Four symptoms of Kali-yuga

Bhima was approached to solve four riddles by the Personality of Kali and being unable to answer, Bhima approached Yudhistar Maharaj who is Dharamraj. Yudhistar Maharaj replied to the questions as follows:

1. A scare crow was standing in a field, but instead of protecting the crops, he began to eat them. What does that mean? Yudhistar Maharaj replied that in the age of Kali-yuga, those who are meant to protect you will exploit you. For eg, the safest place is the child in the womb of the mother, but in kali-yuga even the child in the womb will be unsafe and exploited.

2. A bucket of water was able to fill 4 other pots but when the water from the 4 pots was filled back into the bucket, it could merely fill half the bucket. What does that mean? Yudhistar Maharaj replied that in the age of kali-yuga, 1 Father will be able to maintain 4 sons, but 4 sons will not be able to maintain 1 father.

3. From the eye of a needle, the whole elephant was able to pass but only his tail got stuck. What does that mean? Yudhistar Maharaj replied that in the age of Kali-yuga, all big criminals will escape freely but small criminals will be caught and punished.

4. A man with a string of rope was able to move the immovable Himalayas. What does that mean? Yudhistar Maharaj replied, in the Age of Kali-yuga, a mountain of sins can be removed immediately just by chanting the Holy Names of Krishna – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

kaler dosha nidhe-rajann
asti hy eko mahan gunah
kirtanad eva krsnasya
mukta-sangah param vrajet
My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mahā-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted
to the transcendental kingdom.
[Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.51]


- Lessons from Mahabharata (As told in a lecture by HG Shrutidharma Prabhu :: ISKCON London January 2012)