Srila Prabhupada and the Golden Age

[Vikram Ramsundar]

http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/04-07/editorials1468.htm

[Vikram Ramsundar]

For some reason, the text is not appearing here. Pretty bizarre!

[suchandra]

 

 

Srila Prabhupada and the Golden Age

 

 

BY: BHRIGUPADA DASA

 

Apr 24, HELSINKI, FINLAND (SUN) —

Since the subject of the “Golden Age” and especially its purported scriptural support in the

Brahma-vaivarta Purana

has

recently come up

on the Sampradaya Sun, several senior Vaishnavas have requested me to post an article that I wrote on this topic some years ago. I am complying with their request by presenting this abbreviated and slightly modified version of the original article, which appeared in Satyaraja Prabhu’s

Journal of Vaishnava Studies

13:2 (Spring 2003), in the hope of generating further research into this fascinating subject.

 

Because of the age of the article, some of the Internet links may not be functional anymore, for which I beg the readers’ pardon. Though I do reach some conclusions below, I wish to emphasise that I do not presume to present some kind of absolute truth. Rather, I see this as one step on the way to furthering our knowledge on the subject.

 

In Helsinki, 24.4.2007,

Bhrigupada Dasa

 

 

1. The Golden Age in and around ISKCON

 

There are several views within and around ISKCON regarding when the Golden Age will begin. Most hold that it began with the birth of Lord Caitanya (1486-1533), (e.g.

source link

), but it is also common to think that it began with the birth of Srila Prabhupada, especially since he is purported to having stated that his books will be the “law books for the next ten thousand years” (e.g.

source link

.

 

Another opinion is that it began in 1986, a year in which ISKCON went through a major administrative reform (Kavicandra Swami, personal communication to the author, 15.6.2002). At any rate, it has begun already, and while the beneficial effects of the new age may seem small at present, they will slowly but surely increase. The beginning will be characterised by a polarization between the forces of light and the forces of darkness (Knapp 2001: 65), but, at the apex of the Golden Age, there will be a “heaven on earth” (

source link

):

 

[There] will be regular rainfall all over the planet, the climate will become very pleasant, the earth will produce abundant quantities of food grains, the cows will produce unlimited quantities of milk, the oceans and rivers will produce minerals, jewels and natural fertilizers and the forests will provide honey, fruits, flowers and medicinal drugs. Conflict and anxiety will disappear as Krishna becomes the central point of everyone's activities.

 

However, this is not an automatic process: it hinges on the successful missionary activities of Prabhupada’s followers (e.g. Knapp 2001: 80-81). Such an idea is well-known from Christian post-millennialism (see for example Shepperson 1962: 44-45), wherein the millennium or future “Golden Age” is expected to precede the coming saviour, and it will come about gradually, not as the result of some single, cataclysmic event. Though for ISKCON members, the saviour has already come (Caitanya/ Prabhupada), the appearance of the millennium is similarly expected to be gradual.

 

2. Srila Prabhupada on the Golden Age

 

Curiously enough, looking through the Vedabase, one does not find very much about this Golden Age. The first occurrence of this idea is in a conversation with a disciple in September of 1968 (680927le.sea), but since the disciple there refers back to having heard about a prophecy of the “Golden Age of Kali”, Prabhupada must have spoken about it before. While disciples would later endeavour to record Prabhupada’s every word, casual conversations were generally not taped during the first years.

 

Srila Prabhupada would continue to mention the idea a few more times over the years, usually only in passing. It is interesting to note that on two of the four recorded occasions that he himself broached the topic, it was in conversations with “important” persons (the poet Allen Ginsberg and the historian Arnold Toynbee, 690513rc.col and 730722rc.lon). This may have been done to impress upon these people the upcoming importance of the movement, in those years still very much in a fledgling condition.

 

Almost all the times the idea of the Golden Age is mentioned, the occurrence is prompted by disciples wishing to know more about this encouraging prophecy (e.g.760605mw.la, 760611mw.la). Since the idea of a future millennium is such a popular Judaeo-Christian theme, perhaps especially so in the United States, it is easy to understand that many of Prabhupada’s American disciples were fascinated with it. After all, who wouldn’t like to imagine a glorious future, especially if faced with trouble and disappointments in the present?

 

Still, at least in the recorded material, Srila Prabhupada gives very few details about this Golden Age. The duration, ten thousand years, is mentioned (e.g. 760621cr.tor), that Krishna consciousness during this time is “like a wave, first increasing, then decreasing” (690513rc.col), or just generally that it will increase (730722rc.lon). Moreover, Prabhupada often seemed to downplay the mythical side of the prophecy, tending to a more pragmatic view of it. For example (680927le.sea):

• Madhudvisa:
  Prabhupada, what was exactly predicted by Lord Caitanya when He predicted the Golden Age of Kali, the age in the Age of Kali when people would be chanting the Hare Krishna mantra?
  
  
  Prabhupada:
  Yes. People... Just like we are now preaching Hare Krishna. In your country there was no such preaching. […] If you have taken up this formula very nicely, then you will go on preaching, and it will be spread all over the world. Very simple thing.

full article

 

 

[Vikram Ramsundar]

Thanks Suchandra. I ignore why I was having problems uploading the text.

[suchandra]

 

Thanks Suchandra. I ignore why I was having problems uploading the text.

Thanks for posting, this happens when a post is too long, it's limited to a certain size.

[suchandra]

Is our Earth troubled by a major ecological crisis?

"For instance, Al Gore, in his recent film “An Inconvenient Truth,” argues that we must preserve natural resources because it is the right way to act. Gore appeals to a sense of virtue and duty."

Ecology, Human Motives and Self-Reform

 

 

by Janakirama Dasa

http://vijnana.wordpress.com/2007/05/01/ecology-human-motives-and-self-reform-by-janakirama-dasa/

 

 

Many world leaders, scientists and scholars are arguing that the planet Earth is troubled by a major ecological crisis, and that human race is directly responsible for this crisis. Many feel that if the human race does not change its course of action, the then we may be headed to our ultimate peril. What have we done to pollute Mother Earth, and what can we do to fix the problems? Much of the literature on the environmental crisis attempts to motivate people to live in a more ecologically sustainable manner. I think that Hinduism, and Vaishnavism in particular, has a unique and helpful contribution to these discussions, one that has yet to be explored by environmentalists and ecologists.

