The purpose of Kali Yuga

Excerpt from morning class during Gurumaharaj's visit to Nimaihuset on 8 May 2016.

Swami B. A. Paramadvaiti: Any questions?

Satyavrata Muni das: Yes... I wonder what is the point of the Kali Yuga? Am I allowed to ask that question?

Swami B. A. Paramadvaiti: Ah... what is the point of Kali Yuga? I love this question, because, it obliges us to be self-critical. Sva... kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ. This is one of the first verses in the Bhagavatam, explains the need of the Kali Yuga. He says, the Kali Yuga has come, in a way, to wake up those who are the laziest, the less intelligent, the less sincere, who have gotten the invitation of Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dwapara Yuga, and they still linger on, full of this materialistic "I want to get this and that", and they become so divided over everything, so, we need to get them the Kali Yuga atmosphere to hopefully wake them up. It's not exactly a charming reason, no? It means, there is another way, Prabhupad used to say, "Either you learn by hearing or you learn by suffering, and some people don't even learn when the suffering comes". Then they get another chance. First of all, at the pralaya, destruction, time of destruction, you get a resting time in Mahavishnu. And then you come back, and again the cycle starts. Because regardless of our stupidity God loves us, but He doesn't want to take away our free participation. And another thing I must add there, as I see a certain vibration going through your eyes, and that is, don't question the good intention of the divine towards us. Don't do that, don't allow your mind to do that, because if you do that, it's like, here we are, little stupid say say "God, could you please come on this chair, this is the accusation, accused chair, now we gonna bring... Hey, prosecutor, could you please present the case against him?" (laughter) And you, seat yourself on the judge seat. "Now listen, now my lord I will check you out", no? This Gurumaharaj says you should not do. It doesn't belong to us, this position of questioning the good intentions of the Creator towards us. It destroys something with us, it creates a kind of, artificial pride. And this artificial pride, by the way is very popular because those who deny the existence of God, they not only put Him on the accusation chair, they already deleted Him, as "the accused doesn't exist". (laughs)

Satyavrata Muni das: I did ask the question, "Am I allowed to ask that question?"

Swami B. A. Paramadvaiti: No no, your question was perfect, why is there Kali Yuga? That question is perfect, and it's answered in the Bhagavatam, but the, I took it a little further, no? What if, our mind, allows himself to question the good intentions of the Creator, or, to question the existence. Like, where do we have a right to breathe? Who gave us the right to breathe? We didn't pay for the air. How we have the right to drink water? How we have the right to eat a plate of food? At least we have to be grateful, saying thank you, to whoever may be responsible for it, call Him whatever you want, but be grateful, and that's what the natives teach us. That's why it's called the United Nations of the Spirit. That is the spirit of gratefulness. Without deep spirituality, there's nothing's gonna happen, nothing's gonna change in us. And that's what Krishna says, "Anybody who eats without offering to Me is just eating sin." Even the strictest of the strict vegan, but if he is not offering his food to the Lord, he is also eating sin. Even if one only drinks water, and don't offer that water to the Lord, he is drinking sin. That's what the scriptures say about this. Gratefulness, gratefulness, gratefulness, because you know what comes after gratefulness? Joy. And without gratefulness, no joy appears. Then we go ... depression, cannot make sense of the whole thing ... hopeless, no future. Gratefulness, immediately, "Ki jay! Hayaya! Uttsav." And that is the spirit of the ancient wisdom. So somehow our Western society has put the mind above everything. Has not produced very good results, but that's what practically westernized, mundanized, secularized thinking is. My mind above all. No obedience to any higher authority because I question the authority principle in itself. Children sometimes do that, no? They question the authority principle of the parents. But only as long as they are very well-fed, because once the hunger comes in the stomach, then your anti-authoritarian system turns into begging like a monkey. "Ooh, ooh, ooh! ....... a morsel of food!" Vrindavan monkeys are great teachers, they can teach you between humility and false ego explosion.