś ca prajā-bhakṣāḥ
śiśnodara-parā dvijāḥ
vedāḥ pāṣaṇḍa-dūṣitāḥ
rājānaś ca prajā-bhakṣāḥ
śiśnodara-parā dvijāḥ
Synonyms
dasyu-utkṛṣṭāḥ — predominated by thieves; jana-padāḥ — the populated places; vedāḥ — the Vedic scriptures; pāṣaṇḍa — by atheists; dūṣitāḥ — contaminated; rājānaḥ — the political leaders; ca — and; prajā-bhakṣāḥ — consuming the populace; śiśna-udara — to the genitals and belly; parāḥ — dedicated; dvijāḥ — the brāhmaṇas..
Translation
Cities will be dominated by thieves, the Vedas will be contaminated by speculative interpretations of atheists, political leaders will virtually consume the citizens, and the so-called priests and intellectuals will be devotees of their bellies and genitals.
Purport
Many large cities are unsafe at night. For example, it is understood that no sane person will walk in New York’s Central Park at night because he knows he will almost certainly be mugged. Apart from ordinary thieves, who abound in this age, large cities are filled with cutthroat businessmen, who enthusiastically convince people to purchase and consume useless or even harmful products. It has been well documented that beef, tobacco, liquor and many other modern products destroy one’s physical health, what to speak of mental health, and yet modern capitalists do not hesitate to use every psychological trick in the book to convince people to consume these things. Modern cities are full of mental and atmospheric pollution, and even ordinary citizens are finding them unbearable.
This verse also points out that the teachings of the Vedic scriptures will be distorted in this age. Great universities teach courses on Hinduism in which Indian religion, despite limitless evidence to the contrary, is described as polytheistic and leading to an impersonal salvation. In fact, all Vedic literature is a unified whole, as stated by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15): vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. “By all the Vedas I [Kṛṣṇa] am to be known.” All Vedic literature is meant for enlightening us about the Supreme Personal Absolute Truth — Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa. Although known by many names and appearing in many forms, God is a single absolute entity, and He is a person. But this true Vedic understanding is hidden in the Kali-yuga.
In this verse Śukadeva astutely observes that “political leaders will virtually consume the citizens, and the so-called priests and intellectuals will be devotees of their bellies and genitals.” How sadly true this statement is.
Devanagari
अव्रता बटवोऽशौचा भिक्षवश्च कुटुम्बिन: ।
तपस्विनो ग्रामवासा न्यासिनोऽत्यर्थलोलुपा: ॥ ३३ ॥
तपस्विनो ग्रामवासा न्यासिनोऽत्यर्थलोलुपा: ॥ ३३ ॥
Verse text
avratā baṭavo ’śaucā
bhikṣavaś ca kuṭumbinaḥ
tapasvino grāma-vāsā
nyāsino ’tyartha-lolupāḥ
bhikṣavaś ca kuṭumbinaḥ
tapasvino grāma-vāsā
nyāsino ’tyartha-lolupāḥ
Synonyms
avratāḥ — failing to execute their vows; baṭavaḥ — the brahmacārīs; aśaucāḥ — unclean; bhikṣavaḥ — prone to begging; ca — and; kuṭumbinaḥ — the householders; tapasvinaḥ — those who have gone to the forest for austerities; grāma-vāsāḥ — village residents; nyāsinaḥ — the sannyāsīs; atyartha-lolupāḥ — excessively greedy for wealth.
Translation
The brahmacārīs will fail to execute their vows and become generally unclean, the householders will become beggars, the vānaprasthas will live in the villages, and the sannyāsīs will become greedy for wealth.
Purport
Brahmacarya, celibate student life, is practically nonexistent in the Age of Kali. In America, many boys’ schools have become coeducational because young men frankly refuse to live without the constant companionship of lusty young girls. Also, we have personally observed throughout the Western world that student residences are among the dirtiest places on earth, as predicted here by the word aśaucāḥ.
Concerning householder beggars, when devotees of the Lord go door to door distributing transcendental literature and requesting donations for the propagation of God’s glories, irritated householders commonly reply, “Someone should give me a donation.” Householders in Kali-yuga are not charitable. Instead, because of their miserly mentality, they become irritated when spiritual mendicants approach them.
In Vedic culture, at the age of fifty, couples retire to sacred places for austere life and spiritual perfection. In countries like America, however, retirement cities have been constructed wherein elderly people can make fools of themselves by wasting the last years of their lives playing golf, ping-pong and shuffleboard and by engaging in pathetic attempts at love affairs even while their bodies are horribly rotting and their minds are growing senile. This shameless abuse of the venerable last years of life denotes a stubborn unwillingness to acknowledge the actual purpose of human life and is certainly an offense against God.
