Gold, Gods, and Kali Yuga

I remember reading a story in my childhood. It was from Shrimad Bhagwatam (aka Shuk Sagar), a highly revered Purana of Hinduism.

The story goes something like this-

When Krishna departed from this world the third great-age ended and the fourth and the darkest era- Kali Yuga arrived on earth. It was the time when King Parikshit ruled the world. One day, Parikshit saw a man mercilessly beating Dharma, the bull. Being the protector of the land, he could not tolerate this and asked the man to identify himself. The man said he is Kali Yuga and he is here to stay for his time has come. It’s in his nature to abuse, beat and destroy everything good the world has. Parikshit asked Kali Yuga to leave his kingdom and never return. But Kali Yuga said his arrival is destined by God and no one can deny him a place, and since Parikshit is the king of the whole earth, it’s his duty to find him somewhere to live. Parikshit designated four places for him- Lie, Ego, Adultery, and Violence. Unsatisfied, Kali Yuga asked for more. So, Parikshit gave him the fifth place- Gold.

?With a smile, Kali Yuga hopped and sat on the crown the king was wearing.

Some time ago, I was pondering about the bigger purposes of our existence. (Yes, I do that occasionally) and this story dawned on me again. And with that came an observation.

I wondered how we are putting gold on our gods and temples; sparkling up the places of worship with nothing but temporary, materialistic insignificance. We are drifting away from genuine acts of connecting ourselves (soul/consciousness) with others and The One. The mad rush that we see these days is nothing but a degradation of our collective being. We are driven by fakery, pomp, and shallowness.

Kali Yuga knew that with some glittering mirages he would be able to rule the world, and that's why he had smiled. He never asked for land or palaces or a powerful army. With Lie, Ego, Adultery, Violence, and Gold (money) he made every single human being his slave. And out of these five, Gold became his most effective tool because the hearts of men easily fall prey to sinful temptations. We want everything, and we are willing to dive deep into the darkness for a moment’s pleasure.

Kali Yuga, the era we live in, is brilliant. I’ll have to give him that.

But, aren’t we too; brilliant and smart? We are able to understand and differentiate between the good and the bad. We are able to rise up from the ashes. We are able to see. Then, why don’t we help ourselves?

Because only seeing or understanding won’t help much. We need to act and find happier paths to walk on. For a better world. For better Us.

And perhaps, the first step would be to make places of worship simpler again.

Please comment and let me know your thoughts about it.