Transcription
That is what Nely nicely described in Skanda Purana, about the greatness of Lord Narayana, especially during the time of Kali Yuga. There was a time, end of Dvapara Yuga, like about 5,000 years ago. All the great Rishis, led by Shaka, they all gathered in the place called Nishar. They wanted to perform so many Yajnas, varieties of Pujas, like Tapas, austerities, to please God Almighty. They had only one concern: always the great scholars, great Sages, great Aaras; they’re not having any kind of expectation for themselves. They wanted to have some great solution for entire mankind because the reason the Kali Yuga is going to come; that is the cycle. There is no beginning or no end for God Almighty. This, like in a cycle, we call as the creation. It will happen every several billions of years, and unlimited such souls like us. Jivas, they get birth on this Earth and they do perform their Karma, the Sadhana, in the journey of attaining their final destination, which is Moksha. Kali Yuga, of course, the fourth one; Dvapara, Treta, and Kali. The duration of Kali Yuga is 430,000 years; all together, Kali Yuga is 432,000 years. This is the 28th Kali Yuga which is going on; completed 27 already. The cycle is out of 1,000; till then this entire creation will sustain. But the concern about this Kali Yuga, the Shaka Rishi and all other great Rishis had, is that the people they’re going to come during Kali Yuga, they may face so many such challenges because Kali Yuga, the name itself is Kali, the demon; he is the main controller of the duration of entire Kali Yuga. So many negative influences; people never find the importance of the real purpose of their life, especially so many challenges also they may have to go through. That is the reason Shaka Maharshi wanted to find the solution, pray to God Almighty, to have the better and peaceful and successful life for all good souls on the Earth. They were performing so many varieties of Pujas, varieties of Yajnas during that time. Another great personality, Suka Maharshi, comes over there. He is the direct disciple of Vyasa, well known; that is what is described in Mahabharata. Mahabharata itself, 18 Puranas; each Purana is having thousands of verses, slokas. Skanda Purana itself is more than 160,000 slokas; what about all 18 together? Millions. Mahabharata itself is having 100,000 verses, slokas. Then also his composition, Brahma Sutra, and he, like in the knowledge, the Vedas, he’s God Almighty himself, says Bhagavata five times. Lord appears as Vyasa, source of our knowledge. Like that time there was another great disciple to him, called Suka Maharshi; a great scholar, direct disciple of Lord Vyasa, comes over there where Shaka and allies are performing the Yajna. They welcome him; they offer all the respect, honor, like Puja and everything to him; they welcome him. And after the Pujas and such rituals, they wanted to have a very special kind of discussion and debate, how to find the solution for Kali Yuga people, to find peaceful and successful lives. Shaka Maharshi obviously had several questions; how to find the solution? He asked Suka Maharshi, how to find the solution? In Kali Yuga, people never get that kind of inspiration due to the negative influence of Kali. Without Bhakti, without having the proper knowledge, people they may not find success in their life, or fulfillment of their Manusha Dharma. How is it possible? Reasons are many, he says. That is the main reason for all challenges, difficulties, or happiness. Happiness. In Kali Yuga, people mostly will be doing Papa Karma; that influence is more. How to get rid of this? Not only that; which is wrong, which is right, and that kind of Dharma, Adharma; that real understanding, the realization comes if they have the proper or right knowledge. But in Kali Yuga that is the challenge. Very difficult to access to the Vedic scriptures, towards the right knowledge; it is not at all easy. That is the reason they find so many, many challenges. Without having proper knowledge, proper idea about, we have no idea about who we are, Karma, Punyam, Papa; all such things are not visible and not easy to understand as well. The people, to have the people something, the happy life; they wanted to do any activities to gather such wealth and money and all peaceful, like in a comfort, all the arrangements; they don’t care about all the Karma what they are doing and everything; the impact; they end up with doing the huge amount of Papa Karma. The result is, let me explain before that; there is another big challenge, he says. And people, they were like in a very lucky position because they had the incarnations of several incarnations of Lord Narayana; Rama, Krishna, in Dvapara Yuga, many Avatars, and also they had the huge life, several hundreds years of life. In Kali Yuga, how many years we have? Maximum 100; that is also no guarantee. And without food and water also they could then live, sustain but a couple of hours, every few hours we need to feed this body. How delicate is the duration of life! It is very short, and like everybody, everybody is depending on food; so