“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

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada says that people living in the current age of Kali are generally less fortunate. This is in comparison to previous ages: Satya, Treta, and Dvapara. Any person can make any claim. They can take any negative condition and use that to extrapolate across a wider subject population, but in this case there is a basic comparison that can highlight the striking contrast.

Within the culture of literature that traces its lineage to the original Veda, there are many references to animals, animal life, and living like an animal. The references are intentional, particularly to highlight the uniqueness of the human birth.

The human birth is unique because the individual inside is the same. When we see a cat, a dog, a bird, an elephant, or even an ant, we should know that the life force inside, the animating spark, is the same in quality as what we find in the infant, the child, the young adult, the aged man, and the person about to depart this world.

विद्या-विनय-सम्पन्ने
ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि
शुनि चैव श्व-पाके च
पण्डिताः सम-दर्शिनः

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ

“The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 5.18)

The proper identification requires vidya. There must be knowledge. If we are to further refine the definition, there must be wisdom. Knowledge can refer to information on how to do anything. Tying shoelaces. Cleaning dishes. Driving a car. Writing software. Editing a book.

Wisdom is for escaping the entanglement of material life. Gaining release from the shackles which bind us. Understanding that we are bound, when we otherwise think everything is carrying along without issue. Knowledge can further bind us to illusion, whereas wisdom will bring us closer to emancipation.

We can utilize the same comparison with animal life to substantiate the claims about the condition of life in the age of Kali. The basic activities found in both animal and human states are much different in modern times.

1. Eating

“Why is eating so difficult? I cannot tell you the struggles I have in this area. Well, I could tell you, but my words will never properly convey the difficulties I face. For some reason, anything that I eat results in problems. Carbs make me tired. Protein messes with my thinking ability. We all know that sugar is bad for you.

“In my part of the world, restaurant food is terrible. They use the worst oils in their preparation. The packaged items, available for convenience, are even more dangerous. We rely on these extensions due to the speed in which we must operate in order to survive. There is no time to cook properly. Eating is a major struggle; at least from what I have seen.”

2. Sleeping

“It is a vicious cycle. First you take uppers. That is shortly after waking up. People have the more natural route available to them, also. Offices will supply the beverages for free. As much as you want. Make sure you are awake so that you can function properly. The work has to get done.

“This is beneficial during the daytime, to a marginal degree, but then detrimental at night. I have so much trouble falling asleep. It is like this great anxiety which overcomes me when the time arrives. There are downers to help in this area, but I am afraid of starting an addiction. I don’t remember having any sleep issues during childhood. What in the world happened? How has life become so stressful?”

3. Mating

“Look at the problems in the world, the ones that are visible, the egregious violations to standard etiquette, the breaches of rights to personal property and space. There is always some issue with sexual relations as the root cause. A troubled marriage. Infidelity. Unrequited love. Stalking. Chasing.

“The bachelor finds depression over the lack of stability. They wish they could find someone to settle down with. The married man experiences a kind of pressure they never before contemplated. They now cannot wait for relief, if but for a brief moment.”

4. Defending

“The latest fear is that we will be forced to enlist in the military. Not to defend our own borders, you see. No, that is completely porous right now and the politicians have no issue with it. Rather, they will send us to defend the borders of a country on a different continent. It makes no sense. Why should we have to risk our lives fighting for people who have no connection to our daily lives?”

…

If we compare the situation to the animals, there is less worry. They do not have planning commissions. They do not read books. They do not participate in political campaigns. They do not enter houses of worship.

The problems with eating, sleeping, mating, and defending are already taken care of. We can claim that the animals could use more intelligence in these areas, that if they knew better they could enhance the experience, but the cycle of life is basically the same. Even if the animals could defend perfectly, time will eventually take its toll.

The human being should have less troubles in these areas. After all, they are more intelligent. They should know better. In Kali-Yuga, even finding grains and water might be difficult. These are staples of nature which should be higher in supply than gold and jewels. They should also be less expensive. This is one way to know that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is merciful to the fallen and the downtrodden.

तुलसी जाने सुनि समुझि कृपासिंधु रघुराज
महँगे मनि कंचन किए सौंधे जग जल नाज

tulasī jāne suni samujhi kṛpāsiṃdhu raghurāja
maha~ge mani kaṃcana kie sauṃdhe jaga jala nāja

“Tulsi knows, has heard, and has understood that Shri Rama is an ocean of mercy because He made jewels and gold expensive, while keeping the most important things like water and grains inexpensive.”  (Dohavali, 149)

He is indeed the most merciful, because within amidst the inauspicious conditions of Kali-Yuga there is a chance at elevation. Through chanting the holy names, through Divine association via the medium of sound, we can rise to our constitutional position, which has nothing to do with this temporary and miserable world: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

So much struggle to see,
Constantly disturbed to be.

Worried over the next day,
Calm or in trouble’s way?

Even animals with higher living,
Never a thought to anxiety giving.

Sankirtana for this age beautiful gift,
That from sound in transcendence to lift.

Categories: the four

Tags: anxiety, god, hare krishna, kali yuga, life, poem, poems, poetry, religion