View source for In this age, the life span will gradually decrease. People will gradually lose their memory, finer sentiments, strength, and better qualities

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{{terms|"decrease their span of life"|"decreasing the span of life"|"life span will gradually decrease"|"life-span is gradually decreasing"|"span of life is decreasing"|"span of life is very short, decreasing"|"span of life is very short. It is decreasing"}}
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[[Category:In This Age|2]]
[[Category:Span of Life|2]]
[[Category:Gradually|2]]
[[Category:Decrease|2]]
[[Category:People of This Age|2]]
[[Category:People Will|2]]
[[Category:Lose|2]]
[[Category:Memory|2]]
[[Category:Fine|2]]
[[Category:Sentiment|2]]
[[Category:Strength|2]]
[[Category:Better|2]]
[[Category:Qualities|2]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 01 Chapter 01 Purports - Questions by the Sages]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 01 Purports]]
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<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam" class="section" sec_index="1" parent="compilation" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam"><h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2></div>
<div id="SB_Canto_1" class="sub_section" sec_index="1" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam" text="SB Canto 1"><h3>SB Canto 1</h3></div>
<div id="SB1122_0" class="quote" parent="SB_Canto_1" book="SB" index="22" link="SB 1.1.22" link_text="SB 1.1.22">
<div class="heading">The age of Kali is very dangerous for the human being. Human life is simply meant for self-realization, but due to this dangerous age, men have completely forgotten the aim of life. In this age, the life span will gradually decrease. People will gradually lose their memory, finer sentiments, strength, and better qualities.</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:SB 1.1.22|SB 1.1.22, Purport]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="purport text"><p style="display: inline;">The age of Kali is very dangerous for the human being. Human life is simply meant for self-realization, but due to this dangerous age, men have completely forgotten the aim of life. In this age, the life span will gradually decrease. People will gradually lose their memory, finer sentiments, strength, and better qualities. A list of the anomalies for this age is given in the Twelfth Canto of this work. And so this age is very difficult for those who want to utilize this life for self-realization. The people are so busy with sense gratification that they completely forget about self-realization. Out of madness they frankly say that there is no need for self-realization because they do not realize that this brief life is but a moment on our great journey towards self-realization. The whole system of education is geared to sense gratification, and if a learned man thinks it over, he sees that the children of this age are being intentionally sent to the slaughterhouses of so-called education. Learned men, therefore, must be cautious of this age, and if they at all want to cross over the dangerous ocean of Kali, they must follow the footsteps of the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya and accept Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī or his bona fide representative as the captain of the ship. The ship is the message of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the shape of Bhagavad-gītā or the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.</p></div>
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<div id="SB_Canto_4" class="sub_section" sec_index="4" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam" text="SB Canto 4"><h3>SB Canto 4</h3></div>
<div id="SB42467_0" class="quote" parent="SB_Canto_4" book="SB" index="1045" link="SB 4.24.67" link_text="SB 4.24.67">
<div class="heading">In this age human beings only live for sixty or eighty years, and even this small life-span is gradually decreasing.</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:SB 4.24.67|SB 4.24.67, Purport]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="purport text"><p style="display: inline;">An advanced devotee, or a perfect human being who is actually wise and learned, cannot give up his service at the lotus feet of the Lord. Although Lord Brahmā has a long life-span (4,320,000,000 years constitute twelve hours in a day of Brahmā), Brahmā is afraid of death and consequently engages in the devotional service of the Lord. Similarly, all the Manus who appear and disappear during the day of Brahmā are also engaged in the Lord's devotional service. In Brahmā's one day, fourteen Manus appear and disappear. The first Manu is Svāyambhuva Manu. Each Manu lives for seventy-one yugas, each consisting of some 4,320,000 years. Although the Manus have such a long life-span, they still prepare for the next life by engaging in the devotional service of the Lord. In this age human beings only live for sixty or eighty years, and even this small life-span is gradually decreasing. Therefore it is even more imperative for human beings to take to the worship of the lotus feet of the Lord by constantly chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, as recommended by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.</p>
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2></div>
<div id="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3></div>
<div id="LectureonBG218HyderabadNovember231972_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="78" link="Lecture on BG 2.18 -- Hyderabad, November 23, 1972" link_text="Lecture on BG 2.18 -- Hyderabad, November 23, 1972">
<div class="heading">This is the position of the people of this age. Prāyeṇa alpa āyuṣaḥ. Generally, their span of life is very short. It is decreasing, day by day.</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 2.18 -- Hyderabad, November 23, 1972|Lecture on BG 2.18 -- Hyderabad, November 23, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">If you hear about Kṛṣṇa, if you chant about Kṛṣṇa, then gradually, your heart will be cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam ([[Vanisource:CC Antya 20.12|CC Antya 20.12]]). By chanting and hearing, the dirty things within the heart will be cleansed. Then you will understand what is your position in relationship with God. You'll understand what is God. Therefore in this age especially, Kali-yuga, because people cannot perform any other austerities... They're unable. They're so dull. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ ([[Vanisource:SB 1.1.10|SB 1.1.10]]). This is the position of the people of this age. Prāyeṇa alpa āyuṣaḥ. Generally, their span of life is very short. It is decreasing, day by day. As our forefathers lived ninety years, hundred years, now we are not living up to such extent of ages. Generally, people are dying... In India, the average age is thirty-five years. In other countries, maybe little more. But gradually it is decreasing, and it will decrease to such a point that even a, if a man lives for twenty to thirty years, then he'll be considered as grand old man. That, that day will come.</p>
