By Oh Mind, you do not know how to farm!
Fallow lies the fields of your life,
If you had only worked it well,
How rich a harvest you might reap!
Hedge it about with Kali’s name
If you would keep your harvest safe;
This is the stoutest hedge of all,
For Death himself cannot come near it ….
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Vol I Page 325
Me: Nice to see you again.
He: Yes. The other day you were talking about Kali Yuga and its characteristics. Please elaborate on that.
Me: Yes I gave you a brief on the four Yugas. In Bagawatha Kali is described in some detail. Have you heard about the three Gunas.
He: Yes. The Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Sattva is being conscious about self and having truth, compassion and contentment , Rajas is activity oriented even though it is also based on truth and compassion it will have aberrations. Tamas is that of lethargy, untruth, cunningness etc,. Is that correct?
Me: Yes, partially. Gunas are the causes for the characters such as truthfulness, compassion, untruthfulness, lethargy etc,. When the mind and intellect of large number of men of a period are mostly associated with sattva then it is Krita Yuga. In this state man feels keenly interested in spiritual knowledge and in austerity. When interest in dharma, Artha and Kama begin to dominate in men, then it is Treta Yuga.
When greed, discontent, pride, hypocrisy, quarrel etc., prevail and leaning towards desire prompted rituals then know, it is Dwapara Yuga. In this Yuga Rajas in combination with Tamas will be the dominant influence. When deception, untruth, , sleep, cruelty, sorrow, delusion, fear and wretchedness prevail it is Kali Yuga ,where Tamas dominates. So it is Gunas that decide the Yugas and not just chronology or events of history.
He: Great..!
Me: In Bhagawatha Kali is described as a period when men will be dull and narrow in
outlook, luckless, gluttonous, poverty stricken and extremely lustful. Women will all become low in character. Thieves will lead the countries. The Veda will be perverted by atheist. Rulers will become tyrants. The Brahmacharins will live contrary to their vows and will have no sense of purity. The householders will cease to give holy alms but themselves take to mendicancy. Ascetics orVanaprasthas will begin to live in villages and Sannyasins will be greedy in the extreme and..
He: Please continue.
Me: women will be short- statured, gluttonous, highly prolific, shameless, sharp-tongued and addicted to theft, to crooked ways and to reckless behavior. Vile men, who are no better than cheats, will take to trade and business and introduce dishonesty in buying and selling. Men will adopt prohibited means of livelihood as honorable and righteous even when there is no threat of danger in social life.
Servants will abandon their masters if they become poor though they are endowed with all virtues. And masters will abandon their servants when they fall ill or are in trouble, even if they were loyal and truthful.
He; Yes it is true. Nowadays we see man power cutting, slimming of work force, job losses
Which are all not only because of business losses.
Me: Continuing with what is Kali Yuga as given in The Bhagawatha, Cows that become old and dry will be disposed of. Abandoning association with parents, brothers, sisters, friends and relations, people will transfer their allegiance to their associates in sexual matters. On the whole they will be weak inspirit and absorbed in sexual affairs.
He: It is abundantly seen throughout the world today. Newspapers, electronic media and the social media are always with sensual matters. Sensationalizing of even trivial matters are the order of news distributing mediums.
Me: What about children disowning their parents at old age? Even in the so called developed countries the old are not only economical problem but also a social problem.
Loneliness and fear of death are the greatest misery afflicting these countries. What about cow and slaughter. I will discuss about it. Cows should be protected, and there is environmental reason for it. I will continue tomorrow. Shall I take leave?
He: See you tomorrow.
