Blame it on Kali Yuga!

Dear AC
I am extremely gratified to see that my thread has provoked some high quality responses which are in fact more thought provoking and more authentic than the lead post. But I slightly beg to differ with you when you say that we blame everything on Kali Yuga indiscriminately. Every one of us has an abiding conscience and it is only when we are forced to act against our conscience that we look for consolation to some over riding influence that makes us do things.
I agree with you that all of us have a freedom of choice but there may be occasions when you find yourself unable to exercise that freedom for reasons beyond your control. We saw a glimpse of it in the previous Yuga itself when even such strong people like Bhishma and Drona watching in agonised silence the disrobing of Draupathi. In spite of such atrocities committed by the Kauravas, they had to join hands with them and fight against the Pandavas knowing fully well that Pandavas were fighting for a just cause. Karna attributed his action to 'Senchotru kadan!', Bhishma regarded his Pratigya greater than fighting for Dharma. Why did they not exercise that freedom of choice? Instead of going as an ambassador to the Kauravas to plead the cause of Pandavas, Krishna could have just drilled some good sense into Duryodhana's head. Why did He not do it?
I am not consciously advocating committing a sin and blaming it on Kali Yuga but I am merely pointing out that whenever a small aberration in our character troubles us, we may try to draw consolation from the fact that we are all part of His Divine Plan and seek to concentrate on our positive side.
Sri

 

Dear Chithra
Mine is not a culture post but a cultured post for a change! I will certainly not even think of sneaking into your area where you are the monarch of all that you survey! And people who have read all your FBs in my various threads would never believe that you cant write a post in a lighter vein. You have already shown a glimpse of that talent in your blog.
As I said earlier in reply to AC, I am really gratified to see the kind of FBs to my lead post. You dont have to request anyone for a berth in the business class of the Ark as you have earned one by your own right!
Sri

 

Dear Sudha
All this blaming it on Kali Yuga technique will only land us at the Ark eventually! Blaming it on Kali Yuga can also be rephrased as Sarvam Krishnarpanamasthu! But for this technique, we'll never have an answer for what we do at times knowing deep within that it is wrong! Perfection ,they say, is given only to the Divine and not the human.
Sinning assumes greater proportion when we commit it knowing fully that it's a sin but does that scare us away? Probably even Duryodhana felt it on an introspective day!
Sri

 

Dear Sri
The first FOUR Avatars happened in Kritha Yuga – Matsya, Koorma, Varaaha and Nrisimha
The next THREE Avatars happened in Treta Yuga – Vaaman, Parasuraama and Sri Rama
The next TWO Avatars happened in Dwapara Yuga – Balaraama and Krishna
The next ONE Avatar will happen in Kali Yuga – Kalki
We can see the symmetry between the Time Span of Yugas and the number of Incarnations happened in every Yuga. There is an Avatar once in every 432000 years which is the period of Kali Yuga. Kritha means four and it was four times that of Kali (17,28,000 years)and hence four Avatars in that period. Similarly Treta means three and it was three times that of Kali (12,96.000 years) and hence three avatars in that period. Dvapara means two and it was two times that of Kaliyuga (8,64,000) years and hence two Avatars in that period. Finally Kali will come to an end with the last Avatar, Kalki
God out of His immense munificence has ordained that the best period is the longest. Imagine our fate if Kali Yuga were to be the longest instead of Krita Yuga!
I agree with you that in the modern perception, good people are the most boring ones and bad people hog all the lime light!
Sri

 

Dear Vidya
I agree with you but the irony is that people indulged more in soul enriching activities in Krita Yuga when it was really not necessary and Salvation was there just for the asking. It looks like the time spent on 'yagams' is inversely proportional to the time spent on sinning! Knowing this, God has willed that mere namasankeertanam would suffice for the humans to attain salvation but we find even that difficult. If only we grabbed at this offer of God, Kali would never end!
Sri

 

Dear Vandhana,
Our scriptures have outlined the characteristics of humans in all the four Yugas. There is also a definite ratio of good and bad in each Yuga. Thus, in Krita or Satya Yuga, there was no evil at all. In Treta Yuga, one third became evil. In Dvapara Yuga, half of them became evil and in the present Kaliyuga only a quarter remain virtuous.
There is also a school of thought regarding this papam and punniyam. It is said that the sum total of evil or paapam remains constant in each Yuga. In the present Yuga, for example, the ratio of good and evil remains constant at 25:75. When we undergo suffering due to our karma, the people who inflict such suffering on us take over our Paapam. What we lose, they gain and the figure remains constant!
By the way, I am seriously thinking of surrendering my business class ticket to travel economy seeing the growing demand for that class!
Sri

 

Dear Shanthi
I agree with you on Paapam and Punniyam to the extent that they are not absolute in the sense that there are no reference points that would be universally acceptable.
There is an asura in every one of us and how active he can get is entirely in our hands.
Blaming it on Kali Yuga should not be resorted to as a license for our sinning. I certainly did not intend to convey such a message. Only when we are troubled by our conscience for having done something against it for whatever reasons should we look for the effect of Kali Yuga on our actions as a consolation.
Sri