Radhanath Swami: Kali by the directions of Maharaj Parikshita, the son of Uttara was allowed to live in those five places. The most important of all scriptures of the world gives us the clearest understanding of what is the Absolute truth and how to achieve realization of our eternal constitutional position as the unalloyed servant of Krishna. Here we find in the age of Kaliyuga, those places where kali were darkness who is because of deceit, envy and all those evil qualities which causes us to forget God, those qualities which create such a disturbed condition of the mind that rather than trying to please Krishna, we compete with Krishna, we want to exploit not only Krishna but Krishna’s energy as well. In this age of kali these qualities are rampant. And why people today; social workers, humanitarians, politicians they cannot understand why the value of human life is becoming so degraded, why people are so much dissatisfied, why there is so much quarrel, hypocrisy which ultimately creates crime, corruption, massive wars; hot wars, cold wars and even with all of their very advanced education and with all of their good intentions and meetings they cannot find an end to the problems of the world. Although there are so many enterprises to try to create peace, they cannot in any way make any real progress towards peace. Why there is so much anger, so much envy, so much quarrel and so much hypocrisy?
Srimad bhagwatam right here in this very chapter tells us exactly who is the cause and why? We are being inflicted by this? Because of the Kali, Kali is the personification of irreligion. Kali is that force that predominate the law of nature the humanity . It is kali that creates an atmosphere where irresistibly there will be quarrel and hypocrisy, there will be evil. And according to Shrimad Bhagwatam we find here historically how kali came into this world and where Kali has power within this world. Kali’s business is to exploit the innocent and destroy the principles of religion.
The story of Appearance of Kali
Of all animals the cow is considered to be the purest and the most innocent and the most beneficial to humanity. When we speak of cow, we speak both male and female, cow and bull. So Kali in his evil nature was striking the cow and bull with stick, not only striking the cow and bull but destroying one by one all religious principles, which is the source of all good, which is the source of all holiness within the world. Maharaj Parikshita stopped him, was ready to kill him but Kali surrendered and after surrendering he asked for a place where he could reside, where he could have full total control. And he was given these four places. Wherever there is illicit sex, wherever there is intoxication, wherever there is gambling, wherever there is meat eating or animal slaughter. Wherever those four activities take place, without exception; there is no question of doubt that is the domain of Kali. And it will be either today or tomorrow a place of quarrel, deceit, corruption and hypocrisy. But Kali understood that these four activities are the source of such evil, they are so inhuman and uncivilized that in the kingdom of Mahraj Parikshit, human beings simply could not consider doing these things, below the dignity even of the lowest. So he asked please give me another place. Maharaj Parikshit told him, wherever there is the hoarding of the wealth, hoarding of gold, you may be king in that place. You can create all havoc, all disunity. So Kali was very much satisfied to receive this benediction.
The degraded society as it is today
So today just see how degraded our society has become. Those activities which were unthinkable by human civilization at the time of the civilization of Maharaj Parikshit have now become the very basis of our society and the very substance of our economy. It is a fact that Srila Prabhupada came to the west teaching no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat eating, no hoarding of gold. He said if they knew whatever I have been preaching they would have killed me. It is a fact; very difficult.
In the western world the meat industry is so powerful, so powerful, so expert, so cunning, they control the politician. How? With money. They exploit and usurp so much money, so much people they have so much power that those people slaughtering animals, as a profession, to a large extent controlling the policies of the government.