I am referring to the “four aims of man,” or purusha-arthas. The first is that human beings seek to satisfy desire, and this is called “kama.” For instance, in the famous book the Kama-sutra the art and science of satisfying sexual desire is discussed in vivid detail. It teaches how to refine and enhance eroticism and romance so as to fully experience human desire. But in order to enjoy worldly delight one needs to have wealth, property and a social position. Consequently, Indian thinkers argued that a second aim of man is “artha,” or the disposition to acquire material assets. In most traditional Indian systems of thought the expression of desire and the acquisition of wealth was meant to be couched within moral and religious principles, and this was called “dharma.” Although dharma can have many meanings, the sense I mean here is that duty and virtue were seen to temper and direct a person’s actions as they went about satisfying desire and gaining capitol. Dharma in this sense was not so much about subverting desire and material endeavors as it was directing them in righteous ways. The fourth aim, often considered the final and highest aim, was liberation, or moksha. The majority of Indian philosophers believed that the self is forced to reincarnate into another body after death. Those that favored liberation argued that true happiness is not found in any sort of body, and that the attempt to fulfill desire, gain wealth or act according to religious codes were not the highest goals. For instance, the Bhagavad-gita (4.19, and 18.66) say that one should give up all dharmas. Adding to this list, Hindu theologians from Vaishnavism schools (which ISKCON represents) argued that devotion for God is goal of life. For them, devotion for God is even more important than liberation from the cycle of reincarnation.

It seems that ecologists have argued for people to act in less polluting ways in terms of kama, artha and dharma. For instance, Al Gore, in his recent film “An Inconvenient Truth,” argues that we must preserve natural resources because it is the right way to act. Gore appeals to a sense of virtue and duty. There are, however, other reasons one might argue that the human race should adopt more sustainable and ecological responsible attitude. As I discussed above, liberation, or moksa, is the aim of ending the cycle of reincarnation. How does this happen? In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that the purity of one’s consciousness is greatly influenced by the external environment, and that a pure state of mind is necessary to obtain freedom from samsara, or the cycle of birth and death. A pure and clean environment facilitates the sort of state of mind required to achieve moksa. Thus, one might argue that ecology is needed for moksa. Lastly, I mentioned that Vaishnavas say devotion for God is the highest aim of man. How does this relate to ecology? In a well-known Vaishnava text called the Bhagavata Purana, it is argued that the world can be seen as God’s cosmic body. Consequently, we live in God and are sustained by God at every moment. Keeping the Earth clean and sustaining its natural resources could thus be seen as a way of expressing love and devotion for God.

Although these ideas are interesting and could inspire a more ecological consciousness, ultimately I think it really comes down to each individual person – starting with me – being willing to change their own life. We have to be willing to give up the little pleasures in life that cost the earth so much, willing to spend a bit more on products that are more ecological, and willing to take the time and effort to find out and avoid those things that are ecologically costly. Self-control and self-reform are the ultimate message of ecology…but that is something so very hard for a Europeans, British and Americans to even think of, let alone do!

[Vikram Ramsundar]

Well, I am a highly environmentally-minded individual, and one of my main reasons for being attracted to traditional ideologies like Vaishnavism for instance is the extremely eco-friendly ethos that characterises such beliefs. I certainly laud Al Gore for his documentary - however, people who are positively concerned about climate change and who have reviewed that work state that it does contain certain convenient untruths. Let us all face the fact that if we fail to act at this critical juncture, nothing less than an ecological Waterloo is what shall be dished out to us and our descendents in the not-too-distant future. However, I also think strongly that the brand of alarmism we have had thrusted upon us in recent times is perhaps not the most helpful way to go about it.

 

Having said this, I don't pretend to have the answer as to what the right approach should be. The subject of this thread, though, is not exactly global warming but something different. I reckon we ought to stick to discussions about the putative golden age with Kali-yuga and enlighten one another with various useful insights regarding this.

[Murali_Mohan_das]

Thanks, Vikram-ji.

 

Anthropogenic Global Warming has been a topic of interest for me for some time, and I share your skepticism regarding the IPCC claims on which much of Gore's work is based.

 

Global Warming is becoming Big Business in terms of research money and proposed (and fledgeling) carbon-trading markets. The demonification of CO2 will be very profitable to some cheaters and is being used to justify a resurgance of nuclear power.

 

Without any doubt, though, the fact that we are systematically *poisoning* ourselves is of great concern, and, in my mind, is the true issue which we need to address.

 

 

Well, I am a highly environmentally-minded individual, and one of my main reasons for being attracted to traditional ideologies like Vaishnavism for instance is the extremely eco-friendly ethos that characterises such beliefs. I certainly laud Al Gore for his documentary - however, people who are positively concerned about climate change and who have reviewed that work state that it does contain certain convenient untruths. Let us all face the fact that if we fail to act at this critical juncture, nothing less than an ecological Waterloo is what shall be dished out to us and our descendents in the not-too-distant future. However, I also think strongly that the brand of alarmism we have had thrusted upon us in recent times is perhaps not the most helpful way to go about it.

 

Having said this, I don't pretend to have the answer as to what the right approach should be. The subject of this thread, though, is not exactly global warming but something different. I reckon we ought to stick to discussions about the putative golden age with Kali-yuga and enlighten one another with various useful insights regarding this.

