Kali Yuga is fraught with evil and it is difficult for people to practise worship and adopt a pious way of life. Vyasa wrote the Bhagavata Purana with the aim of providing the people of Kali Yuga with a text that would be a source of solace and a guide to work out their salvation even in this harsh Yuga through the path of bhakti, said Sri Kesava Dikshitar in a discourse. In it, there are many hymns in praise of the Lord sung with fervour by devotees such as Kunti, Bhishma, Dhruva, Prahlada, Markandeya and many others. These hymns extol the infinite compassion of the Lord.
For instance Kunti recalls with gratitude the numerous ways in which Krishna has helped the Pandavas throughout their life. Bishma is moved to behold the Lord during his last moments and bursts forth into an emotional eulogy of Krishna. It is not just Kunti or Bishma, but every jivatma who is a recipient of His grace. But sadly, one is not aware of it. This awareness is also conferred by His grace and then one sees the extent of one’s indebtedness to the Lord. Then one is absolved of egoistic tendencies, and stirred by bhakti that is expressed as worship of the Lord, chanting His names and meditating on Him.
But the evil forces in Kali Yuga tend to work against the devout and can easily dislodge feelings of bhakti in many ways. For it is always easy to fall into evil ways and lose this precious awareness of Him. Did not the celestial gatekeepers Jaya and Vijaya, who enjoyed the special privilege of serving Him in proximity in Vaikunta, lose this good fortune owing to a curse and had to suffer separation from Him through three successive births? So, one has to turn to God alone for conferring resolute and steadfast bhakti towards Him so that one always holds Him in one’s heart.