that is the reason people, people to have peaceful and successful lives, they don’t care what Karma they are doing. I want to have something peaceful life, and I have to live happily; but the impact of Karma is, however they live the full, whatever the life they have, end of the day the Karma will impact life, even in next life. That is the reason why some people are happy, why some people are having some difficulties; the reason is Karma we are carrying from past lives. This life also, very precious, very special, says. Among 860,000 lives, this life, the Manusha Janma, is considered as the perfect one and the like, the great one. Just imagine, all other living beings, they have no idea who they are, where they are having their life. We can call as the national bird, national animal; they don’t know which nation they belong to. Only we are having that kind of special ability of understanding, right intellect works, so we can at least apply our knowledge, ability. Why I am here? What is the purpose of my life? If you compare our life and all other living beings, what is the difference? We want to have, like you know, food to sustain; even they do have the same need. We have to have sleep, rest; even they do the same. We have family, we care about our family; even they do have family. And what else? What is the difference? Intellect, the Buddhi is there; we can really apply: why I am here? What is the purpose of my life? They have no idea about it. The only this is considered the perfect one. If we have enough of His grace, we get this Manusha Janma, where we can apply the purpose. We can, whatever the like material wealth and all such things we accumulate, we have to leave behind and go when time comes. When we have come, we have to be ready anytime to send off or take off; that is the reality of our life, right? So if we really properly utilize our life, His grace, this will become like you know, fulfilled and purposeful, and this it will become; Manusha Janma will become meaningful. That is what says Suka Maharshi. How to get that kind of inspiration? How to realize the purpose of our life? Purpose is the Karma. If you get this life, we have to do Sat Karma, Sat Karma to attain Punyam. That Punyam, the real knowledge, whatever we learn in this world, to drive car or such, operate all such material systems, we are having. Next Janma we don’t know; we have to start again from ABCD. But the real knowledge, from scriptures, and if you have enough Punyam, that will be continued for sure. That is Krishna’s assurance in Bhagavad Gita, chapter number six. Krishna says, whatever Punyam you accumulate this Janma, whatever knowledge you are, whatever knowledge you are having, next life you get better life and it will be continued for sure. You are the, like in progress of having the Moksha. The purpose of life is when we accumulate the amount of Punyam, next life He will give opportunity for us, next continuation. The progress has to go, and when we reach the real, like an actual amount, the need of Punyam, that is the Moksha, then final destination, then we don’t have to suffer like this, coming back and again. But what is happening in Kali Yuga? People are getting Papa more than Punyam; they have to face which life we are going to get; not sure. If we get Manusha Janma also, of course we are seeing around difficulties, health issues, financial, family; they struggle like anything. This is the reality of Kali Yuga. Instead of getting the better and better opportunities, they are going down. She is asking Suka Maharshi how they find the progress, the real progress in their life; what is the solution for that? Some, some people say, I’m still having the young age and I have so many things to do; oh, then after the retirement, let me think about doing Punyam and getting…and the duration of life also is very short. Just imagine, I have 100 years; they can think too later, but we are not sure about tomorrow, about tomorrow. Even though if you have 100 years, that description is like this. Lord Vyasa says, even though you have 100 years of life, every day how many hours we really utilize? Body needs rest, right? Couple of hours of sleep, food, such kind of you know related activities; out of 24 hours, just forget 12 hours gone. Out of 100 years, 50 years will become waste, waste. Then all the way from childhood up to teenage, we are not serious about our life; we don’t know what it is. And even though if we have, like you know, His grace and long life, last you know 12 years also maybe not really useful. Some people they are really blessed, they may get it, but majority not. Reason? Even though we do have, like you know, some strong will to do something, body has to cooperate, right? Just forget last 12 years and beginning around 12, almost 25 years again waste. How many we have? Only 25. How many times we find sick? How many times so we become like you know, we have to struggle, right? So many, we have to get educated, we have to find job, we have to take care of family, like close friends or family members; if they depart, so a couple of days we need to come back to