SB (1965) Sixteenth Chapter - How Parikshit Received the Age of Kali
SB 1.16.1 (1965): Suta Goswami said, oh the learned Brahmins, Maharaj Parikshit then began to rule over the world just as a great devotee of the Lord, under the instructions of the best of the twice born Brahmins and exactly by those great qualities as was foretold by the expert astrologers at the time of his birth.
SB 1.16.2 (1965): King Parikshit married the daughter of King Uttara and begot four sons headed by Maharaj Janmejaya by his wife.
SB 1.16.3 (1965): Maharaj Parikshit after having selected Kripacharya as his spiritual master, for guidance, performed three horse-sacrifices on the bank of the Ganges executed with sufficient rewards for the attendants. And in these sacrifices even the common man could see demigods within the purview of their vision.
SB 1.16.4 (1965): Once upon a time when Maharaj Parikshit was on his way to conquering the world he saw the master of Kali Age as lower as a Sudra but in the dress of a king hunting a pair of cow and bull by the leg. The king at once caught hold of him and suficiently punished.
SB 1.16.5 (1965): Sounaka Rishi enquired, "Why did Maharaj Parikshit simply punish him although he was the lowest of the Sudra because he dressed himself like a king and at the same time struck a cow by the leg ?" and said "Please describe all those incidences if they are related with the topics of Lord Krishna".
SB 1.16.6 (1965): Alternatively if they are related with the devotess of the Lord who are accustomed to lick up the honey available from the lotus feet of the Lord; otherwise what is the use of such topics which are simply meant for waste of the duration of valuable life.
SB 1.16.7 (1965): Oh Suta Goswami, there are persons amongst the human being who desire freedom from death and get eternal life instead of short duration of life and to save them from such slaughtering process the controller of death Yama Raja is also called herein.
SB 1.16.8 (1965): So long the Yamaraj who causes the end of everyone's life, is present here nobody shall meet with his death. The great sages had invited the controller of death Yamaraj, who is a representative of the Lord, and living beings who are under the grip of him, may take advantage of hearing the deathless nectarine in the form of narration of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord.
SB 1.16.9 (1965): Lazy human beings with paltry intelligence and short duration of life passes away the night exactly by sleeping and day time by activities meant for nothing.
SB 1.16.10 (1965): Sri Suta Goswami continued that while Maharaj Parikshit was residing in the capital of the Kuru empire the symptoms of the age of Kali began to infiltrate within the jurisdiction of his state and when he learnt about it he did not take the matter as very much palatable. He, however, having got a chance for fighting prepared himself for military activities and took up his arrows and bow.
SB 1.16.11 (1965): Maharaj Parikshit was seated on a chariot which was tackled with black horses, flag staffed with the sign of a lion and thus being well decorated he was surrounded by charioteers, cavalry, elephants and infantry soldiers he went out of the capital for conquering all directions.
SB 1.16.12 (1965): Maharaj Parikshit then conquered all parts of the earthly planet of the names Bhadraswa, Ketumala, Bharat, Northern portion of Kurujangal, Kimpurusha etc. and thus exacted tributes from the respective rulers.
SB 1.16.13-15 (1965): Wherever the king visited, continuously he heard about the glories of his great forefathers who were all devotees of the Lord indicating herein about the glorious acts of Lord Krishna also. He also heard about his personal self as to how he was protected by the Lord from the powerful heat of the weapon of Aswatthama. The addressers also mentioned about the great affection between the descendants of Vrishni and that of Pritha on account of the latter's great devotion for the Lord Keshava. The king thus being very much pleased upon the singers of such glories had his eyes open in great satisfaction and he was pleased to award upon the singers very valuable necklaces and clothings by his magnanimous mind.
SB 1.16.16 (1965): When Maharaj Parikshit heard it that Lord Krishna (Vishnu), who is universally obeyed, out of His causeless mercy upon the malleable sons of Pandu, rendered all kinds of service in the matter of acceptance of the post of a chariot driver, to that of the presidentship according to the will of the Pandavas including the messengership, friendship, watchmanship at night, obeying like a servant and offering obeisances like one younger in age etc; at that time the king Maharaj Parikshit became overwhelmed with devotion unto the lotus feet of the Lord.
SB 1.16.17 (1965): While Maharaj Parikshit was passing his days hearing about the good occupations of his forefathers and he was absorbed in that thought verily what happened not far away from him you may know it from me.
SB 1.16.18 (1965): The Personality of religious principle Dharma in the form of a bull was wandering. And he met the Personality of earth in the form of a cow who appeared to be aggrieved like a mother who had lost her child and thus she looked with tears on her face. She lost the beauty of her bodily feature and thus Dharma asked the earth as follows.
SB 1.16.19 (1965): Dharma or the bull representing the Personality of religious principles enquired, "Madam are you quite hail and hearty? Why are you looking to be covered with shadow of grief? It appears that you have become black by your face. Are you suffering from some internal disease or are you thinking of some relative who is away to distant place?"
