Prabhupāda: Today we shall discuss about the prominent symptoms of this age. This book, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, was written... Not written, pratically it was recorded. All Vedic literatures, they are recorded from hearing or tradition of... (break)... five thousand years before, the statements of authorities, people could keep in mind without any book record. At that time the memory was so sharp that one could keep in his memory simply by once hearing from the spiritual master. There was no need of written books to consult. So five thousand years ago this book was recorded by Vyāsadeva because he could understand that in future people will be born of so lower grade that it would be not possible to keep in memory without book record. So formerly, these books were written in hand on palm leaves, and... Because there was no press or type. So if you wanted a book, you had to copy from other's book. That was the system.
So the point is that five thousand years ago the things which were written for this age, how they are coming to be true in our experience. That is the point: how they could see past, present, and future so nicely. The sages were known as tri-kāla-jñā. Tri means three. There is almost similarity, tri and three. Tri is Sanskrit, and three is English or Latin, but there is similarity. Tri-kāla-jñā. Tri means three, and kāla means time. Time is experienced by three ways: past, present and future. Time limitation, past, present and... Whenever you speak of time, it is past, present or future. So the sages in those days were tri-kāla-jñā. Tri-kāla-jñā means they could understand, they could know what was in the past, what there shall be in the future, and what is at present. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says, "My Dear Arjuna, you, Me, I, and all these kings and soldiers who have assembled in this battlefield, they were all individuals, and we are still individual. And in this past, in the future, we shall all remain individuals." That past, present, and future, he explained. Another place Kṛṣṇa says, vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). Atītāni, atītāni means past. Vartamānāni ca, "and present." So that is yogic power. One can know past, present, and future.
So here Śukadeva Gosvāmī is speaking about this Kali-yuga. The Kali-yuga means the fourth age. There are four different kinds of ages: Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, and Kali-yuga. Just like there are six seasons, or four seasons in a year, similarly, in one day of Brahmā there are one hundred cycles of four yugas. Four yugas means forty-three thousand..., forty-three hundred thousands of years. It is a very long period. That is the duration of four yugas. Similarly, one thousand yugas passes, then one day of Brahmā finished, twelve hours. It is a big calculation. Anyway, there are four yugas, this Satya-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, Tretā-yuga, and Kali-yuga. So in the previous chapter, some description of these yugas have been described. Now here, in this chapter... This is second chapter of Twelfth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is describing,
- tataś cānu-dinaṁ dharmaḥ
- satyaṁ śaucaṁ kṣamā dayā
- kālena balinā rājan
- naṅkṣyaty āyur balaṁ smṛtiḥ
"My dear King..." Śukadeva Gosvāmī was speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who was emperor of this planet. Mahārāja Parīkṣit. And he was cursed by a brāhmaṇa that he should die within seven days. So he was utilizing the seven days by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So he's explaining, "My dear King, as the days of Kali-yuga will make progress..." Make progress means we have passed only five thousand years of this Kali-yuga. The total duration of Kali-yuga is 432,000's of years. Out of that we have passed only five thousands of years. I think in the world history there is no..., nobody can place records of five thousand years. At most, the historians can present history of three thousand years. That's all. So Kali-yuga has begun prehistoric age. And before that, what was there in the history nobody can say. But in the Vedic literatures everything is there. You believe or not believe, that is a different thing.