normal. Then when we are doing the Punyam Karma, how much time we are having? How to do the Punyam and Dharma in this life? This is the great concern Suka Maharshi was having. He asked, in Kali Yuga there is a possibility to get Punyam? How is it? We know that when we come to Temple, all we go to such place, we do perform Puja; or that is the solution or the way to get out of all the Papa Karma. But we don’t know how to perform in Kali Yuga because there is, like you know, that is the speciality of Kali Yuga. We can, can call knowledge unlimited; how many we know, how many Vedas we have, you know, excess idea about it; we have no idea and lack of scholars. People also having not proper interest; less interest. Some people are interested; there are no people to teach them. The gap in communication is huge, so that is the reason, no access. We have no idea about performing, like forget the Yajnas, what else we can also think about doing meditation? The concentration is still difficult. How many minutes you can concentrate at what time, what time? Without knowledge, the difficult; you have no idea. And if you close eyes and think about God, so many people will come in front of us, right? Then what else? That also looks difficult. And if you like do the Yajnas, we like, we listen from the Puranas stories, so many years of, just forget the years, days, hours also difficult for us. So all such things, such things looks difficult, looks difficult, kind of impossible. What is the solution? Solution based on your knowledge; you are the direct disciple of Lord Vyasa; there is no scholar like you in this world, so we are requesting you to find the solution. There must be simple solutions, depending on our lifestyle, all the challenges, the short duration of life, all difficulties. It is very difficult to find few hours to concentrate and dedicate towards the real purpose of our life. But whatever minimum we are able to do, that should generate Punyam, the amount of Punyam; we may get rid of all difficulties. Not only that, in Kali Yuga there is another challenge is there; it’s not easy to convince people, right? You have to, like there must be some like a guarantee. There are two kinds of challenges: one is they are thinking about their real purpose of the Dharma, whatever that is, Adharma; then so there are so many challenges, their expectation, their needs; they have to get it fulfilled. If they find solution for their problem they are facing, for sure they may come out of all, like you know, such difficulties and challenges. So that is how there must be simple solution and also there is the assurance they have to prop; if they do conduct, they definitely they get, like uh, the benefit out of it; the fruit they have to really experience. Is there anything, some simple solution, easy to do, and like you know, benefit is 100% assured? So that is how Shaka Maharshi asked Suka Maharshi. Now Suka Maharshi describes: yes, there is a solution. That is how all the Vedas, especially Satyanarayana; that is also, let me in 2 minutes, I will describe about the Satyanarayana and conclude. Now he says: yes, there is solution. Lord Himself is the full of compassion, ocean of compassion, so He’s having care about all the people, like in getting birth in Kali Yuga as well. Then, then there was a, like you know, this is the 28th Kali Yuga going on, all the way from the beginning the same challenge, Kali Yuga. So Narada Rishi, that like you know, the great devotee of Lord, he was traveling all the places. When he gets opportunity to come to this earth, he finds so many people they struggle, struggle. The reason they’re not allowing them to do Punyam, because when we have so many such problems we cannot sit in one place and concentrate, right? So what is the solution? Then he went to Vaikuntha Loka and he wanted to get solution from Lord Narayana Himself, the creator of this universe. Then, when as soon as he, like, enters, Lord appears in front of him. That is the very special form of Lord, Chakra Dharma, on four hands, and the very divine and very special form of Lord Narayana, having all the ornaments, special Garland, and the Divine form. Narada completely, like you know, offers his respect to the Lord and started praying Him. Now Narada says, this is the special form. In Kali Yuga, people may find all difficulties; even upcoming, like you know, hundreds of years, do the same problem. But this is the special form of Mine; if the people they worship Me in this special form, and also He described how to perform the Puja in simple manner, and finally, all the, like you know, their desires, 100% for sure they get it fulfilled. The victory is for sure; whatever the great desire they are having, they will get it for sure, and they will get rid of all the challenges. That is how, how like Lord Narayana Himself described the greatness of this Vrata to Narada. This is what, like you know, uh, described by Suka Maharshi to Shaka and all the Rishis, all the way in just before Kali Yuga, the beginning of Kali Yuga itself, to Shaka and all the Rishis: May Lord Satyanarayana be pleased with our prayers.