The words nyāsino ’tyartha-lolupāḥ indicate that charismatic religious leaders, and even those who are not charismatic, will proclaim themselves prophets, saints and incarnations to cheat the innocent public and fatten their bank accounts. Therefore the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is working arduously to establish bona fide celibate student life, religious householder life, dignified and progressive retirement, and genuine spiritual leadership for the entire world. Today, May 9, 1982, in the sensual city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, we have awarded sannyāsa, the renounced order of life, to three young men, two Brazilians and one American, with the sincere hope that they will faithfully execute the rigid vows of renounced life and provide authentic spiritual leadership in South America.
Devanagari
ह्रस्वकाया महाहारा भूर्यपत्या गतह्रिय: ।
शश्वत्कटुकभाषिण्यश्चौर्यमायोरुसाहसा: ॥ ३४ ॥
शश्वत्कटुकभाषिण्यश्चौर्यमायोरुसाहसा: ॥ ३४ ॥
Verse text
hrasva-kāyā mahāhārā
bhūry-apatyā gata-hriyaḥ
śaśvat kaṭuka-bhāṣiṇyaś
caurya-māyoru-sāhasāḥ
bhūry-apatyā gata-hriyaḥ
śaśvat kaṭuka-bhāṣiṇyaś
caurya-māyoru-sāhasāḥ
Synonyms
hrasva-kāyāḥ — having dwarfed bodies; mahā-āhārāḥ — eating too much; bhūri-apatyāḥ — having many children; gata-hriyaḥ — losing their shyness; śaśvat — constantly; kaṭuka — harshly; bhāṣiṇyaḥ — speaking; caurya — exhibiting the tendencies of thievery; māyā — deceit; uru-sāhasāḥ — and great audacity.
Translation
Women will become much smaller in size, and they will eat too much, have more children than they can properly take care of, and lose all shyness. They will always speak harshly and will exhibit qualities of thievery, deceit and unrestrained audacity.
Devanagari
पणयिष्यन्ति वै क्षुद्रा: किराटा: कूटकारिण: ।
अनापद्यपि मंस्यन्ते वार्तां साधु जुगुप्सिताम् ॥ ३५ ॥
अनापद्यपि मंस्यन्ते वार्तां साधु जुगुप्सिताम् ॥ ३५ ॥
Verse text
paṇayiṣyanti vai kṣudrāḥ
kirāṭāḥ kūṭa-kāriṇaḥ
anāpady api maṁsyante
vārtāṁ sādhu jugupsitām
kirāṭāḥ kūṭa-kāriṇaḥ
anāpady api maṁsyante
vārtāṁ sādhu jugupsitām
Synonyms
paṇayiṣyanti — will engage in commerce; vai — indeed; kṣudrāḥ — petty; kirāṭāḥ — the merchants; kūṭa-kāriṇaḥ — indulging in cheating; anāpadi — when there is no emergency; api — even; maṁsyante — people will consider; vārtām — an occupation; sādhu — good; jugupsitām — which is actually contemptible.
Translation
Businessmen will engage in petty commerce and earn their money by cheating. Even when there is no emergency, people will consider any degraded occupation quite acceptable.
Purport
Although other occupations are available, people do not hesitate to work in coal mines, slaughterhouses, steel mills, deserts, floating oil rigs, submarines and other equally abominable situations. As also mentioned here, businessmen will consider cheating and lying to be a perfectly respectable way to do business. These are all symptoms of the Age of Kali.
Devanagari
पतिं त्यक्ष्यन्ति निर्द्रव्यं भृत्या अप्यखिलोत्तमम् ।
भृत्यं विपन्नं पतय: कौलं गाश्चापयस्विनी: ॥ ३६ ॥
भृत्यं विपन्नं पतय: कौलं गाश्चापयस्विनी: ॥ ३६ ॥
Verse text
patiṁ tyakṣyanti nirdravyaṁ
bhṛtyā apy akhilottamam
bhṛtyaṁ vipannaṁ patayaḥ
kaulaṁ gāś cāpayasvinīḥ
bhṛtyā apy akhilottamam
bhṛtyaṁ vipannaṁ patayaḥ
kaulaṁ gāś cāpayasvinīḥ
Synonyms
patim — a master; tyakṣyanti — they will abandon; nirdravyam — lacking property; bhṛtyāḥ — servants; api — even; akhila-uttamam — most excellent in personal qualities; bhṛtyam — a servant; vipannam — incapacitated; patayaḥ — masters; kaulam — belonging to the family for generations; gāḥ — cows; ca — and; apayasvinīḥ — which have stopped giving milk.