[gHari]

SB 8.5.23p

When KRSNa appeared, He gave His orders, and when KRSNa Himself appeared as a devotee, as SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, He showed us the path by which to cross the ocean of Kali-yuga. That is the path of the Hare KRSNa movement. <B>When SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu appeared, He ushered in the era for the saGkIrtana movement. It is also said that for ten thousand years this era will continue</b>. This means that simply by accepting the saGkIrtana movement and chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, the fallen souls of this Kali-yuga will be delivered. After the Battle of KurukSetra, at which Bhagavad-gItA was spoken, Kali-yuga continues for 432,000 years, of which only 5,000 years have passed. Thus there is still a balance of 427,000 years to come. Of these 427,000 years, <B>the 10,000 years of the saGkIrtana movement inaugurated by SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu 500 years ago provide the opportunity for the fallen souls of Kali-yuga to take to the KRSNa consciousness movement, chant the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra and thus be delivered from the clutches of material existence and return home, back to Godhead.</b>

[Vikram Ramsundar]

 

SB 8.5.23p

When KRSNa appeared, He gave His orders, and when KRSNa Himself appeared as a devotee, as SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, He showed us the path by which to cross the ocean of Kali-yuga. That is the path of the Hare KRSNa movement. When SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu appeared, He ushered in the era for the saGkIrtana movement. It is also said that for ten thousand years this era will continue. This means that simply by accepting the saGkIrtana movement and chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, the fallen souls of this Kali-yuga will be delivered. After the Battle of KurukSetra, at which Bhagavad-gItA was spoken, Kali-yuga continues for 432,000 years, of which only 5,000 years have passed. Thus there is still a balance of 427,000 years to come. Of these 427,000 years, the 10,000 years of the saGkIrtana movement inaugurated by SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu 500 years ago provide the opportunity for the fallen souls of Kali-yuga to take to the KRSNa consciousness movement, chant the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra and thus be delivered from the clutches of material existence and return home, back to Godhead.

 

Maybe it is to you, but this quote is from a Bhaktivedanta purport, not a direct sastric verse. Bhrigupada's scholarly essay makes it clear that the so-called scriptural support from the Brahma-vaivarta Purana is quite ambiguous, and even questionable. In my estimation, this is a topic which merits further study and investigation, which is my purpose behind starting this discussion.

 

Of course, every little bit helps, and I thank you for your valuable input.

[Vikram Ramsundar]

For the benefit of readers, I am hereby reproducing the text of Bhrigupada Prabhu's write-up in its entirety, in two parts. Please feel free to comment on what follows. Om tat sat

 

 

Srila Prabhupada and the Golden Age

 

 

BY: BHRIGUPADA DASA

 

 

Apr 24, HELSINKI, FINLAND (SUN) — Since the subject of the “Golden Age” and especially its purported scriptural support in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana has recently come up on the Sampradaya Sun, several senior Vaishnavas have requested me to post an article that I wrote on this topic some years ago. I am complying with their request by presenting this abbreviated and slightly modified version of the original article, which appeared in Satyaraja Prabhu’s Journal of Vaishnava Studies 13:2 (Spring 2003), in the hope of generating further research into this fascinating subject.

 

Because of the age of the article, some of the Internet links may not be functional anymore, for which I beg the readers’ pardon. Though I do reach some conclusions below, I wish to emphasise that I do not presume to present some kind of absolute truth. Rather, I see this as one step on the way to furthering our knowledge on the subject.

In Helsinki, 24.4.2007,

Bhrigupada Dasa

 

 

1. The Golden Age in and around ISKCON

 

There are several views within and around ISKCON regarding when the Golden Age will begin. Most hold that it began with the birth of Lord Caitanya (1486-1533), (e.g. source link), but it is also common to think that it began with the birth of Srila Prabhupada, especially since he is purported to having stated that his books will be the “law books for the next ten thousand years” (e.g. source link.

 

Another opinion is that it began in 1986, a year in which ISKCON went through a major administrative reform (Kavicandra Swami, personal communication to the author, 15.6.2002). At any rate, it has begun already, and while the beneficial effects of the new age may seem small at present, they will slowly but surely increase. The beginning will be characterised by a polarization between the forces of light and the forces of darkness (Knapp 2001: 65), but, at the apex of the Golden Age, there will be a “heaven on earth” (source link):

 

[There] will be regular rainfall all over the planet, the climate will become very pleasant, the earth will produce abundant quantities of food grains, the cows will produce unlimited quantities of milk, the oceans and rivers will produce minerals, jewels and natural fertilizers and the forests will provide honey, fruits, flowers and medicinal drugs. Conflict and anxiety will disappear as Krishna becomes the central point of everyone's activities.

 

However, this is not an automatic process: it hinges on the successful missionary activities of Prabhupada’s followers (e.g. Knapp 2001: 80-81). Such an idea is well-known from Christian post-millennialism (see for example Shepperson 1962: 44-45), wherein the millennium or future “Golden Age” is expected to precede the coming saviour, and it will come about gradually, not as the result of some single, cataclysmic event. Though for ISKCON members, the saviour has already come (Caitanya/ Prabhupada), the appearance of the millennium is similarly expected to be gradual.

 

2. Srila Prabhupada on the Golden Age

 

Curiously enough, looking through the Vedabase, one does not find very much about this Golden Age. The first occurrence of this idea is in a conversation with a disciple in September of 1968 (680927le.sea), but since the disciple there refers back to having heard about a prophecy of the “Golden Age of Kali”, Prabhupada must have spoken about it before. While disciples would later endeavour to record Prabhupada’s every word, casual conversations were generally not taped during the first years.

 

Srila Prabhupada would continue to mention the idea a few more times over the years, usually only in passing. It is interesting to note that on two of the four recorded occasions that he himself broached the topic, it was in conversations with “important” persons (the poet Allen Ginsberg and the historian Arnold Toynbee, 690513rc.col and 730722rc.lon). This may have been done to impress upon these people the upcoming importance of the movement, in those years still very much in a fledgling condition.

 

Almost all the times the idea of the Golden Age is mentioned, the occurrence is prompted by disciples wishing to know more about this encouraging prophecy (e.g.760605mw.la, 760611mw.la). Since the idea of a future millennium is such a popular Judaeo-Christian theme, perhaps especially so in the United States, it is easy to understand that many of Prabhupada’s American disciples were fascinated with it. After all, who wouldn’t like to imagine a glorious future, especially if faced with trouble and disappointments in the present?

