Tattva-viveka
Names for different yugas
Madhavendra Puri Dasa - November 24, 2008 5:42 pm
Today I run upon an excerpt from Sri Krishna Samhita, where Bhaktivinod Thakur gives verses describing different Names of Lord for different yugas. It says that in Satya-yuga people worshiped God by the name of Narayana, and they were able to attain pure santa-rasa, mixed with some dasya-ras, and then Bhaktivinod goes on with following yugas, and conclusion is that only Kali-yuga people can reach highest stage of love of God in madhurya-rasa by chanting maha-mantra Hare Krsna.
That's incredible, and I just want to make sure that I understood it properly. Really people in Satya-yuga were not able to reach madhurya-rasa? How is it, that jivas entrapped in Kali-yuga were chosen to be the ones to receive the highest possible treasure?
This is obviously Lord Gauranga's mercy, but I am not grasping exactly what lays behind it. If I have something valuable, I want to give it to the most qualified person, not to the less qualified, so how Krishna decided to share His most exalted mystery with us- Kali-yuga citizens?
Could you elaborate on that?
PS. I am kind of feeling sorry for sages of former yugas...
Swami - November 24, 2008 7:24 pm
Today I run upon an excerpt from Sri Krishna Samhita, where Bhaktivinod Thakur gives verses describing different Names of Lord for different yugas. It says that in Satya-yuga people worshiped God by the name of Narayana, and they were able to attain pure santa-rasa, mixed with some dasya-ras, and then Bhaktivinod goes on with following yugas, and conclusion is that only Kali-yuga people can reach highest stage of love of God in madhurya-rasa by chanting maha-mantra Hare Krsna.
That's incredible, and I just want to make sure that I understood it properly. Really people in Satya-yuga were not able to reach madhurya-rasa? How is it, that jivas entrapped in Kali-yuga were chosen to be the ones to receive the highest possible treasure?
This is obviously Lord Gauranga's mercy, but I am not grasping exactly what lays behind it. If I have something valuable, I want to give it to the most qualified person, not to the less qualified, so how Krishna decided to share His most exalted mystery with us- Kali-yuga citizens?
Could you elaborate on that?
PS. I am kind of feeling sorry for sages of former yugas...
The most magnanimous avatara is not the one who give the highest thing to the most qualified, but rather the avatara who gives the highest thing to the most unqualified.
Madhavendra Puri Dasa - December 10, 2008 10:14 am
The thing you say Maharaja explains why people of Kali-yuga recieve this treasure, but I would like to know what is disqualification of souls in former yugas, so they are bereft of the highest perfection of madhurya-rasa.
Robertnewman - December 10, 2008 2:03 pm
The thing you say Maharaja explains why people of Kali-yuga recieve this treasure, but I would like to know what is disqualification of souls in former yugas, so they are bereft of the highest perfection of madhurya-rasa.
Madhurya rasa is not for everyone. Without the other rasas, madhurya rasa would be deprived of its necessary environment. And those who attain perfection in other rasas are completely satisfied by that. No need to "feel sorry" for them. 
Besides, those born in other yugas who want madhurya rasa will simply reincarnate in Kali Yuga (as for example the forest sages in Rama Lila). Nobody needs to "settle" for an "inferior" attainment.
Madhavendra Puri Dasa - December 10, 2008 4:47 pm
Madhurya rasa is not for everyone. Without the other rasas, madhurya rasa would be deprived of its necessary environment. And those who attain perfection in other rasas are completely satisfied by that. No need to "feel sorry" for them.
Thank you Robert, this is quite satisfactory explanation. Specially the example of sages in Rama Lila is very compelling.