Stream of time is unstoppable and continuous. Inspite of best efforts, nobody; either powerful or weak has been able to conquer it. The present time or era is called The Kalyug (black era). For me. it is the supreme of all the eras, i.e. Satyug,Tretayugand and Dwaparyug. One way of looking at it is the fact that living in the present is what all scriptures prescribe. Going into the past would only bring difficulties to the fore while worrying about the future is sure to bring in its wake all sorts of modern diseases besides eating into the vitals of the human being.
The earlier eras had a slow and smooth life but a bit difficult as compared to Kalyug or the time in which we are living at present. In the earlier ages, there was co-operation among people with proper mutual understanding. People had enough time for each other and were at a stretch ready to help everyone without any greed or for future benefits.
In those days community activities, marriages and other big and important tasks were successfully done with the combined efforts of people. Marriages and community works were settled in the same village or the nearby villages. Women at that time were the incharge for household activities, they used to be at home to do household chores. People were religiously very active.There were various temples and holy places in each and every village in which demigods (devtas) were worshipped. At that time people didn’t had much desire and they were satisfied with what they have. Although crime, greed, lust, property issue etc existed but since the number of problems were low so the extent and aggression of rivalry was also very low.
At present, Kalyug is in its full flow and at its peak. If we talk about spiritual literature, life is governed by Karma (deeds), not yug. But it has been explained in the religious literature written by Shringi Rishi and Madbhagwat. It is supreme as far as negative aspects are concerned. Kalyug tops in crime, terrorism and all the negative activities one can imagine. It has been explained that in Kalyug, religion will die. There will be no proper way of living, leading to quarrelsome and lazy behaviour of men and women. People will get unlucky and disturbed and will follow what their heart says and not mind. It was also mentioned that the size of the creatures will reduce along with that other plants and herbs.
There will be a great threat to life in the form of drought and famines and above it, all the types of taxes will also be imposed. There will be a new face of spirituality and person’s dress code and appearance will ascertain one’s spiritual position. There will be least value of knowledge and experience in this era. A clever, articulate and a person who has a way with the words will be called a scholar.
On the other hand if we see the brighter aspects of Kalyug, it is an era of practical achievements. Of course, this era is the era of advancements in Science & Technology. And we don’t need an example to prove it. Right from medical to any other issue, technology has its roots everywhere. Coming to communications, it was very poor and slow in previous eras. Now media, mobile and internet have done wonders.
For transportation and agricultural purposes, previously animals were used and that was surely a cruelty to those poor creatures. But today, transportation has its new face. Its being mechanical with a much faster speed at cheaper cost. In earlier era, people died of lack of medical facilities and unknown diseases. Today, as we know medical field is so advanced that it is inventing the cure for such diseases that never had any scope of improvement. Further invention of electricity has started a revolution in human life.
Along with electricity, there is no scarcity of water and it is there at our doorsteps now. For women Kalyug proved to be a of much relief. Earlier women used to work daylong for household work. There was no provision of modern amenities, so ladies had to work in wood fire at home and were forced to live with various asthamatic diseases. Even fetching water was itself a tedious task. But now technology has made their lives comfortable.
So unlike the doomsayers, for me Kalyug is liberating. It has brought so many technical innovations and changes that it has made the life of a modern person, much more comfortable and relaxed as compared to the earlier yugas. This means that a modern age person has much more time now to focus his attention on inner energy, meditation and realising God than those of the previous Yugas. In those days, most of the people were forced to meet the daily needs first before turning to God. So for me, Kalyug has transformed human beings and freed them from the bondage of material work as they can focus more on their spiritual needs.
But is the human being readyIJ Is he or her focussed on realisation of GodIJ That is the issue in Kalyug which the human beings have to introspect themselves. And the most beautiful thing about Kalyug is that one can get freedom from bondage of Kaal (Time or interval of time) by only enchanting god’s name. One can get himself free from the cycle of birth and death by enchanting god’s name for two hours everyday. Isn't it time to find time for itIJ
(The writer is a spiritual master, a follower of Baba Balaknath tradition, based in Chandigarh)