Finding Our Lost Happiness- English

Technology advances, gadgets increase, entertainment options multiply yet peace, fulfillment, happiness remain elusive. Insight from the ancient Bhagavata Purana explain how happiness lies within us and how we have lost access to it. This wisdome also provides a practical and potent way by which each one of us can find lasting happiness.

The Vedic literature has prophesised about this present age of quarrel and hypocrisy or the Kali-yuga. The Kali-yuga means the fourth age. There are four different kinds of ages in the vedic timeline: Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Ova para-yuga, and Kali-yuga. Just like there are six seasons, or four seasons in a year, similarly, in one day of Brahma there are one hundred cycles of four yugas. Four yugas means forty-three hundred thousands of years. It is a very long period. That is the duration of four yugas. When one thousand yugas pass, then one day of Brahma-twelve hours are finished. It is a big calculation. Anyway, there are four yugas-Satya-yuga, Dvapara-yuga, Treta-yuga, and Kali-yuga.

In Satya-yuga, the religious principles are followed strictly, cent percent. That is called Satya-yuga. And in Treta-yuga, twenty-five percent reduced. That means seventy-five percent religious principles and twenty-five percent irreligious. And in the Dvapara-yuga, fifty-fifty: fifty percent religious and fifty percent irreligious. And the Kali-yuga, seventy-five percent irreligious and twenty-five percent religious, gradually reducing to nil-no more religion. Then finished. Then there will be devastation. Again Satya-yuga will begin. This is the way of change of Satya-yuga-Satya, Trete, Dvapara, Kali. The duration of Satya-yuga is about eighteen hundred thousand of years. Eighteen hundred thousands of years. Similarly, Treta-yuga, about twelve hundred thousands of years. Similarly, Dvapara-yuga, eight hundred thousands of years. And Kali-yuga four hundred thousands of years. This is the beginning of Kali-yuga. Out of about four hundred thousands of years, we have passed only 5,000 years. Kali-yuga has begun just after the Battle of Kuruksetra. So we have passed only about 5,000 years of this Kali-yuga and 4,27,000 years are still in balance.

The Srimad-Bhagavatam, which was written five thousand years ago by Veda Vyasa , an incarnation of the Lord Himself, pre-dicted the symptoms of the current age of quarrel and hypocrisy or Kali-Yuga. A few of these symptoms are described as:

"With the progress of this age, Kali-yuga, dharma, religious principles; satyam, truthfulness; Saucam, cleanliness; ksama, forgiveness; daya, mercifulness; ayuh, duration of life; balam, bodily strength and smrtih, memory will gradually reduce to nil, almost nil."

"vittam eva kalau nrnam. If you get money somehow or other, then everything is there. You may be a third-class, fourth-class, tenth-class man, but if you get money some way or other, then you are very respectable. There is no question of your culture or aristocracy or education or knowledge. This is Kali-yuga."

"dharma-nyaya-vyavasthayam karanam balam eva hi.

• Author  :A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
• Binding :paperback
• Pages:232 pages
• Publisher: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
• Language: English
• ISBN-9789382716662
• Product Dimensions: 21.5X13.5X1.5
• weight:gram:214