Translation
Servants will abandon a master who has lost his wealth, even if that master is a saintly person of exemplary character. Masters will abandon an incapacitated servant, even if that servant has been in the family for generations. Cows will be abandoned or killed when they stop giving milk.
Purport
In India, the cow is considered sacred not because Indian people are primitive worshipers of mythological totems but because Hindus intelligently understand that the cow is a mother. As children, nearly all of us were nourished with cow’s milk, and therefore the cow is one of our mothers. Certainly one’s mother is sacred, and therefore we should not kill the sacred cow.
Devanagari
पितृभ्रातृसुहृज्ज्ञातीन् हित्वा सौरतसौहृदा: ।
ननान्दृश्यालसंवादा दीना: स्त्रैणा: कलौ नरा: ॥ ३७ ॥
ननान्दृश्यालसंवादा दीना: स्त्रैणा: कलौ नरा: ॥ ३७ ॥
Verse text
pitṛ-bhrātṛ-suhṛj-jñātīn
hitvā saurata-sauhṛdāḥ
nanāndṛ-śyāla-saṁvādā
dīnāḥ straiṇāḥ kalau narāḥ
hitvā saurata-sauhṛdāḥ
nanāndṛ-śyāla-saṁvādā
dīnāḥ straiṇāḥ kalau narāḥ
Synonyms
pitṛ — their fathers; bhrātṛ — brothers; suhṛt — well-wishing friends; jñātīn — and immediate relatives; hitvā — giving up; saurata — based on sexual relationships; sauhṛdāḥ — their conception of friendship; nanāndṛ — with their wives’ sisters; śyāla — and wives’ brothers; saṁvādāḥ — associating regularly; dīnāḥ — wretched; straiṇāḥ — effeminate; kalau — in Kali-yuga; narāḥ — the men.
Translation
In Kali-yuga men will be wretched and controlled by women. They will reject their fathers, brothers, other relatives and friends and will instead associate with the sisters and brothers of their wives. Thus their conception of friendship will be based exclusively on sexual ties.
Devanagari
शूद्रा: प्रतिग्रहीष्यन्ति तपोवेषोपजीविन: ।
धर्मं वक्ष्यन्त्यधर्मज्ञा अधिरुह्योत्तमासनम् ॥ ३८ ॥
धर्मं वक्ष्यन्त्यधर्मज्ञा अधिरुह्योत्तमासनम् ॥ ३८ ॥
Verse text
śūdrāḥ pratigrahīṣyanti
tapo-veṣopajīvinaḥ
dharmaṁ vakṣyanty adharma-jñā
adhiruhyottamāsanam
tapo-veṣopajīvinaḥ
dharmaṁ vakṣyanty adharma-jñā
adhiruhyottamāsanam
Synonyms
śūdrāḥ — lowly, common workers; pratigrahīṣyanti — will accept religious charity; tapaḥ — by shows of austerity; veṣa — and by dressing as mendicants; upajīvinaḥ — earning their living; dharmam — the principles of religion; vakṣyanti — will speak about; adharma-jñāḥ — those who know nothing about religion; adhiruhya — mounting; uttama-āsanam — a high seat.
Translation
Uncultured men will accept charity on behalf of the Lord and will earn their livelihood by making a show of austerity and wearing a mendicant’s dress. Those who know nothing about religion will mount a high seat and presume to speak on religious principles.
Purport
The epidemic of bogus gurus, swamis, priests and so forth is explicitly described here.
Devanagari
नित्यमुद्विग्नमनसो दुर्भिक्षकरकर्शिता: ।
निरन्ने भूतले राजननावृष्टिभयातुरा: ॥ ३९ ॥
वासोऽन्नपानशयनव्यवायस्नानभूषणै: ।
हीना: पिशाचसन्दर्शा भविष्यन्ति कलौ प्रजा: ॥ ४० ॥
निरन्ने भूतले राजननावृष्टिभयातुरा: ॥ ३९ ॥
वासोऽन्नपानशयनव्यवायस्नानभूषणै: ।
हीना: पिशाचसन्दर्शा भविष्यन्ति कलौ प्रजा: ॥ ४० ॥
Verse text
nityam udvigna-manaso
durbhikṣa-kara-karśitāḥ
niranne bhū-tale rājan
anāvṛṣṭi-bhayāturāḥ
durbhikṣa-kara-karśitāḥ
niranne bhū-tale rājan
anāvṛṣṭi-bhayāturāḥ
vāso-’nna-pāna-śayana-
vyavāya-snāna-bhūṣaṇaiḥ
hīnāḥ piśāca-sandarśā
bhaviṣyanti kalau prajāḥ
vyavāya-snāna-bhūṣaṇaiḥ
hīnāḥ piśāca-sandarśā
bhaviṣyanti kalau prajāḥ
Synonyms
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.