Now here, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, tataś ca anudinam. Anudinam means "as the days will pass." Then what will be the symptoms? Now, naṅkṣyaty. Naṅkṣyaty means gradually diminish, will diminish. What will diminish? Dharmaḥ, religiosity; satyam, truthfulness; śaucam, cleanliness; kṣamā, forgiveness; dayā, mercifulness; āyuḥ, duration of life; bala, strength; and smṛtiḥ, memory. These eight items, just try to know. First thing is religiosity. As the age of Kali will make progress, people will become more and more irreligious. And they will become more and more liars. They'll forget to speak what is true. Śaucam, cleanliness, that will also diminish. Cleanliness is required. Bahyābhyantaraḥ-śuciḥ. If one is to advance, he has to clean himself. According to Vedic civilization, one has to take bath thrice daily. Actually, in India they take. In our country I was also taking twice bath till I was attacked last year. So I thought that in this country, twice taking bath is not possible, so I am taking once now. But India, there are many gentlemen, high class gentlemen, they take bath thrice. Morning, and before lunch, and in the evening. Especially the brāhmaṇas. So cleanliness is next to godliness. To take bath, to evacuate daily, to wash the teeth, wash clothings, this cleanliness process. But as the days of this Kali-yuga will make progress, this system of hygienic cleanliness, cleanliness both inside and outside Outside by taking bath, inside by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious—two kinds of cleanliness. Simply if we take bath with soap outside, and inside all rubbish things, that is not cleanliness. Cleanliness means bahyābhyantaraḥ. Bahya means outside, without. Abhyantara means inside. Unless we are clean, unless we are pure, how we can make advance to approach the Supreme? The Supreme is described as the purest. In the Bhagavad-gītā Arjuna said, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān: (BG 10.12) "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are the Supreme Lord, Brahman." And pavitraṁ paramam: "You are supreme pure." There is no impurity. Impurity means material contamination, and purity means spiritual life. So this cleanliness inside and outside, that will also decrease. Just know.
First decreasing-religiosity. People will become irreligious, and they will forget what is telling truth. They will be accustomed to speak lie. And śaucam, no cleanliness. And kṣamā. Kṣamā means forgiveness. Suppose I have done some wrong... (break) ...but there is no forgiveness. Kṣamā-rūpaṁ tapasvinaḥ, people is advised, especially those who are following penance and austerity, yogic principle or devotional life, they should learn to excuse. In our dealings, there are so many faulty dealings between ourselves. So if we take everything very seriously, then it is very difficult to live. So kṣamā. But that kṣamā—kṣamā means forgiveness—will reduce. Nobody will forgive. Retaliation, vengeance, that will increase. So four items: religiosity, truthfulness, cleanliness, and forgiveness. Four. Then dayā. Dayā means mercy. What is dayā? Who is, I mean to say, less strong. Just like animals, birds, beast, you should be very merciful. Just like children: you should be very merciful to children. According to Vedic injunctions, children, woman, brāhmaṇas, old men, and cows. How many? Children, women, brāhmaṇa, cow, and what else?
Devotees: Old men.
Prabhupāda: Old men. Yes. These five items, according to Manu-saṁhitā, or Hindu law, they have no offense. They have no offense. They cannot be criminally prosecuted. Excused. If a brāhmaṇa has committed some fault or a woman has committed some fault or a child has committed some fault or a cow has transgressed the law, oh, there is no punishment for them. Dayā. They should be shown always mercy. They require protection, especially. These five items have been especially enjoined that they should be given protection. That is required in human civilization. Cow protection is very important. Woman's protection is very important. Brāhmaṇa's protection is very important. Children's protection is very important. Of course, nowadays there is protection for children, of course, from the state. But that is also artificial. There is killing process also. So many children in the womb are killed. But according to Vedic civilization, they are greatest offense. So dayā. Dayā means you should show your mercifulness those who are weak. So this will reduce, dayā. And āyuḥ, duration of life. Duration of life. In the Satya-yuga the duration of life was 100,000's years. A man used to live for 100,000's of years. Then in the Tretā-yuga it reduced ten times. They used to live for 10,000 years. Then in Dvāpara-yuga it reduced again ten times. They used to live for 1,000 years. And now, in the Kali-yuga, the duration of life is prescribed as 100 years. But you see that it is reducing. Everyone may note it. Perhaps your grandfather lived for 100 years. Your father lived for 80 years. And nowadays, 60 or 70 years. Gradually, it will so reduce, we shall come to that statement, that if a man lives for 20 to 30 years he will be considered a very grand old man. If he lives for 20 to 30 years he'll be considered, "Oh, you have got very good life." That will come, gradually. This is the progressive age. Progressive age for material civilization. We are proud of making advancement of our civilization, but these nice thing are being reduced. That means... We are advancing means reducing the nice things. This is advanced. Āyuḥ and smṛtiḥ. Smṛtiḥ means memory. So these eight items will reduce gradually. You can keep it noted, and you'll see how they are being reduced. And we have already experienced. Smṛtiḥ.