 

Still, at least in the recorded material, Srila Prabhupada gives very few details about this Golden Age. The duration, ten thousand years, is mentioned (e.g. 760621cr.tor), that Krishna consciousness during this time is “like a wave, first increasing, then decreasing” (690513rc.col), or just generally that it will increase (730722rc.lon). Moreover, Prabhupada often seemed to downplay the mythical side of the prophecy, tending to a more pragmatic view of it. For example (680927le.sea):

 

• Madhudvisa: Prabhupada, what was exactly predicted by Lord Caitanya when He predicted the Golden Age of Kali, the age in the Age of Kali when people would be chanting the Hare Krishna mantra?
  Prabhupada: Yes. People... Just like we are now preaching Hare Krishna. In your country there was no such preaching. […] If you have taken up this formula very nicely, then you will go on preaching, and it will be spread all over the world. Very simple thing.

Several years later, he stressed the same point to another, similarly enthusiastic disciple (760605mw.la): “You work sincerely; it will increase, it will increase.” This is, as noted above, a common, post-millenarian idea. Similarly, when asked whether ISKCON would ever “take over the world,” he always answered in a very pragmatic way, saying that such a possibility would be there if the members of ISKCON were serious and sincere (750311mw.lo and 760706r3.wdc). However, when the same enthusiastic disciple took up the subject of the Golden Age a few days later (760611mw.la), Prabhupada again replied in a similar way (“provided you keep it uncontaminated”), but this time also added some incentive:

 

• Ramesvara: So after ten years we have gotten so many devotees and so many houses, so I can’t imagine how big this movement will be after ten thousand years.
  Prabhupada: Yes. You’ll get the government.
  Ramesvara: The whole world will be delivered?
  Prabhupada: Yad yad acarati sresthah. America will be the best; people will follow. They are already following-skyscraper building, that’s all. Any nation in the world, they are all aspiring to have skyscraper buildings. India has done? In Bombay?
  Ramesvara: Yes.

In other words, if America is converted, the rest of the world will follow. Just from reading a transcription, it is impossible to know whether or not Prabhupada’s comment about the devotees gaining world government was seriously meant, but many of his followers certainly took it in that way.

 

However, the thing which Prabhupada most often stresses (e.g. in 760621cr.tor) about the Golden Age is that it is the last chance for humanity to become Krishna conscious, before the evil effect of the age of Kali begins in earnest. This is also his emphasis the two times he writes about this golden age, in his purports to Srimad-bhagavatam 8.5.23 and to Caitanya-caritamrita 3.3.50.

 

3. Looking for a Scriptural Source

 

Now, what is the source of the whole idea of the ten thousand golden years? Allen Ginsberg asked that very question of Srila Prabhupada (690513rc.col):

 

• Allen Ginsberg: Where is all this?
  Prabhupada: Vedic literature.
  Allen Ginsberg: What...?
  Prabhupada: Padma Purana, Puranas.
  Allen Ginsberg: Bhagavata Purana.
  Prabhupada: Bhagavata Purana.

In other words, he seemed to not know the exact source, as is confirmed by his answer to the same question by a disciple several years later (770405r2.bom): “I have heard it, maybe in the Bhagavata”. The alternatives Prabhupada gives are all different scriptures regarded as canonical. Since Gaudiya Vaishnavas take great pride in being a scripturally based movement, and since the Bhagavata Purana is considered the highest authority (see Broo 2003a: 8-10), it should come as no surprise that Prabhupada referred to it.

 

Within the Bhagavata, an anonymous author (source link) identifies verses 11.5.38-40 as foretelling the Golden Age. However, while the verses in question do speak about how even the gods desire to take birth on earth in the age of Kali, the context shows that the verses seek to extol the greatness of nama-sankirtana, congregational praise of Krishna, as the most efficacious form of worship in Kali, or indeed any age. There is nothing in these verses, or in the Bhagavata as a whole, about a Golden Age of ten thousand years.

 

The Padma Purana, the other text Prabhupada mentions, is the most voluminous of all the six Vaishnava Puranas. It is divided into six parts, and contains over 56 000 verses. Searching the whole text would thus be a formidable task! I contented myself with looking for the ten thousand years in the verse index. It indeed lists no less than 11 verses beginning with dasa-varsa-sahasrani, ten thousand years, and two with dasa-varsa-sahasram, a period of ten thousand years. While these verses talk about subjects such as the time different sages spent in meditation, the amount of years a sudra that steals milk from a brahmana’s cow has to suffer as a worm in stool, the years of heavenly enjoyment for one who only eats what he has cooked himself during four months or only sleeps on the ground, they say nothing about a special time within the age of Kali. I have thus not been able to locate the prophecy within the Padma Purana, and neither does anyone else seem to have done so.

 

4. The Prophecy of the Brahma-vaivarta Purana

 

Instead, some of Prabhupada’s followers have found a passage in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana (4.129.49-60), that seems to contain the scriptural source of the Golden Age. I am not aware of this passage having been used in any official ISKCON publications, but it is discussed by ISKCON devotee Stephen Knapp in his book on “Vedic Prophecies” (Knapp 2001: 67) and found on several web pages connected with the movement. The full text is found at (source link), and, with added notes, at (source link). It is referred to as stating that “there will be a 10 000-year golden age in Kali yuga” at the website of the Bhaktivedanta Archives, an official ISKCON project (source link). It is mentioned in a similar way at (source link), the website of an offshoot movement of ISKCON. Since the passage thus seems to be widely regarded as the source of the golden age prophecy, it deserves to be looked at more closely. Below, I will present the Sanskrit for the most important verses, the translation by the unnamed original translator (all web pages above use the same translation), followed by my own comments.

 

• sri-bhagavan uvaca
  50. kaleh pancasahasrani varsani tistha bhutale
  papani papino yani tubhyam dasyanti snanatah “The blessed Lord said: On the earth 5,000 years of kali will be sinful and sinners will deposit their sins in you by bathing.”

This translation contains a major inaccuracy, on which most of the rest hinges. What the Lord here says is not that 5,000 years of Kali will be sinful; rather, he addresses the Ganga river, ordering her to remain (tistha, second person imperative of the verb stha) on earth for 5,000 years. A better translation would thus be: “The blessed Lord said: Remain on earth for five thousand years of Kali. The sinners will give their sins to you by bathing.”