Translation
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.
Purport
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.
Devanagari
कलौ काकिणिकेऽप्यर्थे विगृह्य त्यक्तसौहृदा: ।
त्यक्ष्यन्ति च प्रियान् प्राणान् हनिष्यन्ति स्वकानपि ॥ ४१ ॥
त्यक्ष्यन्ति च प्रियान् प्राणान् हनिष्यन्ति स्वकानपि ॥ ४१ ॥
Verse text
kalau kākiṇike ’py arthe
vigṛhya tyakta-sauhṛdāḥ
tyakṣyanti ca priyān prāṇān
haniṣyanti svakān api
vigṛhya tyakta-sauhṛdāḥ
tyakṣyanti ca priyān prāṇān
haniṣyanti svakān api
Synonyms
kalau — in the Age of Kali; kākiṇike — of a small coin; api — even; arthe — for the sake; vigṛhya — developing enmity; tyakta — abandoning; sauhṛdāḥ — friendly relations; tyakṣyanti — they will reject; ca — and; priyān — dear; prāṇān — their own lives; haniṣyanti — they will kill; svakān — their own relatives; api — even.
Translation
In Kali-yuga men will develop hatred for each other even over a few coins. Giving up all friendly relations, they will be ready to lose their own lives and kill even their own relatives.
Devanagari
न रक्षिष्यन्ति मनुजा: स्थविरौ पितरावपि ।
पुत्रान् भार्यां च कुलजां क्षुद्रा: शिश्नोदरंभरा: ॥ ४२ ॥
पुत्रान् भार्यां च कुलजां क्षुद्रा: शिश्नोदरंभरा: ॥ ४२ ॥
Verse text
na rakṣiṣyanti manujāḥ
sthavirau pitarāv api
putrān bhāryāṁ ca kula-jāṁ
kṣudrāḥ śiśnodaraṁ-bharāḥ
sthavirau pitarāv api
putrān bhāryāṁ ca kula-jāṁ
kṣudrāḥ śiśnodaraṁ-bharāḥ
Synonyms
Translation
Men will no longer protect their elderly parents, their children or their respectable wives. Thoroughly degraded, they will care only to satisfy their own bellies and genitals.
Purport
In this age many people are already sending their elderly parents away to lonely, and often bizarre, old-age homes, although the elderly parents spent their entire lives serving their children.
Young children are also tormented in many ways in this age. Suicide among children has increased dramatically in recent years because they are being born not to loving, religious parents but to degraded, selfish men and women. In fact, children are often born because a birth-control pill, a prophylactic or some other contraceptive device malfunctioned. Under such conditions, it is very difficult nowadays for parents to morally guide their children. Generally ignorant of spiritual science, parents cannot lead their children on the path of liberation and thus fail to fulfill their primary responsibility in family life.
As predicted in this verse, adultery has become common, and people in general are extremely concerned with eating and sex, which they consider far more important than knowing the Absolute Truth.
Devanagari
कलौ न राजन्जगतां परं गुरुं
त्रिलोकनाथानतपादपङ्कजम् ।
प्रायेण मर्त्या भगवन्तमच्युतं
यक्ष्यन्ति पाषण्डविभिन्नचेतस: ॥ ४३ ॥
त्रिलोकनाथानतपादपङ्कजम् ।
प्रायेण मर्त्या भगवन्तमच्युतं
यक्ष्यन्ति पाषण्डविभिन्नचेतस: ॥ ४३ ॥
Verse text
kalau na rājan jagatāṁ paraṁ guruṁ
tri-loka-nāthānata-pāda-paṅkajam
prāyeṇa martyā bhagavantam acyutaṁ
yakṣyanti pāṣaṇḍa-vibhinna-cetasaḥ
tri-loka-nāthānata-pāda-paṅkajam
prāyeṇa martyā bhagavantam acyutaṁ
yakṣyanti pāṣaṇḍa-vibhinna-cetasaḥ
Synonyms
kalau — in the Age of Kali; na — not; rājan — O King; jagatām — of the universe; param — the supreme; gurum — spiritual master; tri-loka — of the three worlds; nātha — by the various masters; ānata — bowed down to; pāda-paṅkajam — whose lotus feet; prāyeṇa — for the most part; martyāḥ — human beings; bhagavantam — the Personality of Godhead; acyutam — Lord Acyuta; yakṣyanti — they will offer sacrifice; pāṣaṇḍa — by atheism; vibhinna — diverted; cetasaḥ — their intelligence.
Translation
O King, in the Age of Kali people’s intelligence will be diverted by atheism, and they will almost never offer sacrifice to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the supreme spiritual master of the universe. Although the great personalities who control the three worlds all bow down to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, the petty and miserable human beings of this age will not do so.