And as far as gambling, gambling is the largest, legal source of profits in countries like America. Billions and billions and billions of dollars. And it is becoming more and more legalized every year practically each state is hungry for the money that comes from gambling. Legalizing it; legalizing it; legalizing it. Each state is legalizing it. One person who used to, some years ago, come to this temple, was visiting some relative or something in America, he was driving. He happened to drive by Las Vegas, he decided to go and see what all this gambling is, in six minutes he lost forty thousand dollars. Forty thousand dollars is how many lakhs, twelve lakhs of rupees. In six minutes, then he realized he didn’t have any money. It just happened so fast in such a fever, usually when you play the first time you win and you think ahaha just see how great I am, second time you win it happens so fast within thirty second you win twice. When you lose I have to make back what I lose. You lose again; I have to make back what I lost and you lose again, I won the first time certainly I can win again and then you lose; lose; lose and it all happens in six minutes; it happened so fast you realize you don’t even have the money to live in a place. You don’t even have money to eat or to sleep. That is how expert they are at these gambling places just to take away your money. It is a fever.
And as far as illicit sex, practically every product in the market is sold on the basis of illicit sex.
And as far as intoxication; such exploitation, there was a study done in America, cigarette smoking is the number one cause of death in America from disease. And even though it says right if you smoke this you will die. In so many words it says, each packet of cigarette, you smoke you die. So many tell on each packet of cigarette is written you smoke you die. But it’s worth it. It’s not just you will smoke and you’ll hook, you suffer for years, slow, terrible, painful death. Lung cancer and all these other cancers create situations that it causes slow, terrible, horrible death, you just suffer-suffer-suffer. But the study was that ninety nine percent of all people in America who smoke cigarettes, they were addicted to cigarette before they reach the age eighteen. By the time they are eighteen they are addicted and they smoke for the rest of their lives. In the big tobacco companies each one of them they put millions and millions of dollars advertising every year to reach the youth. They know they are the best customers. Get them before they’re eighteen, addicted, and they will buy our cigarettes for the rest of their lives. Good investment.
Just like here in Radha Gopinath temple we are putting tremendous lot of emphasis preaching to the youth, similarly they also preach to the youth. We are trying to give them Harinaam, Bhagwat Katha, they are trying them to addict them to cigarettes. They know once they have them, they have them for whole life. Such cruelty! Such exploitation! Such corruption!
And yet when they test in the survey, the big, big owners, the chairmen of the boards of all the big- big cigarette companies practically none of them smoke and none of their children smoke because they know as a fact; if you smoke you’ll suffer and you’ll die. They won’t do it. But for the children of others, for money, for hoarding of gold, anything!
So wherever these activities are taking place wherever there is intoxication, gambling, meat eating, illicit sex, Kali is keen, Kali will create without doubt envy, pride, all the bad qualities which culminate in hatred, hypocrisy and quarrel to one another.
The peace formula given by Srila Prabhupad
Srila Prabhupada gives very-very simple solution on the basis of truth of Shrimad Bhagwatam, if you want to create peace in the world, there is no possibility unless we get rid of these five sinful activities. And Srila Prabhupada explains here where there is greed of the hoarding of wealth then automatically all these other sinful activities will naturally come. Why? Because when we become intoxicated by the fever of too much wealth utilized for our own greedy purposes, they actually come directly under the control of Kali, you become like a puppet in the hands of Kali. And then undoubtedly it is just a matter of time, the other four vices come into your life.
Kali: the puppeteer of the materialistic people
Devotees are trained to be the puppets in the hands of guru and Krishna. Make me dance as you want me to dance. Materialistic people, as soon as you start engaging in these activities you become a puppet in the hands of Kali. The devotees are wise they see the strings, they see the puppeteer. When we walk down the streets of Bombay everywhere we go we just see puppets. And we the strings in their arms, their legs, in their mouths and all their other organs, we see strings on them we see Kali going, maneuvering them and they are just moving, puppets, machines under control. But they do not see the strings, they do not know who is pulling the strings, they’re thinking they are just acting according to their free will.