 

• 51. man-mantropasaka-sparsad bhasmibhutani tat-ksanatt
  bhavisyanti darsanac ca snanad eva hi jahnavi “Thereafter by the sight and touch of those who worship me by my mantra, all those sins will be burnt.”

Now, with “thereafter,” the text seems to begin talking about something else, an age beginning after the five thousand years of the Ganga mentioned above. However, looking closer, one notices that there is no such “thereafter” in the text. Instead, it says: “By the touch of those who practice my mantra, by seeing them, or indeed by their bathing, O Jahnavi [Ganga], [those sins] will immediately be burnt into ashes.”

 

Stephen Knapp takes the word man-mantropasaka (practitioner of my name) here to be in the singular, and thus to foretell Srila Prabhupada (Knapp 2001: 67, 72-73). While that is grammatically possible here, later verses (e.g. 4.129.55-57) explicitly use the plural number, even for the same word.

 

The text then goes on to describe more of the glories of such Vaishnavas in verses 4.129.52-58. After that, we arrive at the explicit mention of the ten thousand years, the statement that probably drew the attention of the translator in the first place:

 

• 59. kaler dasa-sahasrani mad-bhaktah santi bhu-tale
  ekavarna bhavisyanti mad-bhaktesu gatesu ca “For 10,000 years of kali such devotees of mine will fill the whole planet. After the departure of My devotees there will only be one varna [outcaste].”

Again, the translator takes liberties with the text to make it fit his agenda. What is it that in this verse particularly describes Prabhupada’s Golden Age? That the devotees will “fill the whole planet.” This verse is quoted as saying that for example in (source link). Unfortunately, that is not what it says: it merely says that there “are” (santi) devotees on earth during ten thousand years.

 

Now, if the anonymous translator would step forward, he might present the following objection: “It is true that I made some small additions to the text, but that was only to make the chronology clearer: first we have 5,000 years of Kali when the Ganga purifies the sinners, and then 10,000 years of the devotees, or what Prabhupada called the Golden Age. This is the inner meaning of the above verses.”

 

It is not. First of all, it is not reasonable. Were there no devotees before ca 1897 CE, when the first 5,000 years of Kali had passed? The date may be conveniently close to Prabhupada’s birth year (1896), but he himself always said that the Golden Age was begun by Lord Caitanya (e.g. in his purport to SB 8.5.23). Secondly, such an interpretation completely neglects the context of the verses given above. They occur at the very end of the Brahma-vaivarta Purana, where the evils of the Kali age are being described. The description given is for the most part similar to those in other Puranas: people will have no regard for their elders, they will not offer any sacrifices to the forefathers, they will be addicted to all kinds of evils, and so on. However, the Purana - as is also common - does present some consolation. A passage in the previous chapter has this to say (BVP 4.128.28):

 

• 28. kaler dasa-sahasrsai mad-arca bhuvi tisthati
  tad-ardhani ca varsanam ganga bhuvana-pavani “During ten thousand years of Kali, my image will stay on earth, and during half of those years, Ganga, the purifier of mankind.”

But what will happen to Ganga at the end of those five thousand years, or rather, what happened to her in 1896? That has been explained earlier on (BVP 2.7.10-12):

 

• 10. kaleh panca-sahasram ca varsham sthitva ca bharate
  jagmus tas ca saridrupam vihaya sri-hareh padam
  11. yani sarvani tirthani kasim vrindavanam vina
  yasyanti sardham tabhis ca harer vaikuntham ajnaya
  12. salagramo harer murtir jagannathas ca bharatam
  kaler dasa-sahasrante yayau tyaktva hareh padam “

And having stayed for five thousand years of Kali in India, they [the holy rivers] will give up their forms as rivers and return to the abode of Sri Hari. Being ordered, all the holy places - except Kasi and Vrindavana - will also go together with them to Hari’s Vaikuntha. At the end of ten thousand years of Kali, the Salagrama, Hari’s image and Jagannatha will give up India and go to the abode of Hari.”

 

[Vikram Ramsundar]

 

The chronology is therefore not 5,000 + 10,000, as in the prophecy mentioned by Prabhupada, but 10,000 years of devotees and image worship, out of which the first half has the added benefit of the presence of the Ganga. What we have here is thus clearly not a presentation of a Golden Age, but a standard Puranic dystrophy, with the added calamity of all the holy places and people gradually leaving India. In other words, the text is exhorting the readers to take these things seriously. Time is short! In addition to that, the Purana is offering a mahatmya or description of the greatness of the devotees of Vishnu. This is particularly evident in BVP 2.6. 84-123, where a similar passage about the Ganga as the first one (BVP 4.129.49-60) launches into a very lengthy description of the glorious devotees of the Lord.

 

Now, as seen above, Prabhupada’s main point concerning the Golden Age was that it is the last chance for humanity to attain spiritual perfection before the full force of Kali sets in. If we consider everything else - the timely rains, Vaishnavism taking over the world, and so on - as added by somewhat fanciful disciples, we could consider this passage of the Brahma-vaivarta Purana as being the origin of Prabhupada’s idea of the Golden Age. Still, one major problem remains: the passage of the Brahma-vaivarta Purana says nothing about this age beginning with Caitanya, but has it start from the beginning of the age of Kali.

 

In general, the Brahma-vaivarta Purana is of dubious authority for Gaudiya Vaishnavas. While the Goswamis occasionally quote it, I have not been able to locate a single one of the verses quoted in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa, a text that I have worked on, in the present edition of the text. Scholars are of the opinion that the text has been completely revamped after the time of the Goswamis. This is particularly evident in the general emphasis of the Brahma-vaivarta Purana. While classical sources characterize this Purana as being rajasic (e.g. Padma Purana 5.236.18-21), in its present form, it is a clearly Vaishnava text that presents Krishna as the Supreme - though its doctrines do not always conform to Gaudiya Vaishnavism. For example, Lord Caitanya makes no mention of the upcoming disappearance of the Ganga when he teaches Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya that in the age of Kali, Krishna is present especially in Jagannatha and the Ganga river (CC 2.15.134-136). As far as I know, Prabhupada also never taught that the Ganga river present today would be illusory, the real Ganga having returned to Vaikuntha, or that Varanasi and Vrindavana would be the only sacred places left on earth.