Purport
The impulse to find the Absolute Truth, the source of all existence, has motivated philosophers, theologians and other intellectuals of various persuasions since time immemorial, and continues to do so today. However, soberly analyzing the ever-increasing plurality of so-called philosophies, religions, paths, ways of life and so on, we find that in almost all cases the ultimate objective is something impersonal or formless. But this idea of an impersonal or formless Absolute Truth has serious logical flaws. According to ordinary rules of logic, a particular effect should directly or indirectly embody the attributes, or nature, of its own cause. Thus that which has no personality or activity could hardly be the source of all personality and all activity.
Our irrepressible proclivity to philosophize about the ultimate truth often expresses itself through philosophical, scientific and mystical attempts to discover that from which everything emanates. This material world, which is a seemingly limitless network of interactive causes and effects, is certainly not the Absolute Truth, since scientific observation of material elements indicates that the stuff of this world, material energy, is endlessly transformed into different states and shapes. Therefore, one particular instance of material reality cannot be the ultimate source of all other things.
We may speculate that matter in some shape or other has always existed. This theory, however, is no longer attractive to modern cosmologists, such as those at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And even if we do posit that matter has always existed, we still must explain the source of consciousness if we want to satisfy our philosophical impulse toward discovering the Absolute Truth. Although modern empirical fanatics state that nothing is real except matter, everyone commonly experiences that consciousness is not the same kind of substance as a stone, a pencil or water. Awareness itself, in contradistinction to the objects of awareness, is not a physical entity but rather a process of perception and understanding. While there is ample evidence of a systematic interdependent relationship between matter and consciousness, there is no rigid empirical evidence whatsoever that matter is the cause of consciousness. Thus the theory that the material world has always existed and is therefore the ultimate truth does not scientifically or even intuitively explain the source of consciousness, which is the most fundamentally real aspect of our existence.
Furthermore, as demonstrated by Dr. Richard Thompson of the State University of New York at Binghamton and confirmed by several Nobel laureates in physics who have praised his work, the laws of nature governing the transformation of matter simply do not contain sufficiently complex information to account for the inconceivable complexity of events taking place within our own bodies and those of other life forms. In other words, not only do the material laws of nature fail to account for the existence of consciousness, but they cannot explain even the interaction of material elements at complex organic levels. Even Socrates, the first great Western philosopher, was disgusted with the attempt to establish ultimate causality in terms of mechanistic principles.
The heat and luminosity of the sun’s rays demonstrate to the satisfaction of any rational man that the sun, the source of the rays, is certainly not a dark, cold globe but rather a reservoir of almost unlimited heat and light. Similarly, the innumerable instances of personality and personal consciousness within creation are more than adequate to demonstrate the existence, somewhere, of an unlimited reservoir of consciousness and personal behavior. In his dialogue Philebus, the Greek philosopher Plato argued that just as the material elements in our body are derived from a vast reservoir of material elements existing within the universe, our rational intelligence is also derived from a great cosmic intelligence existing within the universe, and this supreme intelligence is God, the creator. Unfortunately, in Kali-yuga many leading thinkers cannot understand this and instead deny that the Absolute Truth, the source of our personal consciousness, has consciousness and personality. This is as reasonable as saying that the sun is cold and dark.
In Kali-yuga, many people present cheap, stereotyped arguments, such as “If God had a body or personality, He would be limited.” In this inadequate attempt at logic, a qualified term is falsely presented in a universal sense. What really should be said is, “If God had a material body or a material personality like those we have experienced, He would be limited.” But we leave out the qualifying adjective material and make a pseudouniversal assertion, as if we understood the full range, within total reality, of bodies and personality.
Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other Vedic literatures teach that the transcendental form and personality of the Absolute Truth are unlimited. Clearly, to be truly infinite God must be not only quantitatively but also qualitatively infinite. Unfortunately, in our mechanistic, industrial age we tend to define infinity only in its quantitative sense, and thus we fail to notice that an infinity of personal qualities is a necessary aspect of infinity. In other words, God must have infinite beauty, infinite wealth, infinite intelligence, infinite humor, infinite kindness, infinite anger and so on. Infinite is an absolute, and if anything we observe in this world is not contained, somehow or other, within our conception of the Absolute, then that conception is of something limited and not of the Absolute at all.
