Two Things You Don't Have To Indulge In Kali-Yuga

“For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.30)

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यो मां पश्यति सर्वत्र
सर्वं च मयि पश्यति
तस्याहं न प्रणश्यामि
स च मे न प्रणश्यति

yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra
sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati
tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśyāmi
sa ca me na praṇaśyati

The potency of the genuine spiritual master, the guru, is rooted in the Supreme Lord Himself. It is like talent and ability, combined together, descending from on high. On loan from the person who from but a drop of His splendor creates this and innumerable other amazing universes, each of which are seemingly self-sustaining and impossible to destroy through a mortal individual.

In simpler terms, if I meet the guru and accept their shelter, I will be benefitted greatly. I will be able to see God all the time and in every place. As He confirms in Bhagavad-gita, He will never be lost to me.

I will be able to worship in peace and bliss for as long as I want to. Death will not signal an end, nor a beginning. The transmigration of the soul will mean continuation in the devotional path, identified as bhakti-yoga when immersed in a realm of duality, with contradictory conditions and ever-changing desires.

As an added benefit, there will be things that I no longer have to do. We can take the two hallmark characteristics of the present age, Kali-yuga, to see just how valuable this benefit is.

1. Hypocrisy

“You know, that political leader was on television every single day lecturing people about wearing masks. That we needed to keep them on to remain safe. The virus was still a threat; we shouldn’t think that victory was on the horizon.

“Then they end up getting caught going to a place that is otherwise closed. The business was shut down for normal operation, to the general public. But the owners were forced to make an exception for this politician. They opened in secret, and this politician was caught on camera going there.

“The kicker was that they weren’t wearing a mask. They were exposed as a total hypocrite. It seems a lot of these leaders are like that. One set of rules for the common person, and another set for the elite. It’s sickening, if you ask me. This kind of hypocrisy is all over the place.”

2. Quarrel

“One side says that if you don’t vote for their candidate in the upcoming election, they will tear down the country. Riots. Looting. Shooting. Senseless violence. I didn’t think our country would ever descend to such barbarism. Is this even civilized society? Is that any way to make a persuasive argument?

“This kind of thing has been going on for hundreds of years. You had the religious leaders persecuting those who weren’t intimidated into blind faith. They shunned scientific advancements. There was conflict between various ethnic groups. No one can ever get along, it seems.”

…

Kali-yuga is the dark age. Dharma stands on only one leg, instead of four. Shrimad Bhagavatam provides more details, on how to identify, listing the indications many thousands of years ago. In other words, shastra was able to predict the future to a stunning degree of accuracy.

The guru came to me, bestowed their favor upon me, and now I don’t have to participate in these two faults of the present time period. No reason to be hypocritical if body, mind and speech are dedicated to the Supreme Lord. If my entire life is for Him, then there is no incompatibility with anything that I do.

No reason to quarrel, either. Let others debate who is the greatest athlete in a particular sport. I know the ebbs and flows of politics, how the landscape continues to change. One year the votes go for a certain party, another year they throw the same people out of office.

Prahlada Maharaja is the ideal example in this regard. Like the lotus flower floating atop the water and never getting wet, that five-year old son of the king never became contaminated by material desires, though everyone around was encouraging him along that path.

Prahlada did speak when asked, but his words of wisdom were neither contentious nor with the purpose of seeking conflict. Prahlada did not have to vehemently argue with the father, Hiranyakashipu, who was the leader of the atheist class, the Daityas.

The child steered clear of quarrel and hypocrisy, though there was so much deceit and aggression from the other side. The Supreme Lord was there to protect him, the same Almighty described to Prahlada earlier on, through the words of the spiritual master, Narada Muni.

In Closing:

Hypocrisy everywhere to see,
Rules for me, but not for thee.

Argument on every issue found.
Obstinate to each corner bound.

The guru for my deliverance sent,
So that no more in this way spent.

Like safely to liberation on boat,
Not wet while on water to float.