 

6. Looking for the source elsewhere

 

Having thus rejected these scriptures as the direct source for Prabhupada’s idea, we have to return to his own statement. “I have heard it” - if not from where, from whom? One natural source would be his own guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati (1874-1937), but I have not been able to find the idea in his writings. Neither did Prabhupada’s godbrothers seem to to the idea. B.R. Sridhara Maharaja (1895-1988), never spoke about any Golden Age (Swami B.V. Tripurari, letter to author) and was not interested in the prophecy when it was brought up (Swami B.G. Narasingha, letter to Janne Kontala). In his article “Origin and Eschatology of Hindu Religion,” B.H. Bon Maharaja (1901-1982) does not say anything about a Golden Age, even though it would have been the perfect opportunity (Bon Maharaj 1984: 132-147).

 

However, B.V. Narayana Maharaja, a disciple of a close godbrother of Prabhupada’s, B.P. Kesava Maharaja (1898-1968), teaches about a millennium, but a different one. His idea is that since Caitanya appeared in this age of Kali, it has been changed into a “fortunate Kali.” Rather than decline spiritually, humanity will gradually become more and more spiritually advanced as Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana movement spreads everywhere. Finally, when Kali reaches its end, Kalki will not have to descend, or if he does, he will simply join the sankirtana (Broo 2003b: 212-213)! Thus, instead of lasting the ten thousand years Prabhupada always mentioned, the Golden Age here lasts almost 427 000. Narayana Maharaja may have received the idea of a “fortunate Kali” from another Gaudiya Vaishnava teacher, Kanupriya Goswami, who presented it already in 1929 in an article called “Dawn of The Age of Love” (Goswami 1999: 25-27). There are also other millenarian ideas within the larger scope of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, such as in the group following Prabhu Jagadbandhu (Broo 2003b: 213-215), but they differ significantly from the one presented by Prabhupada.

 

One source to be investigated is B.S. Goswami Maharaja (1895-1958), another godbrother of Prabhupada’s, one that he had some co-operation with before going to the West (Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami 1994: 172-178). Until any further findings come to light, we simply have to stick to Prabhupada’s vague “I have heard it.”

 

7. Conclusions

 

Contrary to popular belief within ISKCON, we have seen that Prabhupada’s prophecy regarding the Golden Age does not seem to have a scriptural source. While the Puranas paint a gloomy future for humanity in the age of Kali, they do give some hope, such as when the Bhagavata extols the supremely liberating power of nama-sankirtana. Nonetheless, the texts explicitly mentioned by Prabhupada do not contain any descriptions of a ten thousand-year Golden Age, neither does the passage of the Brahma-vaivarta Purana that some of his followers have brought forward. Will this finding prove a problem for members of ISKCON? Hardly. Prabhupada’s authority within the movement is unassailable. After all, the reason some of his followers brought forward the passage of the Brahma-vaivarta Purana was not to proclaim the glories of that particular text, but to shed more light on Prabhupada’s glorious words. Prabhupada is the authority that the Purana is made to support, not the other way around. If that source is found faulty in this regard, the search for a scriptural source will no doubt continue.

 

Does this then mean that Prabhupada imagined the whole prophecy or just made it up? No. Gaudiya Vaishnava theology believes in the possibility of further revelation (Tripurari 2001: 131-132), and since Prabhupada is widely respected as an empowered spiritual master within the Gaudiya Vaishnava world, to think that he would have received such a revelation should be perfectly acceptable.

 

References

 

A. Printed sources

 

Bon Maharaja, Dr. Swami Bhakti Hridaya 1984. My Lectures in England & Germany. Vrindaban: Bhajan Kutir.

 

Brahma-vaivarta-purana of Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa. Vol I-II. Ed. [with an English introduction by] J.L. Sastri. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1984.

 

Broo, Mans 2003a. As Good as God. The Guru in Gaudiya Vaisnavism. Abo: Abo Akademi University Press.

 

-------------- 2003b. Tre exempel pa millenarism inom gaudiya vaisnavismen. In Manniskan och tiden/ Time and Humanity. Ed. Nils G. Holm & Ulrika Wolf-Knuts. Abo: Abo Akademi University Press.

 

Charpentier, Marie-Therese 2003. Divine Saviour on a White Horse. Apocalyptic and Messianic Conceptions in Modern India. In Manniskan och tiden/ Time and Humanity. Ed. Nils G. Holm & Ulrika Wolf-Knuts. Abo: Abo Akademi University Press.

 

Dasa, Shukavak N. 1999. Hindu Encounter with Modernity. Kedarnath Datta Bhaktivinoda, Vaishnava Theologian. Los Angeles: Sri.

 

Goswami, Kanupriya 1999. Dawn of The Age of Love. Calcutta: Gourrai Goswami.

 

Goswami, Satsvarupa Dasa 1994. Srila Prabhupada-Lilamrita. A Biography of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. One volume edition. Bombay: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

 

Knapp, Stephen 2001. The Vedic Prophecies: A New Look Into the Future. The Eastern Answers to the Mysteries of Life, Vol III.

 

Kontala, Janne [forthcoming]. Ajan pyora Hare Krishna-liikkeen opeissa. MA-paper. Helsinki: University of Helsinki.

 

Padma Mahapuranam. 2nd ed. Vol I-IV. Delhi: Nag Publishers, 1996.

 

Shepperson, George 1962. The Comparative Study of Millenarian Movements. In Millennial Dreams in Action. Essays in Comparative Study. Ed. Sylvia L. Thrupp. The Hague: Mouton.

 

Tripurari, Swami B.V. 2001. The Bhagavad Gita, its feeling and philosophy. San Rafael: Mandala Publishing Group.