Only in Kali-yuga are there philosophers foolish enough to proudly define the most absolute of all terms — God — in materialistic, relative ways and then declare themselves enlightened thinkers. No matter how big our brain may be, we should have the common sense to place it at the feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Devanagari
यन्नामधेयं म्रियमाण आतुर:
पतन् स्खलन् वा विवशो गृणन् पुमान् ।
विमुक्तकर्मार्गल उत्तमां गतिं
प्राप्नोति यक्ष्यन्ति न तं कलौ जना: ॥ ४४ ॥
पतन् स्खलन् वा विवशो गृणन् पुमान् ।
विमुक्तकर्मार्गल उत्तमां गतिं
प्राप्नोति यक्ष्यन्ति न तं कलौ जना: ॥ ४४ ॥
Verse text
yan-nāmadheyaṁ mriyamāṇa āturaḥ
patan skhalan vā vivaśo gṛṇan pumān
vimukta-karmārgala uttamāṁ gatiṁ
prāpnoti yakṣyanti na taṁ kalau janāḥ
patan skhalan vā vivaśo gṛṇan pumān
vimukta-karmārgala uttamāṁ gatiṁ
prāpnoti yakṣyanti na taṁ kalau janāḥ
Synonyms
yat — whose; nāmadheyam — name; mriyamāṇaḥ — a person who is dying; āturaḥ — distressed; patan — collapsing; skhalan — voice faltering; vā — or; vivaśaḥ — helplessly; gṛṇan — chanting; pumān — a person; vimukta — freed; karma — of fruitive work; argalaḥ — from the chains; uttamām — the topmost; gatim — destination; prāpnoti — achieves; yakṣyanti na — they do not worship; tam — Him, the Personality of Godhead; kalau — in the Age of Kali; janāḥ — people.
Translation
Terrified, about to die, a man collapses on his bed. Although his voice is faltering and he is hardly conscious of what he is saying, if he utters the holy name of the Supreme Lord he can be freed from the reaction of his fruitive work and achieve the supreme destination. But still people in the Age of Kali will not worship the Supreme Lord.
Purport
You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.
Devanagari
पुंसां कलिकृतान् दोषान् द्रव्यदेशात्मसम्भवान् ।
सर्वान् हरति चित्तस्थो भगवान् पुरुषोत्तम: ॥ ४५ ॥
सर्वान् हरति चित्तस्थो भगवान् पुरुषोत्तम: ॥ ४५ ॥
Verse text
puṁsāṁ kali-kṛtān doṣān
dravya-deśātma-sambhavān
sarvān harati citta-stho
bhagavān puruṣottamaḥ
dravya-deśātma-sambhavān
sarvān harati citta-stho
bhagavān puruṣottamaḥ
Synonyms
puṁsām — of men; kali-kṛtān — created by the influence of Kali; doṣān — the faults; dravya — objects; deśa — space; ātma — and personal nature; sambhavān — based upon; sarvān — all; harati — steals away; citta-sthaḥ — situated within the heart; bhagavān — the almighty Lord; puruṣa-uttamaḥ — the Supreme Person.
Translation
In the Kali-yuga, objects, places and even individual personalities are all polluted. The almighty Personality of Godhead, however, can remove all such contamination from the life of one who fixes the Lord within his mind.
Devanagari
श्रुत: सङ्कीर्तितो ध्यात: पूजितश्चादृतोऽपि वा ।
नृणां धुनोति भगवान् हृत्स्थो जन्मायुताशुभम् ॥ ४६ ॥
नृणां धुनोति भगवान् हृत्स्थो जन्मायुताशुभम् ॥ ४६ ॥
Verse text
śrutaḥ saṅkīrtito dhyātaḥ
pūjitaś cādṛto ’pi vā
nṛṇāṁ dhunoti bhagavān
hṛt-stho janmāyutāśubham
pūjitaś cādṛto ’pi vā
nṛṇāṁ dhunoti bhagavān
hṛt-stho janmāyutāśubham
Synonyms
śrutaḥ — heard; saṅkīrtitaḥ — glorified; dhyātaḥ — meditated upon; pūjitaḥ — worshiped; ca — and; ādṛtaḥ — venerated; api — even; vā — or; nṛṇām — of men; dhunoti — cleanses away; bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; hṛt-sthaḥ — seated within their hearts; janma-ayuta — of thousands of births; aśubham — the inauspicious contamination.
Translation
If a person hears about, glorifies, meditates upon, worships or simply offers great respect to the Supreme Lord, who is situated within the heart, the Lord will remove from his mind the contamination accumulated during many thousands of lifetimes.