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<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="1" parent="Lectures" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures"><h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3></div>
<div id="LectureonSB1310LosAngelesSeptember161972_0" class="quote" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" book="Lec" index="108" link="Lecture on SB 1.3.10 -- Los Angeles, September 16, 1972" link_text="Lecture on SB 1.3.10 -- Los Angeles, September 16, 1972">
<div class="heading">People will decrease their span of life, their intelligence, memory, their propensity for mercifulness, and duration of life, so many things. That will be reduced.</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on SB 1.3.10 -- Los Angeles, September 16, 1972|Lecture on SB 1.3.10 -- Los Angeles, September 16, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Everything is written there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. You consult Twelfth Canto. Beginning from Second Chapter you'll see, all these things are mentioned. People will decrease their span of life, their intelligence, memory, their propensity for mercifulness, and duration of life, so many things. That will be reduced. And you are seeing, they are being reduced. And people are becoming vagabonds. That is also stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.</p>
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<div id="LectureonSB231819LosAngelesJune131972_1" class="quote" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" book="Lec" index="386" link="Lecture on SB 2.3.18-19 -- Los Angeles, June 13, 1972" link_text="Lecture on SB 2.3.18-19 -- Los Angeles, June 13, 1972">
<div class="heading">So this is the situation. We have discussed in the previous verse that we are decreasing the span of life.</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on SB 2.3.18-19 -- Los Angeles, June 13, 1972|Lecture on SB 2.3.18-19 -- Los Angeles, June 13, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So this is the situation. We have discussed in the previous verse that we are decreasing the span of life. The scientists will say, "No, we are making arrangement so that by science we shall make man immortal." Vikatate(?). When a man becomes mad, he speaks so many nonsense. Like a child. A child also speaks so many nonsense things, and the parents enjoy it. Similarly, the so-called scientist, when he says that "By scientific method, we shall stop death," so there is no evidence in the history of the human society that a man has not died. That cannot be. Hiraṇyakaśipu, he was also atheist and materialistic. He also tried to become immortal. And he made a plan, negative plan, to cheat Lord Brahmā that "I shall not die in this way, in this way, in that way, in this way, in that way." But still he was killed. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham ([[Vanisource:BG 10.34 (1972)|BG 10.34]]). Kṛṣṇa says that "I am death, and at the time of death I take away everything." Sarva-haraś ca. So we cannot cheat God or His law.</p>
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<div id="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="3" parent="Lectures" text="Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures"><h3>Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures</h3></div>
<div id="LectureonCCAdilila115DallasMarch41975_0" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="15" link="Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.15 -- Dallas, March 4, 1975" link_text="Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.15 -- Dallas, March 4, 1975">
<div class="heading">This is the condition at the present moment. This is called Kali-yuga. The first symptom is: our span of life is very short, decreasing. With the advancement of Kali-yuga, our duration of life is decreasing. Everyone knows that.</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.15 -- Dallas, March 4, 1975|Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.15 -- Dallas, March 4, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So those who are too much materially affected, their progress is very slow. Especially in this age. In this age the symptoms of the human beings is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that prāyeṇa alpāyuṣaḥ.</p>
:prāyeṇa alpa āyuṣaḥ  
:(kalav) asmin yuge janāḥ  
:mandāḥ sumanda-matayo  
:manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ  
:([[Vanisource:SB 1.1.10|SB 1.1.10]])  
<p>This is the condition at the present moment. This is called Kali-yuga. The first symptom is: our span of life is very short, decreasing. With the advancement of Kali-yuga, our duration of life is decreasing. Everyone knows that. My father lived so many years, my grandfather lived so many years, but it is certain I am not going to live so many years. And then my son is not... Gradually, it is reduced. Reducing, reducing, reducing. By the end of Kali-yuga, the duration of life from twenty years to thirty years will be considered very, very old age, very, very old. If a man is living for twenty-five years, he will be considered a very grand old man. Yes. That is coming gradually. So therefore it is said, manda, manda. Manda means everything bad or everything slow. Duration of life is bad, then their activities also very bad, always sinful activities. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo ([[Vanisource:SB 1.1.10|SB 1.1.10]]). And if somebody is little anxious to take shelter of somebody for spiritual advancement, then he will accept some bogus thing, sumanda-matayo, some bogus incarnation of God, some bogus yogi, some bogus... They will take sumanda-matayo, will not come to the real.</p>
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<div id="Philosophy_Discussions" class="sub_section" sec_index="13" parent="Lectures" text="Philosophy Discussions"><h3>Philosophy Discussions</h3></div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononCharlesDarwin_0" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="5" link="Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin">
<div class="heading">That is another nonsense. I have seen my grandmother lived ninety-six years, but I don't expect I shall live ninety-six years. My father did not live more than eighty-one years; so gradually the span of life is decreasing. They are not healthy enough. Decreasing means they are not getting proper food or proper bodily comforts; therefore they're decreasing their life.</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin|Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Karandhara: According to modern information, man now is living longer, is more healthy and is more well off than ever before.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: That is another nonsense. I have seen my grandmother lived ninety-six years, but I don't expect I shall live ninety-six years. My father did not live more than eighty-one years; so gradually the span of life is decreasing. They are not healthy enough. Decreasing means they are not getting proper food or proper bodily comforts; therefore they're decreasing their life.</p>
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