Kali Yuga Dharma

April 19, 2025

Kali Yuga Dharma

Scriptures on Kali Yuga
The Brahma Purāṇa (Chapter 212, Verse 8), the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (Canto 5, Chapter 38, Verse 8), and the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (Canto 1, Chapter 18, Verse 6) state that the Kali Yuga commenced at the conclusion of the Dvāpara Yuga, when Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa departed from the earth for His eternal abode, Vaikuṇṭha.

Kali Yuga: the Dark Age
Kali Yuga is the last and most degenerate of the four ages comprising the Chaturyuga—a time marked by wickedness and oppression, moral decay, unrighteousness, sinfulness, immorality, pervasive corruption, ungodly and unholy conduct, irreligion, sacrilege, profanity, blasphemy, impiety, baseness, and utter vileness.

The hoary scriptures declare that human civilisation will undergo spiritual degeneration in this dark age, when discord, quarrel, hypocrisy, egocentrism, egomania, narcissism, vanity, conceit, false pride, and an unaccountable sense of self-importance shall reign supreme. Symbolising this dharmic decay as a bull bereft of three of its legs, the Mahābhārata (Canto 3, Vana Parva) and the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (Canto 1, Chapter 16, Verse 20) state that Dharma in the Kali Yuga stands on but a single leg.

Obvious Symptoms of Kali Yuga

The Mahābhārata lists the following as some of the symptoms of the Kali Yuga:

1. Gurus will no longer be respected by their students, who will attempt to defame them. They will disregard their teachings and even go so far as to insult the words and wisdom of their realised masters.

2. People will be consumed by anger and greed, and they will have no qualms about expressing these sentiments towards one another.

3. The enjoyment, expression, and pursuit of physical—especially sexual—pleasure will be considered acceptable.

4. Sexual intercourse will be recognised as a significant aspect of life, particularly of marital life.

5. Addiction to alcohol and intoxicating substances will be deemed acceptable.

6. Women will remain unmarried.

In the Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa (Chapter 4, Verse 129), the Lord declares that there will be relative peace during the first 10,000 years of the Kali Yuga, a period during which the worship of the Lord will continue, devotees will still be present, some form of reverence for God and the deities will be observed, and the scriptures will continue to be honoured. Of these 10,000 years, however, 5,000 have already elapsed, leaving but a middling 5,000 years during which spiritual practice may still continue.

Discourses on Kali Yuga
Swami Sri Velukkudi Krishnan has delivered exceptional discourses in Tamil on the effects of the Kali Yuga. He has addressed the following topics and questions:

A) What the Scriptures have said about Kali Yuga

1. What does the Vishnu Purāṇa say about the effects of the Kali Yuga?

2. The effects of the Kali Yuga on our lives, health, and minds:

a. What is happening to our cognitive faculties in the Kali Yuga?

b. How do we use our intelligence?

c. What are the causes of unhappiness and stress in the Kali Yuga?

3. Is the Kali Yuga truly a malevolent age?

4. What is Vedavyāsa’s view on the following:

a. The Kali Yuga:

i. Will women attain mukti (liberation)?

ii. The position of women according to the scriptures

b. Woman

c. Śūdras

B) Liberation/Mukti/Samadhi During Kali Yuga

5. How may one attain liberation in the Kali Yuga?

a. The significance of mukti, moksha, samādhi, and liberation in the Kali Yuga

b. What is required for the attainment of mukti?

c. Is it true that even the disqualified can attain God? How is this possible?

6. Who, in the Kali Yuga, shall attain God with ease?

7. What is the proper method of fasting on Ekādaśī?

C) Spiritual Progress in Kali Yuga

8. How does spiritual progress in the Kali Yuga compare with the efforts required in other yugas?

9. Why do great souls (mahatmas) prefer to be born in the Kali Yuga?

10. What is the sādhana recommended for the Kali Yuga?

a. Is Rāja Yoga (dhyāna or meditation) sufficient for the attainment of mukti?

b. May one attain mukti through Karma Yoga?

c. Is Jñāna Yoga a viable path to mukti?

d. Shall such sādhana lead to liberation?

11. If bhakti, knowledge, and ethical perfection alone do not grant liberation, then what is the one indispensable qualification for attaining mukti (liberation/salvation)?

12. How ought one to worship the Lord in the Kali Yuga?

13. Do we truly possess an intense longing for liberation?

14. It is said that there exists a sādhana in the Kali Yuga that yields everything—wealth, prosperity, fame, liberation, freedom from disease, and absolution from sin. What is that sādhana?

15. Ought we not to understand the meaning of the mantra we chant?

16. For how long must one chant to be rid of all one’s sins?

17. If I lack the time to chant, what should I do?

18. Do we genuinely need liberation?

a. Are we sincere in our pursuit of mukti?

19. What should our attitude be towards those engaged in the spiritual life?

D) Effects of Kali Yuga

20. I have been told that the Kali Yuga lasts for 430,000 years, and that a mere 5,000 years have thus far elapsed. As it stands, the age already appears abysmally degenerate. How much worse might it become in the remainder of the Kali Yuga?

21. What are the symptoms or distinguishing characteristics of the Kali Yuga?

E) Our Conduct in Kali Yuga

22. How should we conduct ourselves towards animals and plants?

F) YouTube and the Internet

23. What is your opinion on the spiritual advice offered through YouTube?

24. What is your view on religious conversion?

G) Religions and Spiritual Practice

25. The presence of many religions: Which one contains the ultimate Truth?

26. Is Hinduism overly complex or complicated?

27. Is it acceptable to worship Muneeswaran, Muniandy, Mathurai Veeran, and Kula-Deivam?