The fortune of Kali Yuga

Mahabharata has given us many lessons. There is enough politics, jealousy, cheating, cruelty
and cunningness in it that it sets us a grave example about life. In the battle of 18 days there is
enough bloodshed, even these Kshatriyas couldnt digest. This all happened in the Dwapara
Yuga, it is rumoured to be worse in the Kali Yuga. Unclear about the situation and worry
towards the mankind, the pandavas approach Krishna as he is considered the wiser and the
incarnated Vishnu. Krishna with a stint of smile on him takes a bow and shoots arrows in the
four directions. He orders the pandavas to bring them back and ascertains them an answer once
they return.
Bheemas arrow:
Bheema is considered to be the cruel of the five. Strong, resilient almost impossible to break
in one on one fight. In the battle he has destroyed many. Important of them were, jarasanda,
keechaka, hidimba, dushasana. On his quest towards the arrow shot by Krishna he trespasses
thick forests. After attaining the arrow and returing back he finds a cow delivering its calf.
After the delivery the cow starts sanitising its baby calf by licking it. The cow continues even
though the calf is completely sanitised. Due to the roughness of its tongue the cow ruptures the
calfs neck leading it to bleed. Seeing this, with grave difficulty bheema separates the cow from
the calf.
On returing back, he reports whatever he has witnessed there to Krishna with a surprise filled
with sorrow. Krishna asks bheema, isnt it you who has killed these many people in the war.
Isnt it you who have stampeded all enemy armies to the ground. You also have killed prince
Dhuryodhana infront of his mother. Couldnt you tolerate this mother cow sanitising its baby
calf, bleeding it in the process? Bheema answered a no merging deep in his thoughts. Krishna
then goes explaining, this event that you have encountered is the first and the primary mistake
done in Kali yuga. In the process of sanitising their children parents in the Kali yuga out of
love overdo it without noticing the damage done to their children.
Arjunas arrow:
Arjuna though was hesitating and silent in the initial period of the war has destroyed almost
half of the enemy lines, after Krishna has motivated him to do so. He is also equipped with all
the daiva astras. He killed bheesma, karna, dronacharya and kripacharya the main pillars of the
kaurava army. He is believed to be a savyasachi (one who can shoot arrows with both hands).
So, it wasnt a difficult task for him to find an arrow. On the way back he has decided to stop
his relentless journey for a while. Whilst resting himself, he listens to a cuckoos call for a
mate, due to its mesmerising voice it made arjuna look for it. Once he finds it, he cant believe
what he sees. Its a cuckoo feeding on a rabbit and calling for his mate. He couldnt believe
what he witnessed and neither could stay any more there.
On returning back, he reports this incident still immersed in that shock to his cousin krishna.
Krishna pacifies his cousin, and also explains this kind of unnatural parasitic behaviour of the
bird. In Kali yuga not the outer appearance that matters, not the sweetness in the voice that
matters. It is the cruelty in the heart that matter. However beautiful you may be in the outside,
it is for the sake of feeding the hungry stomach you have using all other mesmerising assets
you have with you. This kind of behavoir is observed in ten fold magnitude in the people of
Kali yuga.
Yudhistiras arrow:
Yudhistira also called as Dharmaraj is famous for his pursuit of dharma. Though he was not
good at the battle he was good at ruling. He is famous for his virtue, and wisdom. He is a
prodigy of vidhura, a saint who is considered wisest in Hastinapura. With all his intelligence
and wisdom dharmaraja doesnt find it difficult in spotting an arrow. But, he encounters
something on his way back to Krishna which he finds difficult to digest. Bheema was filled
with sorrow for what he saw, arjuna with Shock but dharmaraja is filled up with anger upon
whatever he encounters. Upon persuasion by Krishna dhramaraja reveals whatever he sees.
On his way back, dharmaraja experiences a hermitage with saints who are chanting vedas
consuming alcohol and animal flesh. He is devastated by the thought of it. Krishna clarifies,
isnt it you who gambled and lost even you wife in it. Isnt it you who has told a lie on the
battle field for killing aswathama. Then how come you are devastated with this thought?
Dharmaraju answers Krishna, yes I have lost my wife in gambling, I lied about aswathama, for
which Im sinned, I will pay the price later. But, these pandits and saints are the pillars for our
culture, they are the building blocks for new civilisations. If they are corrupted what about the
remaining citizens. Krishna then said, this is what is going to happen in kali yuga where the
learnt will become a slave for ecstasy and thereby leaving rodents to rule the country.
Nakula and Sahadevs arrow:
Nakula and sahadeva are jointly asked to bring an arrow, they went in pursuit of it for a large
distance. They had to cross hills, canals, rivers and what not for an arrow. As they just got
down a hill they could not control their thirst and went in search of water. During that search
they found a group of wells in an intricate manner. There are altogether 6 wells in concentric
circles, a single large well in the centre circumscribed by 5 small wells forming concentric
circles. Spotting this, nakula and sahadeva ran to the middle well, and found it empty. Surprised
by the sight they move towards the other wells which are almost full with water. Unclear with
what they saw, nakula and sahadeva approach with these intricacies to Krishna.
Krishna explains, in all the four yugas dharma is followed in descending order. In the satyuga-
only dharma prevailed. In treta yuga 3 parts of a human follow dharma, 1 part does sin, in the
dwapara yuga it is equally divided, and in kali yuga 3 parts of a human tend to do sin and 1
part does the dharma. So, the sin is mostly related to money. In kali yuga, as you have seen in
the case of wells, there will be requirement of money for people but they wont get it. And the
sad part is money would be in excess with that persons friends and they wont share it. Money
will become the driving force for everything in kali yuga.

A brief write up by yasaswy