Prakrateh kriyamanani gunai karmani sarvashahAhankar vimudhata kartaham iti manyate
This is their ignorance. They are thinking we are doing what we like to do because we enjoy doing. They try to convince the devotees why are you not doing these things, how can you live without these things? These things are natural pleasures of life. In the western world, Srila Prabhupada told us that Lord Jetland, he was very aristocratic person from the British government. He said to one of our guru maharaja’s god brother –Can you make me a brahman? He said, ‘yes, brahman means truthful, brahman means simple, if you want to be truthful and simple you have to give up these illicit sex, intoxication, gambling, meat eating. He was shocked because he was amongst the British, amongst the people of the West, he was actually one of the most pious people in the society. Honestly, you don’t find people as pious as Lord Jetland. And he replied without these four things, how will I live? Someone like that might as well ask, ‘you expect me to live without breathing? You expect me to live without eating or drinking, it is equivalent to living without illicit sex, intoxication, gambling and meat eating. It is the standard of society’. This is the degree of degradation of society and yet they are thinking they have their free will. But you should know that the advertisers which create the passion for hoarding of gold, intoxication, gambling, meat eating, illicit sex, it is not just some intelligent advertisers making up these hoardings, and making up these television ads, making up these news paper ads, magazine ads or different promotional campaigns, it is Kali directly with his strings in hands moving the tongues, moving the hands, moving the people, to propagate destruction of human value and religion.
What must devotees see?
And devotees must see that. They should not be bewildered by these activities. They must have this conviction we can have no sentimental relation with these sinful activities. Because of the cruel Kali, the source of all evil behind the scene which controls these unfortunate souls. And sometimes our own loved ones when we go home to our families, our in-laws, our parents, relatives, cousins, aunties and uncles. We wanted to see oh! you are very nice. But as you actually make advancement as a devotee you develop thevision, when you go home, then you just see puppets in the house. You see everything they are doing is just they are being pulled by the strings of Kali. It is frightening that they’re trying to connect strings to us, they are thinking how can you live without these strings, how can you live without your very nature, what enjoyment is there without. So they are very anxious to connect us. And our lower nature due to the atmosphere is so inclined, so inclined and victimized by Kali. Actually without very-very strong holy association of devotees, it is impossible to resist the influence of Kali. So devotees must understand exactly what is what? Acharyopasanam- Srila Prabhupada explained one who hears from Acharya he knows what is what? Nobody else can know what is what? By any study, by any education, one can never understand what is what? But here it is presented so nicely-so clearly- who is Kali? How Kali came into this world? And how Kali is manipulating the society.
Lord Chaitanya’s agents verses Kali’s agents
Canvassing; Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission is canvassing people to take Krishna naam, take Krishna seva, do Krishna smarnam and go back home back to Godhead. We are canvassing. Kali, his agents are canvassing. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has His agents and Kali has his agents. How are they canvassing? They are creating so many devices, television. What is television? It is simply a device created by Kali to bring people to this degradation. It’s a means of putting strings on everybody, on every organ of their body through their eyes you watch. See what is the television?
Just a day before yesterday, we were sitting in the railway station at Vijayawada, and there was a television. Mahabhuri prabhu and myself were sitting there. The train was late and every one when the train is late you sit. There is nothing to do. So you just look. And what did we see? Kali. That’s all we saw. People advertize these handsome men, beautiful women, driving fast cars, smoking cigarettes, drinking, looking at each other in all sorts of amorous ways and at the end they say, buy this. And you can see people are very interested, find the first train to buy it. It is ridiculous, just crazy. Indian society is meant for the higher values of leading the world in Krishna consciousness, but now its importing this very-very powerful medium by which kali completely exploits you, manipulates you. In the name of being modern you just give up all your moral values and you start ah, perpetuating and increasing the hoarding of gold. It is a vicious cycle.
Modern or Bonded by Kali?
And we see accept for rare occasions wherever there is too much wealth, there is so much hypocrisy, quarrel and degradation. It is terrible. In the Western world, people who are the wealthiest, they are the most famous for having so many divorces. Right? These multi-multi millionaires. You read the papers, very famous people. This is my eighth husband, people when they hear this is her eighth husband they offer dandvat pranams. Such a powerful women in society!
