Appendix F ————————————————————————————————————————

Bhaktivedanta Swami and the ‘Golden Age’ within the Kali Yuga

The Brahmavaivarta PurËÙa describes how the goddesses LakÛmÌ, SarasvatÌ and GaÔgË once quarreled with each other. SarasvatÌ cursed GaÔgË and LakÛmÌ, prompting GaÔgË to then curse Saras-vatÌ in return. Hari (ViÛÙu/KÎÛÙa) established that, as a result of these curses, LakÛmÌ and GaÔgË should become rivers and remain on Earth (i.e. India) for the first 5,000 years of the Kali Yuga, even though KÎÛÙa himself would leave the world at the begin-ning of the dark age.1 However, Hari would still be present in the world for the first 10,000 years of Kali through different mani-festations and, especially, through his devoted followers.2 Towards the end of the PurËÙa, just as KÎÛÙa is about to leave the Earth and the Kali Yuga arrives, the following conversation between GaÔgË and KÎÛÙa sums up the main ideas: BhËgÌrathÌ (GaÔgË) said:

49. O Lord, supreme lover, you are [now] going to the great goloka! What will become of us in the Kali Yuga?

The Lord (KÎÛÙa) said:

50–51. Remain on Earth for [the first] 5,000 years of the Kali [Yuga]! The sins that the sinful give you through bathing will be instantly reduced to ashes when the followers of my teach-

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ings/mantra (mantropËsaka) touch or see [you], or bathe [in your waters], O JËhnavÌ!

52. Go to wherever Hari’s names and the PurËÙas are [recited], and listen attentively together with the [other] rivers.

53. By listening to the PurËÙas, and through the recitation of Hari’s names, sins like the killing of a brËhmaÙa will be re-duced to ashes.

54. And they will also be reduced to ashes simply by the em-brace of a VaiÛÙava, just as fire burns dry sticks.

55. Likewise, VaiÛÙavas [will reduce to ashes] the sins of sin-ners in the world. Those holy bathing places (tÌrthas) on Earth, O JËhnavÌ,

56. are always in the pure bodies of my devotees! The Earth is instantly made pure by the dust on the feet of my devotees,

57. as are tÌrthas and the world itself. Those brËhmaÙas who, following my teachings/mantra, eat the remains of food offered to me,

58. and always meditate on me alone, they are dearer to me than my life. By merely touching them, wind and fire are puri-fied.

59. My devotees will remain on Earth for 10,000 [years] of the Kali [Yuga]. When they are gone, [people] will be of one varÙa.

60. Devoid of my devotees, the Earth will be seized by Kali...3

The meaning of these verses seems straightforward. As the Kali Yuga arrives, KÎÛÙa departs for his heavenly world, goloka, and comforts GaÔgË who, due to the curse, must remain for another 5,000 years. He explains that all the sins she receives from bath-ers will be removed by the mere presence of worthy VaiÛÙavas, who will, themselves, be on Earth for 10,000 years. Although not stated explicitly here, the other passages referred to above indicate that the first five of these 10,000 years are meant to run concur-rently with GaÔgË’s 5,000 years. This passage, and indeed the PurËÙa as a whole, is an inter-

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esting sectarian elaboration that seems intended to bolster the status of the Bengali VaiÛÙava movement, especially the tradition started by Caitanya in the 16th century.4 The passage is also, in a sense, an updated and modified version of the claims made centu-ries earlier in the MahËbhËrata to the effect that whenever there were enough followers of NËrËyaÙa the KÎta Yuga would start.5 The important difference here, however, is that instead of claim-ing that a new KÎta Yuga will begin, it is within the Kali Yuga that the devout followers will create special circumstances, a spe-cial period. By the time of the PurËÙa’s composition the en-croaching presence of the Kali Yuga was an acknowledged fact of PurËÙic and ÉËstric tradition, so it could hardly be denied, but the text implies that it could be delayed by the presence of ‘true’ VaiÛÙavas. But it is the recent use of this idea that concerns us here. In a recent publication, MahËnidhi Swami, a disciple of Bhaktivedanta Swami,6 purports to be quoting from the Brahmavaivarta PurËÙa when he gives the translation of a passage very similar to this one, with the important difference that the beginning of KÎÛÙa’s reply reads: “After 5,000 years My mantra upËsaka [worshipper of the holy name] will appear in this world and spread the chanting of the holy name everywhere. Not only in India, but all over the world people will chant Hare KÎÛÙa Hare KÎÛÙa KÎÛÙa KÎÛÙa Hare Hare Hare RËma Hare RËma RËma RËma Hare Hare!” And a few verses later: “This period of worldwide chanting of Hare KÎÛÙa will continue for 10,000 years.”7 These verses are given as proof that KÎÛÙa himself had pre-dicted Bhaktivedanta Swami’s birth and his world-wide dissemi-nation of Caitanya/Gau×Ìya VaiÛÙavism, and we are told that he inaugurated the 10,000 year golden period within our Kali Yuga described by the PurËÙa.8 Unfortunately, no exact reference is provided, but there seems to be little doubt that the verses meant are the ones translated above.9 MahËnidhi Swami’s translation is then enthusiastically quoted verbatim in another publication.10 Further evidence of this willingness to proclaim the beginning of a golden age—even in the midst of the dark Kali Yuga—is the

