"The Four Legs of Dharma & the Kali Yuga", Satsang with Swami Bhajanananda

Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati begins a new series of discourses on the "Principles of Bhakti Yoga.", followed by arati and kirtan. This class focuses on a story in the Srimad Bhagavatam about the bull of dharma and the cow of Earth being attached by the demon Kali, the personification of the adharma of Kali Yuga. Swamiji reads and discusses chapters 17 and 18 of Skanda I, and then focuses on some important verse given below: ŚB 1.17.24 राजोवाच तप: शौचं दया सत्यमिति पादा: कृते कृता: । अधर्मांशैस्त्रयो भग्ना: स्मयसङ्गमदैस्तव ॥ २४ ॥ rājovāca tapaḥ śaucaṁ dayā satyam iti pādāḥ kṛte kṛtāḥ adharmāṁśais trayo bhagnāḥ smaya-saṅga-madais tava The King (Parikshit) said: "In Satya Yuga your four legs were established as austerity (tapaḥ), purity (śaucaṁ), compassion (dayā), and truthfulness (satyam). But it appears that three of your legs have been broken by adharma in the form of pride (smaya), attachment (saṅga), and blinding passion (madaiḥ)." ŚB 1.17.25 इदानीं धर्म पादस्ते सत्यं निर्वर्तयेद्यत: । तं जिघृक्षत्यधर्मोऽयमनृतेनैधित: कलि: ॥ २५ ॥ idānīṁ dharma pādas te satyaṁ nirvartayed yataḥ taṁ jighṛkṣaty adharmo ’yam anṛtenaidhitaḥ kaliḥ "At present, O Dharma, you are standing on one leg only, which is truthfulness (satyam), and you are somehow or other hobbling along. But Kali, the personification of adharma, is trying to destroy this leg by dishonesty (anṛtena)." ŚB 1.17.38 सूत उवाच अभ्यर्थितस्तदा तस्मै स्थानानि कलये ददौ । द्यूतं पानं स्त्रिय: सूना यत्राधर्मश्चतुर्विध: ॥ ३८ ॥ sūta uvāca abhyarthitas tadā tasmai sthānāni kalaye dadau dyūtaṁ pānaṁ striyaḥ sūnā yatrādharmaś catur-vidhaḥ Sūta said: "Thus petitioned, he (Parikshit) gave Kali permission to reside where there are the four kinds of adharma: gambling (dyūtam), drinking (pānam), womanizing (striyaḥ), and animal slaughter (sūnā)." ŚB 1.17.39 पुनश्च याचमानाय जातरूपमदात्प्रभु: । ततोऽनृतं मदं कामं रजो वैरं च पञ्चमम् ॥ ३९ ॥ punaś ca yācamānāya jāta-rūpam adāt prabhuḥ tato ’nṛtaṁ madaṁ kāmaṁ rajo vairaṁ ca pañcamam "[Kali] asked for something more, and because of his begging, the king gave him permission to live where there is gold (jāta-rūpam), because wherever there is gold, there is also deceit (anṛtam), intoxication (madam), lust (kāmam), cruelty (rajaḥ), and enmity (vairam) the fifth." ŚB 1.17.41 अथैतानि न सेवेत बुभूषु: पुरुष: क्वचित् । विशेषतो धर्मशीलो राजा लोकपतिर्गुरु: ॥ ४१ ॥ athaitāni na seveta bubhūṣuḥ puruṣaḥ kvacit viśeṣato dharma-śīlo rājā loka-patir guruḥ "Therefore, whoever desires their own welfare, those who aspire to be virtuous, kings, public leaders, and gurus, should never encounter these under any circumstance."

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"The Four Legs of Dharma & the Kali Yuga", Satsang with Swami Bhajanananda is an episode from Kali Mandir Satsang by Kali Mandir.

This episode is 136:25 long.

This episode was published on Feb 22, 2026.

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