| Canto 12: The Age of Deterioration | Chapter 3: The Bhūmi-gītā |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.3.52
SYNONYMS
krite — in the Satya-yuga; yat — which; dhyāyatah — from meditation; vishnum — on Lord Vishnu; tretāyām — in the Tretā-yuga; yajatah — from worshiping; makhaih — by performing sacrifices; dvāpare — in the age of Dvāpara; paricaryāyām — by worshiping the lotus feet of Krishna; kalau — in the age of Kali; tat — that same result (can be achieved); hari-kīrtanāt — simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mahā-mantra.
TRANSLATION
Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Vishnu, in Tretā-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-yuga by serving the Lord's lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mahā-mantra.
PURPORT
A similar verse is found in the Vishnu Purāna (6.2.17), and also in the Padma Purāna (Uttara-khanda 72.25) and the Brihan-nāradīya Purāna (38.97):
"Whatever is achieved by meditation in Satya-yuga, by the performance of sacrifice in Tretā-yuga, and by the worship of Lord Krishna's lotus feet in Dvāpara-yuga is obtained in the age of Kali simply by glorifying the name of Lord Keśava."
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has further quoted from the Brahma-vaivarta Purāna concerning the degraded condition of people in Kali-yuga:
kuśalair api dehibhih
"Thus in the age of Kali the practices of austerity, yoga meditation, Deity worship, sacrifice and so on, along with their various subsidiary functions, are not properly carried out, even by the most expert embodied souls.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has also cited the Cāturmāsya-māhātmya of the Skanda Purāna concerning the necessity of chanting Hare Krishna in this age:
"In this way the most perfect penance to be executed in this world is the chanting of the name of Lord Śrī Hari. Especially in the age of Kali, one can satisfy the Supreme Lord Vishnu by performing sańkīrtana.''
In conclusion, massive propaganda should be made all over the world to induce people to chant the Hare Krishna mantra, by which human society can be rescued from the dangerous ocean of the age of Kali.
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Twelfth Canto, Third Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Bhūmi-gītā."
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari