Punishment and Reward of Kali

In the seventeenth chapter the questions and answers between Parīkṣit and Dharma, and the punishment and mercy received by Kali are described.

Hanyamānām means “beating.” The śūdra wore the markings of a king, which broke the custom followed in Satya, Treta and Dvāpara yugas.

Mehantam iva means “as if urinating.” This means that Dharma, standing on one leg, was at every moment flowing away. It is a metaphor to express a perishing condition. Trembling of the bull indicated that the bull did not create an opposition to the actions of Kali.

Dharma-dughām means giver of ghee for sacrifice. She (the earth) was without a calf (vivatsām) because the grains, the child of the earth, had been destroyed. She had tears in her eyes because of the destruction of dharma. She was thin (kṣāmām) because sacrifices were not performed. She desired the share of sacrifice (yavasam).

Kārtasvara means gold. He had his bow ready in case the śūdra tried to flee.

“Who are you to commit violence in my presence?” “I am a king.” “Since I am the king, how can you be the king?” “I am king because I am wearing the dress of a king, and acting like one.” “No! You are a śūdra by your actions. A real actor imitates the actions of another as truly as possible.”

“Just as you are king of your country, I am king of this time. Thus you do not have power over me.” The King answers in this verse. “Before Kṛṣṇa departed out of sight with Arjuna, where were you?” “I was present, but I did not have power because of fear of them. But I have fear of no one today.” “True. You are worthy of lamentation. You desire to die today.”

“Let that be. I will think of your first offense for a moment.” Thinking in this way the King then inquired from the bull. Are you some devatā who has come to produce lamentation for us? I have not seen such thinness and suffering even in my dreams.

“You may be a king, but we have become miserable now.” The king then speaks with fiery pride. Except for your tears, tears have not fallen in the land which was well protected (parirambhite) by arms of punishment.

He then spoke consoling words to the bull who was showing the weeping cow his miserable condition. O son of Surabhi! Do not lament (śucaḥ for śocaḥ). Do not have fear, I will kill him now. He then speaks to the cow. Mayi śāstari means “while I am living as the punisher.”

“But if you kill him because of us, then we become implicated in killing. Do not do that.” He replies. “I must kill him for my benefit. It is not because of your request.”

“If you tell me, I will kill that person.” “I have nothing to say.” “O bull! You, who are good natured and offenseless, are auspicious in happiness and in suffering. But tell me the criminal who is spoiling the fame of the Pāṇòavas. Who is the person who disfigured you by cutting off your legs?”

By telling me who he is, he will have fear of me. But even if you do not tell, under all conditions, he will fear me. He who harms the innocent will fear me by all causes (sarvataḥ).

“What happens if there is someone stronger that you?” Even if the person is a devatā, I will cut off his arms at the root—with the armbands. Actually there is no person among men and devatās who is as strong as me.

“What is the use in punishing one person and not punishing another person?” This verse answers. He punishes those who are sinful (anyān).

Kṛṣṇa was attracted to all their qualities which were filled with prema. Because Kṛṣṇa is controlled only by prema, and since you are the son of Arjuna with qualities similar to his, Kṛṣṇa is controlled by your qualities as well. Therefore nothing is impossible for you.

I do not know the person from who the seeds of suffering will arise. “Why do you conceal the person? I even see the person who is giving you suffering.” “True, he is giving me suffering, but there should be a seed of my suffering, because of which he gives me suffering. It cannot be otherwise. I do not know that person from whom the seed arises.” “But you know scriptures. Why do you not know?” “True. Knowledge of many scriptures is the cause of misunderstanding them.

Here the different opinions are described. Some, the yogīs, who cover up (vasanā) the difference (vikalpa), say the soul, master of the self, gives happiness and suffering. The Gītā (6.5) says ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmana: the ātmā itself is the friend of the soul and the enemy of the soul. Or the meaning can be: some, the advaitins, who say that the jīva and the lord become one say that the ātmā is the source of happiness and suffering. They also say that devatās cannot be the cause since they are controlled by karma as well, and karma cannot be the cause because it is not independent. Thus only the ātmā is the cause and nothing else. Others, those who believe in planets controlled by devatās, say that planets are the cause. The Mīmāṁsakas say that karma is the cause. Others, the Lokāyatas, say that svabhāva, the inherent property of matter, is the cause.

The Vaiṣṇavas ascertain that the happiness and suffering come from the Supreme Lord who cannot be determined by designations. Śruti says tvad-avagamī na vetti bhavad-uttha-śubhāśubhayor guṇa-viguṇānvayān: one who knows you cannot understand your connection with good and bad qualities which give auspiciousness and inauspiciousness.

sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ bhavo ’bhāvo bhayaṁ cābhayam eva ca

ahiṁsā samatā tuṣṭis tapo dānaṁ yaśo ’yaśaḥ

bhavanti bhāvā bhūtānāṁ matta eva pṛthag-vidhāḥ

Pleasure, pain, birth, death, fear, fearlessness, non-violence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, fame, infamy--all these various states of the living beings arise only from me. BG 10.4-5

“But why should it be impossible to designate the Lord as the cause?” From seeing people’s suffering arising from time, karma, property of matter, planets, ghosts, kings, snakes and sickness, even those things cannot be determined as the cause since in reality, those causes are not independent. Everything arises from the Lord. But it is improper for the worshippers to say that the Lord is the cause of happiness and distress.

“But like and dislike do not exist in the Lord.” Yes, he is beyond conjecture (apratarkyād) because being beyond our logical abilities, he does not have like and dislike (in spite of being the ultimate cause of happiness and distress.) Bhīṣma has said:

na hy asya karhicid rājan pumān veda vidhitsitam

yad vijijñāsayā yuktā muhyanti kavayo ’pi hi

O King! No one can understand the plan of Kṛṣṇa because even those engaged in reasoning and scripture are bewildered by that inquiry. SB 1.9.16

“It can be inferred that the Lord gives suffering to me for benefiting the devotees. He desires to increase remembrance of the Lord by increasing the miserable condition of developing devotees, like me, the bull. As well he wants to announce the fame of the highest devotee like you by your punishing Kali.

Among the various opinions which is the best? You decide by your intelligence the proper truth (anurūpam), because you are a sage among kings (rājarṣi).”

By using the word niścayaḥ (certainty) at the end of the list of opinions, this final opinion should be taken as the correct conclusion according to the Vaiṣṇavas. By saying “among all of them (keṣu)” it is indicated that this idea is rare. The king should consider this (vimṛśa) among the various alternatives. Happiness and distress are not illusory because suffering is actually experienced. Its cause is not the ātmā itself, since the jīva is dependent. The cause is not the planets because they are dependent on movement of time. The cause of suffering and happiness is not karma because it is insentient. Moreover the man of dharma (following the path of the Mīmāṁśakas) has prārabdha and aprārabdha karmas. If so, then their idea that following their path of karma destroys suffering is negated. Svabhāva is not the cause since it is not an exclusive cause. The Lord as the cause is absolute. Bhīṣma has said already that the plan of the Lord however is impossible for everyone to understand.

By mind in meditation (samāhitena) the King answered (paryacaṣṭa).

Though you should tell me, the king, who has beat you, you do not say, because the person who points out the sinner also goes to the same place as the sinner. I can guess that you are dharma himself.

You have said everything. What has been said is true. The cause is beyond reasoning (apratarkyād). The course of the Lord’s energy which causes maintenance and destruction of the whole universe (deva-māyāyāḥ) is beyond the mind (cetasaḥ). It is beyond words. Thus it is apratarkya and anirdeśya. Since māyā is only under his control, who can know and say how the Lord arranges happiness and distress in the form of maintenance and destruction for the living entities.

I know all your fortune and misfortune which you have not told me. Please hear. Two verses describe this. Three portions are broken by three parts of adharma: pride (smaya), association with women (saḍga) and intoxication (madaiḥ). These represent other actions such as violence as well. This means truth and the other qualities present in Satya-yuga cannot be present.

O dharma! Now, in Kali-yuga, of your four parts of dharma consisting of austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truth, only one fourth part remains, because of destruction by the three portions of pride, women and intoxication. There is a rule that items are sometimes named because of their prominence.1 Truth is named here because it is now more prominent (though the other three factors of dharma are also present). Because of truth you can concentrate the mind to some extent (nirvartayet). Or because of truth, a person can attain you (truth). Kali, in the form of adharma, increasing with untruth (anṛtena), desires to destroy truth. This is confirmed by looking in the Twelfth Canto. In Satya-yuga, in the beginning, dharma was complete with four parts. In Treta-yuga one fourth of all four legs diminished. Pride diminished austerity, women diminished cleanliness, intoxication diminished mercy and untruth diminished truth. In Dvāpara-yuga these qualities were reduced by half. In Kali-yuga only one fourth of these qualities remain. At the end of Kali-yuga nothing remains.

