“O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.1.10)

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प्रायेणाल्पायुष: सभ्य कलावस्मिन् युगे जना:
मन्दा: सुमन्दमतयो मन्दभाग्या ह्युपद्रुता:

prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ sabhya
kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ
mandāḥ sumanda-matayo
manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ

1. I get to work from home

“I do not know how I did it. For so many years. It was more than a decade. Some people spend their entire adult life in that routine. It was all they knew. They endured much longer hours, both coming and going.

“I am talking about going to the office, in your typical corporate job. You are basically stuck there. Some people compare it to daycare, except for adults. In an honest assessment, there is not that much work to do. You are sort of on-call, for whenever they need you for something. Otherwise, you could get your tasks completed in half the time that you actually spend sitting at your desk.

“Well, that has now changed. Not for everyone, but at least for me. I don’t think I will ever have to set foot in an office again. I work from home. My daily commute consists of all of ten steps. I no longer feel the pressure to fall asleep on time, to hurriedly prepare myself in the morning, to keep an eye on the schedules for mass transit.

“What a blessing! Can anyone be more fortunate? The work is getting done. I am finally enjoying myself. I sometimes spend extra hours, such as during the evening. That is how much fun I am having. This is the best.”

2. I have access to an endless library of video content

“Do you realize how scarce viewing content was in the past? No wonder people would huddle around the television during important live events. There was no other way. If they missed the big game, there was no way to watch it later on. If they missed that speech from the leader of the nation, they could only hear about it from the descriptions of others.

“Today, practically everything is available. On a single night, while seated on the couch, I can time-shift through several decades at once. I can watch the first movie starring that famous actor. I can also watch their last film, made when they are well into old age.

“I have access to more content than I know what to do with. This is amazing. Can anyone be more fortunate? I feel so bad for people in the past. They must have been so bored and miserable.”

3. I have access to an endless library of audio content

“When I was growing up, it was not possible to listen to every song published by a famous artist. This was because you had to own physical copies of the releases. There was no online catalog to consult to even find out which songs were released, on which album, and in which year. You basically had to accept whatever was on sale at the local record stores.

“Today, I can listen to everything. No pun intended, but the catalogue is already catalogued for me. I can find everything from a specific recording artist, play the songs in a particular order, and not worry at all. Can anyone be more fortunate? I never have to be without music again.”

4. I can speak with anyone with a simple push of a button

“How did people handle airport pickups in the past? I understand there were payphones available, but think about the person on the receiving end. They had to be at home, at the exact moment that someone was calling them. What if the arrivals got delayed? How would people find out?

“Anyway, it is so amazing now. I can call any person whenever I want to. I can even track where they are, if they are travelling towards me. I never have to be alone. Can anyone be more fortunate? This is the best time to be alive.”

5. I can share all of my experiences with the rest of the world

“There is this belief in the world of counseling and coaching that people have an inherent need to share their experiences. If something good happens to them, they want to tell others. Of course, that requires people on the other side. They must be interested to hear. They can at least pretend, so as to facilitate two-way communication.

“Well, there is no barrier anymore. I can make friends with anyone. I can share my experiences with the entire world. People who have never met me can comment on my beliefs, my ideas, my theories, my complaints, and my praises. Can anyone be more fortunate? I have the chance for a constant stream of connection with the outside world, through posting photos and videos.”

…

The verdict of Shrimad Bhagavatam is that the people living in the current age of Kali are less fortunate. There are other negative conditions, as well, such as a shorter duration of life and a general lack of intelligence. Kali is a yuga, which is a kind of division of a complete timeline of creation or population.

From beginning to end, the time from the appearance of the species leading to their destruction is a yuga. That single period of time can also be known as a maha-yuga. The maha-yuga then has four divisions of its own, which are known as yugas. Kali is the last of the four divisions, and it is considered an inauspicious time.

This is only within the context of alignment with dharma. If compared to a table, dharma has only one leg to stand on during Kali Yuga. The conditions are not ideal for what actually matters to the individual, who is spirit soul.

I may argue with the contention that people are less fortunate. In the above reviewed situations, I feel fortunate and blessed; at least in the beginning. I think that there is no better time to live, that society is actually evolving into something superior to what it was before.

In an honest assessment, however, we see that this supposed fortune is not making anyone happier. I was excited to work from home, but now I feel isolated. It is like I am living at the office, with constant stress and pressure. I have no access to real people, to real conversations. I am shut off from genuine experiences.

I have so much content to consume, but I am utterly miserable. I feel so depressed that I want to experiment with medications. These don’t really help, but I know no other option. I should be happy, but I am not. I have no connection with anything real or lasting.

The life coach, the counsellor, the motivational speaker, if you will, recommends finding some sort of passion. Make goals. Take steps towards achieving them. Spend time each morning writing down what you are thankful for. Start a “gratitude journal.” Train the mind to dwell on the blessings received instead of the failures encountered and the gaps yet to be filled.

The advice is sound, reasonable, and effective, except that once goals are achieved the resulting happiness is short-lived. Kali Yuga is also noted by the condition of constant disturbance. I can never be at peace, even when things are going well.

There is one benefit that can be extracted. Amidst the inauspicious conditions, there is the opportunity to reach enlightenment, the state of realization of the complete spiritual energy, through association with sound. Vibrate the maha-mantra, as kindly delivered by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and start to see a difference: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

This sound is transcendental. Producing the sound to be heard by others is known as kirtanam. The same Sanskrit word applies to describing the glories of the Supreme Absolute Truth. Being transcendental in nature, such kirtanam has the potency to cut through the inauspicious conditions. I may be the laziest person, full of troubles, and too depressed to get out of bed, but I can be lifted up through the mercy of bhagavata.

In Closing:

Bhagavata in two forms to proceed,
One in pages of Purana to read.

That in difficult times to dwell,
Kali with lack of fortunes to tell.

But the person set to deliver,
With potency of sound to consider.

Chaitanya that mantra chanting,
Benedictions to all comers granting.

Categories: the five

Tags: bhagavatam, hare krishna, kali yuga, poem, poems, poetry