Problems of the present age - from Indian mythology.

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Om[The following is taken from "Srimad Bhagavatam TheWisdom Of God", translated by Swami Prabhavananda]CHAPTER IIIKing Pariksit Meets Kali(Representative of the present Iron Age)One day King Pariksit, ruler of all India, whilestanding on the bank of the river Saraswati, saw a mantormenting and ill-treating a bull and a cow. Suchcruelty angered the king. He asked the man to explainhis cowardly behaviour, telling him at the same timethat it was within his royal power to punish him forsuch conduct by death. Then, not waiting for a reply,the king turned his attention to the animals, whichwere still shivering with fear, and spoke to them withsuch kindness that he soon inspired them withconfidence and trust.While the king was pondering, the plight of the bull,wondering who could have cut off his legs, the bull,who was the personification

of virtue, spoke asfollows:"Your Majesty, we thank you for your kind protection.Your are curious to know the cause of my suffering;but what it is I do not know. There are many differentopinions about the true cause of pain and suffering inthis world. Some say we ourselves cause our ownhappiness and suffering; others say the stars orplanetary conditions are the causes -- or,peradventure, fate; again others say Karma is the onlycause. Still others think that God sends us eitherhappiness or misery. I am at a loss to know which ofthese views is correct."Hearing a bull speak, the king was amazed. Then, as hepondered deeply on the words, a veil seemed to beremoved from his sight, and he recognized the bull asthe personification of virtue, the cow as thepersonification of mother earth, and the man who wastormenting them as Kali, the personification of theiron age, or vice.Then he addressed the bull

saying :"You are indeed the personification of virtue. Youhave assumed the form of a bull. Your four feet areausterity, purity, charity, and truthfulness; but whendoubt, attachment and pride entered into the world,you lost three feet. Now you are standing on one foot,which is truthfulness, and this man, Kali, thepersonification of the iron age, was about to crushthis foot also."So saying, he turned to Kali with drawn sword, readyto kill him; but Kali fell at his feet asking forpardon and safety, knowing that a king cannot kill anycreature that sues for his protection. The king stayedhis hand, but commanded Kali to leave his kingdom.Kali then asked the king to give over to him all theparts of his realm where flourished the four vices ofgambling, drinking, inhuman treatment of women andcruelty to animals. This request the king granted.Then Kali, wishing to extend his realm, asked

forstill more territory, whereupon the king offered himin addition the domains of falsehood, pride, lust,jealousy, and enmity.Hence, if a man would not be overpowered by Kali, hemust shun these evils.The king then restored the legs of the bull, leavinghim steadfast in the virtues of austerity, purity,charity and truthfulness.--"Srimad Bhagavatam The Wisdom Of God"Jai Sri Guru Maharaj Ji Ki Jai!Shri Bhagwan Sharanam Mamah!- Contributed by Lata Bhambwani ji. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. -- General Omar

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