People think that these are role models and as far as men are concerned, marriage is something old fashioned, that’s the way it is becoming in the West. Sometimes people don’t even bother with marriage because they know that probably they would get divorced within a few years anyway. So why go through the legal trouble. That’s just live together and whenever we decide, we don’t like each other; we’ll just leave. Skip this unnecessary formality of marriage. And basically we find amongst the wealthiest people, so many divorces, so many multi-multi-multi different marriages, so much terrible intoxication, so much gambling and most of all so much quarrel and deceit.
I have spoken before, when I was walking through the rice paddy in Thailand and I was picked up in a Mercedes Benz limousine by one of the biggest television movie actors in America, asked him if I wanted a ride, he said, “why not”? So we started having a long drive and he started telling me how miserable he was. He said I have millions and millions of dollars, I have big mansion in Beverly Hills, I have so many cars, I have so many servants, he says in my television serial we get the most beautiful movie actresses in America and I have sex with everyone of them. He said that I want to tell you not only that I am in newspapers, magazines, television, I am in movies everywhere. Everyone knows me. Everyone wants to see me. Everyone wants to touch me. Everyone wants to talk to me. Everyone wants me to put autographs. I am very popular, very famous, all sorts of sense gratification, everything I ever wanted. He said I am in the society of the most famous people in the world. He said I am in that circle of society with the most famous movie actors, movie actresses, musicians, politicians. We have our own private parties. And everybody in the world wants to see one of us for a second, they think their life is successful. We are altogether, I am there, I made it, I was born in the ghettoes, I made it to this situation by my hard work and by good luck and he said I want to tell you that I am miserable, disgusted, my life is terrible. He said I want to tell you something else. Amongst all these people who are in this very high social club, the world’s topmost, not a single person likes each other, we all hate each other, we are envious of each other, we are competing with each other, we only appear to be friends and smile at each other, and give each other gifts simply because that a sad that make us more acceptable, popular, gives us more dignity in the eyes of others. And I tell you, behind it all, every person in that big-big famous situations in society, everyone is lonely and miserable. He said, we were driving by and there were some people in the rice paddies on their hands and knees in Thailand people picking the rice out of the ground. He said I wish I could become like them. He said they have some peace and purpose to their lives.
He said all the people with too much money and fame, in the West hate each other. They are lonely and they are miserable. Why? They are all on the strings and Kali like puppeteer is just moving them around to create misery and bondage.
A valuable lesson for a neophyte devotee
A neophyte devotee sometimes he thinks what I am sleeping on this floor of temple, eating some chawal and daal? Look at all these other people, nice cars, nice houses and beautiful lady friends and all so many things, sometimes he may think, why am I doing this? These people are enjoying, much better. Sometimes the grihasthas, they are living simple lives, and they see others, laughing and smiling as they are doing all simple activities, they think this is a nice life. This is a neophyte stage. You are little bit advanced you will not be envious of these people, you will not think how nice they are having, you will the strings, and you will see Kali, simply manipulating and controlling them at every movement of their life. They are just slaves of Kali. They have come into his domain and he is king, he is ruler and they are ruled. And that is all there is to. That is the light of knowledge. Therefore there is nothing attractive about it. Prabhupad used to give one example that when they want to slaughter the goats just to make it easy so that they don’t have to pull them and pull them, they just have nice grass and the grass gets better and better and they just walk eating grass, just eating the grass and as they are eating the grass they call it as very nice, very nice, but at each step forward they are coming close to their own destruction. They are enjoying. See we have to see this material society in this way. Sometimes it may appear that materialistic people are enjoying better than us, we should understand that by the power of Kali personified the agent of Maya just tempting them and giving them little pleasure-little pleasure-little pleasure, just to bring them closer to the life of total bondage and misery. We have to see it like that, we have to see the whole picture, otherwise we will be a victim ourselves. Therefore we must hear this subject matter every day. We must be warned and precautioned in the association of devotees every day.