 

B. Letters

 

Narasingha, Swami B.G. To Janne Kontala [n.d] Tripurari, Swami. To author, 13.1.2003

 

C. Internet links

http://www.gaurangadharma.org/

 

<DD>(Accessed 8.9.2004)

http://harekrishnaworld.com/main/chant-for-unity.html

 

<DD>(Accessed 9.9.2004)

http://www.indiadivine.org/brahma-vaivarta-purana1.htm

 

<DD>(Accessed 8.9.2004)

http://www.krishna.org/sudarsana/goldage.html

 

<DD>(Accessed 8.9.2004)

http://www.prabhupada.com/Bhaktivedanta%20Archives%20-%20Vision,%20Goals,%20Activities.pdf.

 

<DD>(Accessed 5.9.2004)

http://www.prout.org/ChapterTwo.html

 

<DD>(Accessed 10.9.2004)

http://www.salagram.net/kalki.html

 

<DD>(Accessed 5.9.2004)

http://www.stephen-knapp.com/a_c_bhaktivedanta_swami_prabhupada.htm

 

<DD>(Accessed 9.9.2004)

http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/encyclopedia/spacarya.htm

 

<DD>(Accessed 6.9.2004)

 

D. Other material

The Bhaktivedanta VedaBase 4.11. Los Angeles: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.

 

</DD>

[suchandra]

 

In my estimation, this is a topic which merits further study and investigation, which is my purpose behind starting this discussion.

 

 

What exactly attracted your attention when reading BHRIGUPADA DASA's article?

May be, "Contrary to popular belief within ISKCON, we have seen that Prabhupada’s prophecy regarding the Golden Age does not seem to have a scriptural source."?

[gHari]

 

Maybe it is to you, but this quote is from a Bhaktivedanta purport, not a direct sastric verse. Bhrigupada's scholarly essay makes it clear that the so-called scriptural support from the Brahma-vaivarta Purana is quite ambiguous, and even questionable. In my estimation, this is a topic which merits further study and investigation, which is my purpose behind starting this discussion.

 

Of course, every little bit helps, and I thank you for your valuable input.

That's nice, yadda yadda yadda, but that Bhagavatam purport sure makes some of those initial theories seem ridiculous. To me, anyway - just more wild fanatacism of children in light of that Bhagavatam purport.

 

If that piece is so scholarly then why did it only take me ten minutes to find a Prabhupada quote that the author missed which completely vanquishes the sentimentalist theories? That don't impress me nohow as 'scholarly', clever or sincere. I just feels like ah bin played for a foo, saying Prabhupada didn't say this and didn't say that, yadda yadda yadda.

 

So we get to the other book of the scholarly treatise. But why - to find out whether the Golden Age starts with Prabhupada or the ritviks or with Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu? That question never even occurred to me. It's prajalpa, a waste of time.

 

So am I trying to second guess a pure devotee of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada, presuming I even know the source of his convictions? I am not that great. If I don't find it here or there still I can make no statements about whether it exists.

 

There is certainly no need to exaggerate the glories of the sankirtana movement. No one can possibly describe its greatness. I would suggest that if you feel difficulty with Prabhupada's words, then forget about it and get on with your devotion - this is all taking you in the wrong direction, unless you plan to stay around hereabouts longer than 9,479 years.

[Vikram Ramsundar]

 

What exactly attracted your attention when reading BHRIGUPADA DASA's article?

May be, "Contrary to popular belief within ISKCON, we have seen that Prabhupada’s prophecy regarding the Golden Age does not seem to have a scriptural source."?

 

The entire text was pretty compelling for me. And for your information, Bhrigupada is an accomplished Sanskrit scholar, in addition to being a practicing Gaudiya Vaishnava, and I am aware of his work outside of this essay as well. Any careful and attentive intellectual would find his article well-researched and rich in ideas. It's a shame that you didn't, which maybe speaks reams about your IQ and/or level of education. I am a qualified finance professional who slugs his butt away in order to earn a living in the real world, and at the same time, have always felt powerfully drawn to the spiritual philosophy that is delineated in the Vedas and Puranas. I surely have little time for such deplorable sarcasm from some clown who has nothing better than resorting to ironic comments instead of trying to contribute in a real fashion to a debate.

[Vikram Ramsundar]

 

That's nice, yadda yadda yadda, but that Bhagavatam purport sure makes some of those initial theories seem ridiculous. To me, anyway - just more wild fanatacism of children in light of that Bhagavatam purport.

 

If that piece is so scholarly then why did it only take me ten minutes to find a Prabhupada quote that the author missed which completely vanquishes the sentimentalist theories? That don't impress me nohow as 'scholarly', clever or sincere. I just feels like ah bin played for a foo, saying Prabhupada didn't say this and didn't say that, yadda yadda yadda.

 

So we get to the other book of the scholarly treatise. But why - to find out whether the Golden Age starts with Prabhupada or the ritviks or with Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu? That question never even occurred to me. It's prajalpa, a waste of time.

 

So am I trying to second guess a pure devotee of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada, presuming I even know the source of his convictions? I am not that great. If I don't find it here or there still I can make no statements about whether it exists.

 

There is certainly no need to exaggerate the glories of the sankirtana movement. No one can possibly describe its greatness. I would suggest that if you feel difficulty with Prabhupada's words, then forget about it and get on with your devotion - this is all taking you in the wrong direction, unless you plan to stay around hereabouts longer than 8,514 years.

 

Just some more nonsensical hogwash from a Prabhupada-onlyite. gHari, I don't recall ever reading a single sentence emanating from you on these forums which was worth the time and effort. You are so predictably insipid, boring and dull, like all those of your ilk.

 

Just so you know, these forums are meant for each and every person who has an interest in Hinduism, and every such individual in entitled to use this site in order to gather further information and thereby become slightly wiser, which is precisely what I am doing. And for the record, I am no devotee but a full-blown materialist who happens to have a religious leaning - I eat meat, take alcohol, love going to the horseraces and I intend on continuing to pursue these activities till I kick the bucket. So, whether I advance in bhakti or not is not an issue as far as I am concerned. I'll leave that to God. If ever he wants me near Him, he shall guide me from within so that I can act in a way that enables me to attain Him. I know enough to permit myself to declare that ISKCON won't be that way, though. So, you can keep your suggestions to yourself. I definitely do not require them.