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Notes

title of a book by yet another disciple of Bhaktivedanta Swami, Atma Tattva Dasa. It is significantly called Shrila Prabhupada: Acharya for the Golden Age.11 The title is reminiscent of a work authored by one S. P. Kaur, and published in 1972 under the pa-tronage of Yogi Bhajan, the founder of a Sikh movement in the West during the sixties: the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO). In an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the astro-logical ages, this other book was called Guru for the Aquarian Age; the Life and Teachings of Guru Nanak. In the introduction, Yogi Bhajan mentions the present dark Kali Yuga, but hails the immi-nent dawning of the astrological age of Aquarius as the arrival of a golden age, and states that NËnak is “the teacher for this glori-ous age of the brotherhood of man.”12 However, he does not state clearly whether he views the emerging Aquarian age as a golden sub-period within the Kali Yuga,13 or as synonymous with a new Satya Yuga.14

1 For the story, see Brahmavaivarta PurËÙa 2.6–7. LakÛmÌ’s 5,000 years are mentioned at 2.6.89 and 2.7.10; GaÔgË’s at 2.10.67 and 2.11.1, as well as in the passage quoted below.

2 Brahmavaivarta PurËÙa 2.7.12; 4.90.32–33. 3 bhËgÌrathy uvËca / 49. he nËtha ramaÙaÚreÛÖha yËsi golokam uttamam /

asmËkaÑ kË gatiÚ cËtra bhaviÛyati kalau yuge // ÚrÌbhagavËn uvËca / 50. kaleÒ paÕcasahasrËÙi varÛËÙi tiÛÖha bhÍtale / pËpËni pËpino yËni tubhyaÑ dËsyanti snËnataÒ // 51. manmantropËsakasparÚËd bhasmÌbhÍtËni tatkÛaÙËt / bhaviÛyanti darÚanËc ca snËnËd eva hi jËhvavi (sic) // 52. harer nËmËni yatraiva purËÙËni bhavanti hi / tatra gatvË sËvadhËnam ËbhiÒ sËrdhaÑ ca ÚroÛyasi // 53. purËÙaÚravaÙËc caiva harer nËmËnukÌrtanËt / bhasmÌb-hÍtËni pËpËni brahmahatyËdikËni ca // 54. bhasmÌbhÍtËni tËny eva vaiÛÙa-vËliÔganena ca / tÎÙËni ÚuÛkakËÛÖhËni dahanti pËvakË yathË // 55. tathË ‘pi vaiÛÙavË loke pËpËni pËpinËm api / pÎthivyËÑ yËni tÌrthËni puÙyËny api ca jËhnavi // 56. madbhaktËnËÑ ÚarÌreÛu santi pÍteÛu saÑtatam / mad-bhaktapËdarajasË sadyaÒ pÍtË vasuÑdharË // 57. sadyaÒ pÍtËni tÌrthËni sadyaÒ pÍtaÑ jagat tathË / manmantropËsakË viprË ye maducchiÛÖabhojinaÒ // 58. mËm eva nityaÑ dhyËyante te matprËÙËdhikËÒ priyËÒ / tadupa-sparÚamËtreÙa pÍto vËyuÚ ca pËvakaÒ // 59. kaler daÚasahasrËÙi madbhak-

Bhaktivedanta Swami and the ‘Golden Age’ within Kali 241

tËÒ santi bhÍtale / ekavarÙË bhaviÛyanti madbhakteÛu gateÛu ca // 60. madbhaktaÚÍnyË pÎthivÌ kaligrastË bhaviÛyati / Brahmavaivarta PurËÙa 4.129.49–60. The numbering appears to be off by half a verse.

4 Although the PurËÙa contains a few sections that could be as early as the 8th century, its present form is considered by Hazra ([1975] 1987:166) to date from the 16th century, after thorough transforma-tions—since the 10th century—at the hands of Bengali VaiÛÙavas. See also Brown 1974:37, 205; and L. Rocher 1986:163.

5 See above, Chapter 4, note 43. 6 Bhaktivedanta Swami is the founder of the well-known International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the so-called Hare Krishna movement.

7 MahËnidhi Swami 1996:279–280. The brackets are the Swami’s. He elsewhere (p. 45) gives other intriguing quotes purportedly taken from PurËÙas like the VËyu but, as in the case of the Brahmavaivarta PurËÙa quotes, no references are provided.

8 MahËnidhi Swami 1996:281; Dasa and Dasa 1996:18. The traditional date for the start of the Kali Yuga being 3102 B.C.E., the 5,000 year mark would have to fall in 1898 C.E. Bhaktivedanta Swami was born in 1896 (Dasa and Dasa 1996:10).

9 This appears to be the understanding of another devotee who has posted, and correctly identified, the verses along with a somewhat ac-curate translation on the World Wide Web. For his translation see: http://www.crl.com/~nparker/bv.htm; viewed on 7/15/97.

10 Dasa and Dasa 1996:17. 11 As announced on a flyer posted on the halls of the University of Cali-fornia, Berkeley, in November of 1995. I have not been able to obtain a copy of this book which, apparently, has not even been published. Shrila Prabhupada is Bhaktivedanta Swami.

12 Yogi Bhajan, in Kaur 1972:5–6. 13 For the followers of Kalki Bhagavan (see above, chapter 6, note 122) the age of Aquarius is a small age within the new golden age. See http://www.concentric.net/~Kalki/World/Branch1/QuestionsStatic/qa34.htm.

14 Both movements, ISKCON and 3HO, are modern-day representatives of traditions that emerged approximately 500 years ago. Caitanya and NËnak, the respective founders of these traditions, were near contem-

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poraries, and both taught that meditation on their version of the divine name was the best way to liberation in the Kali Yuga.