Kali disguised himself as a king. The king is supposed to be the representative of God. King is supposed to be our friend. Kali’s agents are so many all around disguised. Disguised as a friend, as a well wisher. We have to discriminate. How do we discriminate? It is not very difficult, wherever there is illicit sex, intoxication, gambling, meat eating and too much hoarding of gold, we should understand, whatever it appears like that is Kali; that is the agent of Kali. And we must preach very strongly against these illicit activities. We must expose and even when we try to expose the propaganda of Kali through all of his agents, do not think he will not fight back. But the devotees are fearless, because we know we are protected by Krishna.
Just as Mahraja Parikshit, Kali could not stand before him, Kali cannot stand before Krishna or His representatives, if we have that faith. That is a fact.
Krishna protects His devotees always
Just recently we went on a nice yatra to various holy places, places where especially Krishna protects His devotees from the forces of evil. On one place called Simhachalam, Lord Chaitanya Mahprabhu visited that place. It’s a famous temple of Lord Narasimhdeva and it is considered to be one of the most powerful Deities in all of creation and Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to this Simhachalam (?), He prayed to Lord Narasimhdeva there that You are so terrible and destructive to the demon Hiranyakashyapu, how You ripped him to pieces with Your hands, with those very hands which are so soft and loving to the devotee Prahalad. The story of that temple is Prahalad when he was being prosecuted by Hiranyakashyapu then one time Hiranyakashyapu picked up Prahalad and went to throw him in the ocean to drown him to death. But at that time the Lord appeared to save him and He appeared in a wonderful-wonderful form and that form was, I’ll tell you in a second what that form was. He saved Prahalad in a very-very powerful wonderful form and it was on a hill that Prahalad worshipped Him in that form and he prayed to the Lord to remain in that form for all the devatas and all fortunate human beings to come and worship and receive protection in that form. It was Lord Varahadeva and Lord Narasimhdeva, They were so angry at Hiranyakashyapu, so angry and so anxious to save Prahalad that they both appeared together in one form; Varahanarsimha. And the Murti even today has the face of Lord Varahdeva and the tail and the claws of Lord Narasimhdeva. And it is considered that full manifestation of both Varaah and Narasimha are both present within this particular Murti which is how He appeared to save Prahalad Maharaja. That Murti is so angry, so angry by the injustices to His devotee that anyone who gets near Him will be destroyed. So what they have to do, they have to just to cool Him down and His anger and completely cover Him in a mountain of chandan everyday. When you see the Deity it looks like just big-big Shivalinga of gopichandan; sandalwood pulp, it’s a big-big mountain of sandalwood pulp. They cover Him completely and every day they just cover the cover and cover and cover it is like that. One day a year they take off the sandalwood and see the Deity. He allows Himself to be seen once a year but any other time besides that if He is not covered with just chandan all the pujaries they leave their bodies..So how the Lord become so angry to see the exploitation of His devotees and how He is always there to protect His devotees.
The story of demon Nimuchi
Then we went to another place called Mangalagiri , Kanakala Narasimha. In that temple, there was once a demon of the name Namuchi , who did tremendous tapasya and he got so much benedictions and one of the benedictions he received that he could not be killed by any weapon, that was either wet or dry. What kind of weapon can you make which is neither wet nor dry? Everything has to be either wet or dry, according to our logic. So he went conquering all the earth, conquering all the higher planets and nobody could stand before him. So the Devtas they approached the ocean of milk and prayed to Kshirodakshai Vishnu ‘please save us from this demon. He is causing so much distress to your devotees. Please rescue us’. So He did not want to interfere with the benediction that Brahma gave him that he could not be killed anything wet or dry. So this demon he lived in a place in a little mountain cave called Mangalagiri. So He went to that mountain cave of Mangalagiri who was waiting for him? Krishna. In His wonderful incarnation of Narasimhadeva and He was very-very angry. And just like He killed Hiranyakashapu with His nails on His lap at sunset so that He killed Hiranyakashapu and kept all of his benidictions. In this avatar He appeared as Narasimhdeva and He was looking with His ferocious eyes at Namuchi and roaring with anger …….
