Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.2.12-16
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionKṛṣṇa Will Return to Rescue Eternal Religion
“By the time the Age of Kali ends, the bodies of all creatures will be greatly reduced in size, and the religious principles of followers of varṇāśrama will be ruined. The path of the Vedas will be completely forgotten in human society, and so-called religion will be mostly atheistic. The kings will mostly be thieves, the occupations of men will be stealing, lying and needless violence, and all the social classes will be reduced to the lowest level of śūdras. Cows will be like goats, spiritual hermitages will be no different from mundane houses, and family ties will extend no further than the immediate bonds of marriage. Most plants and herbs will be tiny, and all trees will appear like dwarf śamī trees. Clouds will be full of lightning, homes will be devoid of piety, and all human beings will have become like asses. At that time, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear on the earth. Acting with the power of pure spiritual goodness, He will rescue eternal religion.”
What the purport teaches
- By the end of Kali, bodies will be smaller, religious principles ruined and the Vedic path forgotten. Most so-called religion will be atheistic.
- Rulers will mostly be thieves, and stealing, lying and needless violence will become occupations. Homes will be devoid of piety, and spiritual hermitages will resemble mundane houses.
- Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, will descend as Kalki and remove thoroughly demonic persons. Acting with pure spiritual goodness, He will rescue eternal religion.
Try this today
Read the final two sentences of the translation aloud, reflecting on the Lord's rescue of eternal religion.
Ask yourself
Does my understanding of religion keep the Supreme Personality of Godhead at its center?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.