SB 1.16.20 (1965): I have lost my three legs and am standing on one leg only. Are you lamenting for my this state of existence ? Or you are in great anxiety because henceforward the unlawful meat eaters will exploit you ? Or you are in sorry plight because the demigods are now bereft of the share of sacrifical offerings on account of no sacrifice being performed at present ? Or you are aggrieved for the living being on account of their suffering due to famine and rainlessness.
SB 1.16.21 (1965): If you are feeling compunction in the matter of the unhappy women and children who are left forlorn by unscrupulous persons? Or you are unhappy for the matter of the goddess of learning being handled by Brahmins addicted to acts against the principles of religiosity? Or you may be sorry to see that the Brahmins have taken shelter of the administrative family where Brahminical culture is not respected.
SB 1.16.22 (1965): The so called administrators are now bewildered by the influence of this age of Kali and thus they have put into disorder all state affairs. Whether you are lamenting such disorderly things ? The people in general now do not follow the rules and regulations for eating, sleeping, drinking, mating etc and now they are inclined to do such things anywhere and everywhere. If you are unhappy for this ?
SB 1.16.23 (1965): Oh mother earth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari incarnated Himself as Lord Sri Krishna just to unload your heavy burden whatever He has had done here they are all transcendental activities cementing the path of liberation. You are now bereft of His presence and probably you are thinking of those activities and feeling sorry in their absence.
SB 1.16.24 (1965): Mother, you are the reservoir of all riches, you may inform me about the root cause of your tribulations by which you have been reduced to so much weakness. I think that the powerful influence of time, which conquers over the most powerful, might have forcibly taken away all your fortune which was adored even by the demigods.
SB 1.16.25 (1965): The earthly deity in the form of a cow thus replied to the Personality of religious principles in the form of a bull, "Oh Dharma whatever you have enquired from me they are all known to you and yet I shall try to reply all those. You too also maintained your four legs and increased the happiness of all over the universe by the mercy of the Lord".
SB 1.16.26-30 (1965): "And in whom, 1. truthfulness, 2. cleanliness, 3. intolerance of other's unhappiness, 4. the power of controlling anger, 5. self-satisfaction, 6. straightforwardness, 7. Fixity of mind, 8. controlling the sense organs, 9. Responsibility, 10. equality, 11. tolerance, 12. equanimity, 13. faithfulness, 14. knowledge, 15. absence of sense enjoyment, 16. leadership, 17. chivalry, 18. influence, 19. power of making everthing possible, 20. discharging proper duty, 21. complete independence, 22. dexterity, 23. fullness of all beauty, 24. of equipostion, 25. kind heartedness, 26. ingenuity. 27. gentility, 28. magnanimity, 29. determination, 30. perfection of all knowledge, 31. proper execution, 32. possession of all object of enjoyment, 33. joyfulness, 34. immovablity, 35. fidelity, 36. fame, 37. being worshipable, 38. pridelessness, 39. being the Personality of Godhead, 40. eternity-and many other transcendenal qualities are eternally present never to be separated from Him, that Personality of Godhead the reservoir of all goodness and beauty, Lord Sri Krishna has now closed His transcendenral pastimes from the face of the earth and in His absence the age of Kali has spread its influence everywhere and I am actually sorry to see this condition of existence.
SB 1.16.31 (1965): I am thinking about my self and oh the best amongst the demigods for yourself also as well as for all the demigods, sages denizens of the Pitriloka, about the devotees of the Lord and all men obedient to the system of Varna and Ashrama in the human society
SB 1.16.32-33 (1965): Lakshmiji the Goddess of Fortune, whose glance of Grace was sought after by demigods like Brahma and others and thus for many a days they surrendered unto the Personality of Godhead,-did give up her own place of habitation the forest of lotus flowers and engaged Herself in the service of the Lotus Feet of the Lord. I was endowed with specific power of superseding the fortune of all the three planetary systems for being decorated with the impression of the flag, thunderbolt, rod for driving the elephant and lotus flower which are signs of the lotus feet of the Lord, but at the end when I felt of being so fortunate, the Lord left me.
SB 1.16.34 (1965): Oh the personality of religiousity, I was too much overburdened by the undue military phalanx of Akshouhini divisions by the kings of the unbeliever class and I was relieved by the Grace of the Personality of Godhead. Similarly you were in distressed condition lessened by your standing strength and as such He also incarnated to get you relieved from such condition by His internal energy appearing in the family of the Yadus.
SB 1.16.35 (1965): Who can therefore tolerate the pangs of separation from that Supreme Personality of Godhead ? He could conquer the gravity and passionate wrath of His sweetheart women like Satyabhama and others by His sweet smile of love, pleasing glance and hearty appeals. When He traversed over my surface (earth) I would be immersed with the dust of His lotus feet and thus being sumptuously covered by grasses it would appear like hairs standing on me in pleasure.
SB 1.16.36 (1965): The earth and Personality of religiosity were thus engaged in conversation and at that time the saintly King Maharaj Parikshit reached on the shore of Saraswati river flowing towards the east.