Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Ādi 17.164
Five Acts Forbidden in Kali
“ ‘In this Age of Kali, five acts are forbidden: the offering of a horse in sacrifice, the offering of a cow in sacrifice, the acceptance of the order of sannyāsa, the offering of oblations of flesh to the forefathers, and a man’s begetting children in his brother’s wife.’
What the purport teaches
- The translation lists five acts forbidden in the Age of Kali, including offering a horse or a cow in sacrifice.
- The list also includes accepting the order of sannyāsa and offering oblations of flesh to the forefathers.
- The fifth act is a man’s begetting children in his brother’s wife. The purport identifies this passage as a quotation from the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa.
Try this today
Write down the five forbidden acts and note that this instruction concerns the Age of Kali.
Ask yourself
What does this list teach me about considering which religious acts are permitted in the Age of Kali?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.