Nyāsitoru-bharā means “she who had her heavy burden created by others (demons) and herself (her own weight) removed by the Lord.”

Aśru-kalā means “carrying tears.”

He took his sword in order to kill Kali (kalaye). This expresses the King’s intention. “By seeing the sword in my hand let this person wearing the marks of a king come to fight with me. I will quickly kill him.”

Kali thought, “It is not possible for me to fight with him. A kṣatriya cannot surrender. Therefore giving up the king’s clothing I will fall at his feet.”

The King considered, “Since he has surrendered, I cannot kill him. If I kill this evil person, because of killing a surrendered person, irreligion which has just appeared will spread. He will enter into me even, and will not die.” He slightly smiled, because he had not given up his anger. “This plan has been made by the Lord. Today you have been protected from my hand, though I want to kill you.”

Contemplating his action he spoke. You have come with folded hands in front of me sustaining the fame of Arjuna. You cannot stay by any degree in this place.

Hear the faults of your nature. The devatās being overcome by you will be fixed in greed and other qualities. What to speak of humans. These qualities follow you completely (anu) when you are situated in men and devatās. Anārya means inferior. Aṁhah means giving up one’s dharma. Jyeṣṭhā means poverty. Māyā means deceit. Dambhaḥ means pride.

The word dharma covers everything. The word satya is added as an indicator of dharma, the main element. Without branches and twigs the root alone cannot accomplish the goal. Dharma and truth are suitable to exist in Brahmāvarta.

“But the devatās should also be worshipped, not just Bhagavān.” He is the soul of those who are worshipped such as Indra. Or they are forms of him alone. He distributes material happiness (kāmān) for us citizens moving and non-moving, and spiritual happiness (śam). Like air, he can be realized inside and outside. If you exist here, this will not be the situation.

Parīkṣit had his sword raised (udyatāsim). Kali trembled. This showed his great intelligence in protecting himself. He felt, “He is about to kill me.” The intention of the King was “If he does not follow my order, I will kill him right now. That is my desire. If he obeys my order, though I will not kill him, I do not have any fault.” Danòa-pāṇim means Yama.

O King of the whole earth! I directly see you in this way (lakṣaye). Since all moving and non-moving beings are your citizens, and you control the whole world, I do not have any place to live. Therefore kill me, who have fallen at your feet in front of you, with your hand right now.

“I do not kill those who have surrendered to me.”

“O best among protectors of dharma! Then give me a place to stay.”

Dyūtam is clearly gambling. Pānam means drinking wine and other things. Striyaḥ means unmarried women. Sūnāḥ is killing other living entities. With the appearance of gambling comes untruth,3 the loss of truthfulness. With the appearance of drinking comes intoxication4 and loss of mercy. With illicit women comes illicit sex and impurity. With violence to living entities comes all adharmas. Those who commit violence to living entities have no austerity, cleanliness or mercy. Truthful speaking does not exist in them at all.

“O King! Having heard this news, no one will perform gambling, drinking, illicit sex or animal killing. First I must enter their minds. Therefore the King gave Kali materials represented by gold, but indicating other things like silver etc. as his living place. Because of Kali residing in this place, in a place where there is wealth, four times of adharma—untruth, intoxication, illicit sex, and pride—and a fifth, enmity will also be present. Mada and kāma in neuter gender is poetic license.

Amūni pañca sthānāni should actually be in locative case. Or it can be in the accusative case because of the injunction kāla-bhāvādhva-deśānām: words denoting time, condition, length, and place can be put in the accusative.

One should not serve women beyond one’s married wife. Bubhūṣuḥ means “desiring his own benefit.” “Not indulging in gold or wealth” means not being attached to it (though to some degree everyone has to use it.)

Punishing Kali, he restored the legs of the bull. This means that austerity and other qualities of dharma were made to flourish again.

Because of his influence, you can perform sacrifice here. This is expressed in three verses. Adhyāste means “he is presently protecting the kingdom.” The present tense is used because of nearness to the present (Parīkṣit had already disappeared).

Satrāya means for performing sacrifice. This is different from the sacrifice which Balarāma saw.