Devanagari
यथा हेम्नि स्थितो वह्निर्दुर्वर्णं हन्ति धातुजम् ।
एवमात्मगतो विष्णुर्योगिनामशुभाशयम् ॥ ४७ ॥
एवमात्मगतो विष्णुर्योगिनामशुभाशयम् ॥ ४७ ॥
Verse text
yathā hemni sthito vahnir
durvarṇaṁ hanti dhātu-jam
evam ātma-gato viṣṇur
yoginām aśubhāśayam
durvarṇaṁ hanti dhātu-jam
evam ātma-gato viṣṇur
yoginām aśubhāśayam
Synonyms
yathā — just as; hemni — in gold; sthitaḥ — situated; vahniḥ — fire; durvarṇam — the discoloration; hanti — destroys; dhātu-jam — due to the taint of other metals; evam — in the same way; ātma-gataḥ — having entered the soul; viṣṇuḥ — Lord Viṣṇu; yoginām — of the yogīs; aśubha-āśayam — the dirty mind.
Translation
Just as fire applied to gold removes any discoloration caused by traces of other metals, Lord Viṣṇu within the heart purifies the minds of the yogīs.
Purport
Although one may practice the mystic yoga system, his actual spiritual advancement is due to the mercy of the Supreme Lord within the heart; it is not directly the result of his austerity and meditation. If one becomes foolishly proud in the name of yoga, his spiritual position becomes ridiculous.
Devanagari
विद्यातप:प्राणनिरोधमैत्री-
तीर्थाभिषेकव्रतदानजप्यै: ।
नात्यन्तशुद्धिं लभतेऽन्तरात्मा
यथा हृदिस्थे भगवत्यनन्ते ॥ ४८ ॥
तीर्थाभिषेकव्रतदानजप्यै: ।
नात्यन्तशुद्धिं लभतेऽन्तरात्मा
यथा हृदिस्थे भगवत्यनन्ते ॥ ४८ ॥
Verse text
vidyā-tapaḥ-prāṇa-nirodha-maitrī-
tīrthābhiṣeka-vrata-dāna-japyaiḥ
nātyanta-śuddhiṁ labhate ’ntarātmā
yathā hṛdi-sthe bhagavaty anante
tīrthābhiṣeka-vrata-dāna-japyaiḥ
nātyanta-śuddhiṁ labhate ’ntarātmā
yathā hṛdi-sthe bhagavaty anante
Synonyms
vidyā — by worship of demigods; tapaḥ — austerities; prāṇa-nirodha — exercise of breath control; maitrī — compassion; tīrtha-abhiṣeka — bathing in holy places; vrata — strict vows; dāna — charity; japyaiḥ — and chanting of various mantras; na — not; atyanta — complete; śuddhim — purification; labhate — can achieve; antaḥ-ātmā — the mind; yathā — as; hṛdi-sthe — when He is present within the heart; bhagavati — the Personality of Godhead; anante — the unlimited Lord.
Translation
By one’s engaging in the processes of demigod worship, austerities, breath control, compassion, bathing in holy places, strict vows, charity and chanting of various mantras, one’s mind cannot attain the same absolute purification as that achieved when the unlimited Personality of Godhead appears within one’s heart.
Devanagari
तस्मात् सर्वात्मना राजन् हृदिस्थं कुरु केशवम् ।
म्रियमाणो ह्यवहितस्ततो यासि परां गतिम् ॥ ४९ ॥
म्रियमाणो ह्यवहितस्ततो यासि परां गतिम् ॥ ४९ ॥
Verse text
tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan
hṛdi-sthaṁ kuru keśavam
mriyamāṇo hy avahitas
tato yāsi parāṁ gatim
hṛdi-sthaṁ kuru keśavam
mriyamāṇo hy avahitas
tato yāsi parāṁ gatim
Synonyms
Translation
Therefore, O King, endeavor with all your might to fix the Supreme Lord Keśava within your heart. Maintain this concentration upon the Lord, and at the time of death you will certainly attain the supreme destination.
Purport
Although the Supreme Lord is always in the heart of every living being, the words hṛdi-sthaṁ kuru keśavam indicate that one should endeavor to realize the Lord’s presence there and maintain this awareness at every moment. Parīkṣit Mahārāja is about to give up this world and is receiving final instructions from his spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. In the context of the King’s imminent departure, this verse has special significance.
Devanagari
म्रियमाणैरभिध्येयो भगवान् परमेश्वर: ।
आत्मभावं नयत्यङ्ग सर्वात्मा सर्वसंश्रय: ॥ ५० ॥
आत्मभावं नयत्यङ्ग सर्वात्मा सर्वसंश्रय: ॥ ५० ॥
Verse text
mriyamāṇair abhidhyeyo
bhagavān parameśvaraḥ
ātma-bhāvaṁ nayaty aṅga
sarvātmā sarva-saṁśrayaḥ
bhagavān parameśvaraḥ
ātma-bhāvaṁ nayaty aṅga
sarvātmā sarva-saṁśrayaḥ
Synonyms
mriyamāṇaiḥ — by those who are dying; abhidhyeyaḥ — meditated upon; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; parama-īśvaraḥ — the Supreme Lord; ātma-bhāvam — their own true identity; nayati — leads them to; aṅga — my dear King; sarva-ātmā — the Supreme Soul; sarva-saṁśrayaḥ — the shelter of all beings.
