As Śrīmad Bhāgavatam describes, Shri Krishna departed this world at the end of Dwapar Yuga and Kali ( कली ) entered the world and Kaliyuga started. 5000 years over to that moment and we can see strong influence of Kali everywhere.
What does it mean ?
As I continued reading Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, I could relate lot of things happening around me or with people around me. I can see influence of Raj (रज) & Tam ( तम) Gunas (modes of material nature) and everyone driven by Lust (काम), Wealth/Money (अर्थ), Anger (क्रोध) to perform four principal activities of materialistic world - Eating, Sleeping, Fearing and Mating.
The reason I'm writing this note is because I myself have been victim of them and came across different friends of mine recently who revealed their problems or ambitions or experience and all of them were revolving around the same. Like they were put in front of me as live examples of what I have been reading in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.
I think it would be fair to say that on high level nobody has escaped from them when I see around. It's just that every case is unique in their own way but the confusion, anxiety, stress created out of them points to the same sort of issues.
Shri Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita Chapter 9, Verse 33
किं पुनर्ब्राह्मणा: पुण्या भक्ता राजर्षयस्तथा । अनित्यमसुखं लोकमिमं प्राप्य भजस्व माम् ॥ ३३ ॥
kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā anityam asukhaṁ lokam imaṁ prāpya bhajasva mām
Transaltion :
How much more this is so of the righteous brāhmaṇas, the devotees and the saintly kings. Therefore, having come to this temporary, miserable world, engage in loving service unto Me.
Vicious Cycle Of Relationship & Money
While I'm writing on this, I myself have not been able to overcome them fully but I'm glad at least I understand root cause here.
People often gets stuck in vicious cycle of relationship and money issues and it keeps them engaged in a trap. For example -
I have this important work at my workplace and my career growth depends on it so maybe I can keep my personal issues aside for now.
I need to spend time with my girlfriend / family but I also need to learn this new skill so that I can get a better opportunity.
I'm doing everything for my family to make them comfortable and give them luxurious life. There shouldn't be any complaints from them.
I have tried all these different options in business and were not successful, let me try this new one this time. This time it should work and bring me fortune but for that I need to sacrifice on certain things in personal life.
When I hear stories like these I clearly see people have issues with priorities. First instinct of an individual is to focus on self growth and making a strong economical foundation for himself and family. Because according to most of the people most of the things which brings happiness to you can be bought by money. And to build that wealth, world is demanding time commitment. A little did they understand is no amount of money can buy time. Time is not money. Time is priceless.
Lord Bramha says in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Canto 3, Chapter 9 , Text 17
लोको विकर्मनिरत: कुशले प्रमत्त: कर्मण्ययं त्वदुदिते भवदर्चने स्वे । यस्तावदस्य बलवानिह जीविताशां सद्यश्छिनत्त्यनिमिषाय नमोऽस्तु तस्मै ॥ १७ ॥
loko vikarma-nirataḥ kuśale pramattaḥ karmaṇy ayaṁ tvad-udite bhavad-arcane sve yas tāvad asya balavān iha jīvitāśāṁ sadyaś chinatty animiṣāya namo ’stu tasmai
Translation :
People in general all engage in foolish acts, not in the really beneficial activities enunciated directly by You for their guidance. As long as their tendency for foolish work remains powerful, all their plans in the struggle for existence will be cut to pieces. I therefore offer my obeisances unto Him who acts as eternal time.
As a trade-off between time commitment at work as compared to personal reasons stands as a challenge, work commitment often takes priority leaving other person in relationship in a miserable state many times. Excuse given once and accepted by other person in relationship becomes reason for taking that person for granted going ahead.
Basically this whole growth at work is nothing but motivation for getting more money to fulfil dreams in a materialistic world or fame or both indicates the influence of Raj Gun. Money becomes first priority as it has become sole purpose of survival and basic necessity to bring so called happiness.
When a person finds a time from work and he is bit at peace (temporarily) from work, lust takes the priority. A person would imagine all the things he can do with his loved one. Be it watching a movie at late night at leisure or sharing that intimate relationship with loved one or just sleeping for long hours. After all the work pressure he has gone through physical needs start taking precedence. Sometimes they drive crazy to an extent that love relationship goes for a toss and all that remains is to fulfil the demand of physical needs only.
In normal cases nobody runs behind fulfilling physical needs when there is work pressure unless, influence of Tam Gun is equally effective. There are enough insane people in world who can think about intimacy while they are at work or even under work pressure. That work pressure and not fulfilling physical needs drives people to habits like smoking and drinking. They create an illusion in their mind thinking it's helping them to reduce all that anxiety and stress. But actually speaking they are just pushing themselves in more traps from where they often can't come out and those habits stick to them lifelong and sometimes even becomes a reason to suck life out of them.
Coming back to vicious cycle of money and lust, if one can figure out the trap there is a hope that something can be done. Most of the people are not even aware that they are stuck in the cycle.
Shri Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita Chapter 15. Verse 15
सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो मत्त: स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च । वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम् ॥ १५ ॥
sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham
Translation :
I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.
What next ?
Well, it's not a simple problem statement that can be solved by one person alone if the person is already in a relationship. It needs two to talk !
Yes, the realisation has to be there at both the ends and willingness to solve the problem has to come from within. The universe will create circumstances around you and will keep you putting you through the same cycle again and again, maybe until you find the correct solution to the problem.
When the realisation happens to both, it comes with a realisation that these things are beyond control of a normal human being. Universe is not a normal human being. It's helping you quite often and giving you all the signals you always needed, its upto you whether you have all your senses in place and you can decode them or not.
Sometimes influence of Raj and Tam Gunas is so effective that when one doesn't get satisfaction in Money and Lust and then it gets converted into Anger making the whole situation out of control. It's the state which is going to bring nothing else but destruction.
If you are lucky to be blessed to understand the power of universe here which is nothing but Mahamaya of Shri Krishna.
This materialistic world is under the influence of Maya Shakti of Shri Krishna. But he expects us to understand and learn about it. While he has put us through this problem statement and we are imprisoned in this bodily world, he has also ensured that the key to escape is within our reach. One just needs to have that willingness to walk on the path he has described in none other than Srimad Bhagvad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.
Shri Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 14
दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया ।
मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते ॥ १४ ॥
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te
Translation :
This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature (Satva , Raj and Tam Gunas), is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
One is directly narrated by him while other one he wanted to be written so that mankind can know more about him. If anyone has ever told you to read Srimad Bhagavad Gita, take that as a message from Shri Krishna himself who resides in your heart (हृदयस्थ श्रीकृष्ण). Not everyone gets it.
Shri Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita Chapter 10, Verse 10 -
तेषां सततयुक्तानां भजतां प्रीतिपूर्वकम् । ददामि बुद्धियोगं तं येन मामुपयान्ति ते ॥ १० ॥
teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te
Translation : To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.
It's more than just having a faith in Shri Krishna. He exactly knows what you have been going through. If you surrender yourself to him and take the path he is showing, it will lead you to him. Giving you the ultimate happiness and inner peace you could have never imagined !
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