[suchandra]

 

The entire text was pretty compelling for me. And for your information, Bhrigupada is an accomplished Sanskrit scholar, in addition to being a practicing Gaudiya Vaishnava, and I am aware of his work outside of this essay as well. Any careful and attentive intellectual would find his article well-researched and rich in ideas. It's a shame that you didn't, which maybe speaks reams about your IQ and/or level of education. I am a qualified finance professional who slugs his butt away in order to earn a living in the real world, and at the same time, have always felt powerfully drawn to the spiritual philosophy that is delineated in the Vedas and Puranas. I surely have little time for such deplorable sarcasm from some clown who has nothing better than resorting to ironic comments instead of trying to contribute in a real fashion to a debate.

Dear sir, when proposing a text for discussion it is not enough to just copy and paste it but to also present a compendium what you have understood from this article and in this way highlight what is of importance for you. Is this overcharged to get a feedback what you found of importance in this essay? In this way the readers can relate and get access of what is your understanding?

[Vikram Ramsundar]

 

Dear sir, when proposing a text for discussion it is not enough to just copy and paste it but to also present a compendium what you have understood from this article and in this way highlight what is of importance for you.

 

My apologies, Sir, I will get down to that when I have a little more time. What I don't understand is why folks who have the audacity to preach to others feel the need to utilise irony, sarcasm and personal insults, whether direct or camouflaged, when they are confronted with material that runs counter to what they have been indoctrinated with. Take the example of gHari. The guy is a total loser, and has nothing positive which could be of help to anybody else. What he excels at is to get on his high horse whenever someone who isn't from his "camp" utters something.

[suchandra]

 

My apologies, Sir, I will get down to that when I have a little more time. What I don't understand is why folks who have the audacity to preach to others feel the need to utilise irony, sarcasm and personal insults, whether direct or camouflaged, when they are confronted with material that runs counter to what they have been indoctrinated with. Take the example of gHari. The guy is a total loser, and has nothing positive which could be of help to anybody else. What he excels at is to get on his high horse whenever someone who isn't from his "camp" utters something.

I have to apologize for this, gHari surely knows better. These internet forums sometimes produce kind of misunderstandings due lack of detail information.

But you're right this should not happen. It could result in the situation that in order to go through the whole text, "Srila Prabhupada and the golden age", takes at least half an hour and often when a text is so long online-readers expect to get a summary which is highlighting the essential points - a resume what can be read within 5-10 minutes. Whithout this one might feel having to read a whole book, and long online reading isn't yet so popular.

 

So far, I often hear people saying, where actually is the golden age?

Our planet Earth is presently turned into a pigs toilet by people like they're sitting by democratic vote in the US government, what does it mean, there's a golden age right now? That's what is often heard these days. Humanity is presently getting enslaved by the fallacy of interest based modern banking etc.

[gHari]

 

Just some more nonsensical hogwash from a Prabhupada-onlyite. gHari, I don't recall ever reading a single sentence emanating from you on these forums which was worth the time and effort. You are so predictably insipid, boring and dull, like all those of your ilk.

 

Just so you know, these forums are meant for each and every person who has an interest in Hinduism, and every such individual in entitled to use this site in order to gather further information and thereby become slightly wiser, which is precisely what I am doing. And for the record, I am no devotee but a full-blown materialist who happens to have a religious leaning - I eat meat, take alcohol, love going to the horseraces and I intend on continuing to pursue these activities till I kick the bucket. So, whether I advance in bhakti or not is not an issue as far as I am concerned. I'll leave that to God. If ever he wants me near Him, he shall guide me from within so that I can act in a way that enables me to attain Him. I know enough to permit myself to declare that ISKCON won't be that way, though. So, you can keep your suggestions to yourself. I definitely do not require them.

O I do so bring out the wolf under the sheep's clothing - don't I? Dismantling the facade of scholarship and discussion, laying bare the pool of stagnant aparadha. Thank you, Krsna. That was truly acintya.

 

P.S. I think you meant to say "he shall guide me from within so that I can act in a way that enables" Him to attain me.

[Vikram Ramsundar]

 

O I do so bring out the wolf under the sheep's clothing - don't I? Dismantling the facade of scholarship and discussion, laying bare the pool of stagnant aparadha. Thank you, Krsna.

 

What new could be expected from you, gHari? I wonder if you don't fall asleep when you read your own worthless posts at times. If I were you, I sure would. At least, I have the guts to publicly state what I am. On the other hand, you are a sick, self-righteous, holier-than-thou goody-goody who deserves to be completely ignored and given the silent treatment, nothing less. And that is exactly what I shall proceed to do from now on. Expect no more replies, whether on this thread or any other.

[gHari]

Thank you. You see, you can surrender to Krsna's desire.

[Taipan]

Hello, I am new to this site.

I believe Kali has been preparing us for the golden age by shaking the planet up to knock some sense into us mere mortals.

I am a devotee of Swami Satyananda Saraswati(Bihar School of Yoga). One branch of which is of course Bahkti Yoga. I have only recently learned of the passing of Sri Prabhupada. Some of us work in the body, while others work from the spiritual skies. Let our work glorify his intentions.

[suchandra]

 

What new could be expected from you, gHari? I wonder if you don't fall asleep when you read your own worthless posts at times. If I were you, I sure would. At least, I have the guts to publicly state what I am. On the other hand, you are a sick, self-righteous, holier-than-thou goody-goody who deserves to be completely ignored and given the silent treatment, nothing less. And that is exactly what I shall proceed to do from now on. Expect no more replies, whether on this thread or any other.

some ongoing private slugfest from the past between Vikram Ramsundar and gHari? - feel free to let off all the steam.

[krsnaraj1]

 

What new could be expected from you, gHari? I wonder if you don't fall asleep when you read your own worthless posts at times. If I were you, I sure would. At least, I have the guts to publicly state what I am. On the other hand, you are a sick, self-righteous, holier-than-thou goody-goody who deserves to be completely ignored and given the silent treatment, nothing less. And that is exactly what I shall proceed to do from now on. Expect no more replies, whether on this thread or any other.

 

There`s always truth to the saying that you can`t please everyone!