Translation
My dear King, the Personality of Godhead is the ultimate controller. He is the Supreme Soul and the supreme shelter of all beings. When meditated upon by those about to die, He reveals to them their own eternal spiritual identity.
Devanagari
कलेर्दोषनिधे राजन्नस्ति ह्येको महान् गुण: ।
कीर्तनादेव कृष्णस्य मुक्तसङ्ग: परं व्रजेत् ॥ ५१ ॥
कीर्तनादेव कृष्णस्य मुक्तसङ्ग: परं व्रजेत् ॥ ५१ ॥
Verse text
kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann
asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ
kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya
mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet
asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ
kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya
mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet
Synonyms
kaleḥ — of the Age of Kali; doṣa-nidheḥ — in the ocean of faults; rājan — O King; asti — there is; hi — certainly; ekaḥ — one; mahān — very great; guṇaḥ — good quality; kīrtanāt — by chanting; eva — certainly; kṛṣṇasya — of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; mukta-saṅgaḥ — liberated from material bondage; param — to the transcendental spiritual kingdom; vrajet — one can go.
Translation
My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.
Purport
After mentioning the innumerable faults of this Age of Kali, Śukadeva Gosvāmī now mentions its one brilliant aspect. Just as one powerful king can kill innumerable thieves, one brilliant spiritual quality can destroy all the contamination of this age. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, especially in this fallen age.
Devanagari
कृते यद्ध्यायतो विष्णुं त्रेतायां यजतो मखै: ।
द्वापरे परिचर्यायां कलौ तद्धरिकीर्तनात् ॥ ५२ ॥
द्वापरे परिचर्यायां कलौ तद्धरिकीर्तनात् ॥ ५२ ॥
Verse text
kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ
tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ
dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ
kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt
tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ
dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ
kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt
Synonyms
kṛte — in the Satya-yuga; yat — which; dhyāyataḥ — from meditation; viṣṇum — on Lord Viṣṇu; tretāyām — in the Tretā-yuga; yajataḥ — from worshiping; makhaiḥ — by performing sacrifices; dvāpare — in the age of Dvāpara; paricaryāyām — by worshiping the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa; kalau — in the Age of Kali; tat — that same result (can be achieved); hari-kīrtanāt — simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra..
Translation
Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretā-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-yuga by serving the Lord’s lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
Purport
A similar verse is found in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (6.2.17), and also in the Padma Purāṇa (Uttara-khaṇḍa 72.25) and the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa (38.97):
dhyāyan kṛte yajan yajñais
tretāyāṁ dvāpare ’rcayan
yad āpnoti tad āpnoti
kalau saṅkīrtya keśavam
tretāyāṁ dvāpare ’rcayan
yad āpnoti tad āpnoti
kalau saṅkīrtya keśavam
“Whatever is achieved by meditation in Satya-yuga, by the performance of sacrifice in Tretā-yuga, and by the worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet in Dvāpara-yuga is obtained in the Age of Kali simply by glorifying the name of Lord Keśava.”
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has further quoted from the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa concerning the degraded condition of people in Kali-yuga:
ataḥ kalau tapo-yoga-
vidyā-yajñādikāḥ kriyāḥ
sāṅgā bhavanti na kṛtāḥ
kuśalair api dehibhiḥ
vidyā-yajñādikāḥ kriyāḥ
sāṅgā bhavanti na kṛtāḥ
kuśalair api dehibhiḥ
“Thus in the Age of Kali the practices of austerity, yoga meditation, Deity worship, sacrifice and so on, along with their various subsidiary functions, are not properly carried out, even by the most expert embodied souls.”
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has also cited the Cāturmāsya-māhātmya of the Skanda Purāṇa concerning the necessity of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa in this age:
tathā caivottamaṁ loke
tapaḥ śrī-hari-kīrtanam
kalau yuge viśeṣeṇa
viṣṇu-prītyai samācaret
tapaḥ śrī-hari-kīrtanam
kalau yuge viśeṣeṇa
viṣṇu-prītyai samācaret
“In this way the most perfect penance to be executed in this world is the chanting of the name of Lord Śrī Hari. Especially in the Age of Kali, one can satisfy the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu by performing saṅkīrtana.”
In conclusion, massive propaganda should be made all over the world to induce people to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, by which human society can be rescued from the dangerous ocean of the Age of Kali.
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Twelfth Canto, Third Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Bhūmi-gītā.”