Sometimes you become angry, you should understand that everything comes from Krishna, whatever power you have to become angry is only coming from Krishna. But we can utilize our anger in the service of Krishna or we could utilize our anger for our own selfish purposes. Sometimes devotees in the service of Krishna very expertly become angry, that is very good. But if we become angry simply because our own senses and egos are frustrated, that is very bad. That’s a cause of great bondage and offenses. So He was roaring and roaring, terribly, and the demigods approached Him, Brahma and Narada, what can we do to make You happy because the whole world cannot withstand roaring of Narsimhadeva. So He told them you offer me amrita, nectar. So this is in Satyayuga. He said in Satyayuga you offer Me nectar in pots as much as you like and however big the pot is I will drink the half and the half that is remaining is mahaprasada, that will purify the world. But in tretayuga, getting nectar from heavenly planets is very difficult. So He said in tretayuga you offer Me cow’s ghee, not buffalo, cow’s ghee. And whatever pots you offer I’ll drink half and the other half will be mahaprasada and you drink it and you become purified. In Dwaparyuga cow’s milk, but in Kaliyuga as time goes on of course the amrita from the heavens, we have not seen. And ghee of cows is becoming more and more difficult to find . And as Kaliyuga progresses even milk will become very hard to find. So in Kaliyuga He said you make mixture of water and jaggery; gur and you offer Me that and I will be very satisfied, that is devotion. So beautiful beautiful Deity and the whole actually the Deity itself is the mouth of Narsimhadeva. One of the most awesome Murtis I have ever seen in my life, it’s right in the mountain . it’s just Shaligrama, a big Shaligrama shilla right connected to the mountain itself with this huge mouth, huge means about this big and if you look, you have to have complete faith. Just by seeing that this is Lord Narsimhadeva’s mouth. It’s so vibrant, it’s so fearful this mouth and on both sides, one side this beautiful Shaligrama shila with the conch shell and the other side of the mouth is the beautiful Shaligrama shila with the chakra. And it is all self manifested after Lord Narsimhadeva appeared He actually from His form in order to satisfy Brahma, Narada and the Demigods, He actually assume this form and said this is where you make your offerings to Me. And they put a kavacha, a shield with a beautiful face of Narsimhadeva over this and His mouth connects to the original Shaligrama mouth. But on Ekadashi’s and when the pujari’s especially merciful, he take off the shield and you can see the mouth directly. And they put with conch shell the gur water, they put right in the hole and they just pour it. here I am drinking, it’s very nice. You hear that AhAh Ah ……..and then stops, He gives half as Prasad. Very very wonderful Murti. How the Lord has appeared in so many ways to protect His devotees from the forces of evil? Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also visited that place. Infact Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati saw installed Lord Chaitanya’s footprints at that place,with a plack that in the year 1512 Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited this temple. Also Ramanujacharya, Shankaracharya, Madhavacharya, Vallabhacharya they all have their recorded dates of when they went to offer jaggery water to Kanakala Narsimhadeva. So for your pleasure we have brought this jaggery water for You to honour. Govinda prabhu has bottles of this water so if you like you can either today or tomorrow, it’s good for Ekadashi , if you are fasting you can take tomorrow or after class today or tomorrow. Govinda prabhu will give you the mahaprasad of Pana Narsimha Swami. So if we always take shelter of Krishna in the mood of Prahalada and the mood of these great souls only then can we protected from the influences of Kali. In this age of Kaliyuga, Kali is the king. But how important it is that we must understand who it is, how he is working, where he is in order to protect ourselves and in order to give real light and knowledge to society? And we have to always be immune and the way that we can always remain protected is we have to have faith. We have to have faith in the power and the love of Krishna and He is protection to His devotees. And if we keep nice association, worship the Supreme Lord by hearing His glories, chanting His names we can always be under the loving care of Krishna and Kali can do nothing to obstruct our …..
