Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.3.39-40
Ūti· What drives us to actMaterial Hardship and Constant Anxiety
“In the Age of Kali, people’s minds will always be agitated. They will become emaciated by famine and taxation, my dear King, and will always be disturbed by fear of drought. They will lack adequate clothing, food and drink, will be unable to properly rest, have sex or bathe themselves, and will have no ornaments to decorate their bodies. In fact, the people of Kali-yuga will gradually come to appear like ghostly, haunted creatures.”
What the purport teaches
- In Kali-yuga, people's minds will remain agitated. Famine and taxation will weaken them, while fear of drought will keep them anxious.
- People will lack adequate clothing, food, drink and ordinary bodily comforts. Their deprivation will gradually give them a ghostly, haunted appearance.
- The purport says these symptoms are already prevalent in many countries. They will spread to other places engulfed by impiety and materialism.
Try this today
Provide a little food, drinking water or clothing to someone who needs it.
Ask yourself
How does this description affect my awareness of people who lack basic necessities?
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.