Shloka 6
कलौ धर्मसुलभता — व्यासोपाख्यानम् एवं संकीर्तन-प्रधानता
मग्नो ऽथ जाह्नवीतोयाद् उत्थायाह सुतो मम व्यासः साधुः कलिः साधुर् इत्य् एवं शृण्वतां वचः तेषां मुनीनां भूयश् च ममज्ज स नदीजले
magno 'tha jāhnavītoyād utthāyāha suto mama vyāsaḥ sādhuḥ kaliḥ sādhur ity evaṃ śṛṇvatāṃ vacaḥ teṣāṃ munīnāṃ bhūyaś ca mamajja sa nadījale
Then, having dipped into the waters of the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā), my son Vyāsa rose and spoke—while those sages listened: “Kali is good—Kali is good indeed.” Saying this, he once again plunged into the river’s stream.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya; the verse reports Vyāsa’s utterance)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Why and in what sense Kali-yuga can be called ‘good’ despite being an age of decline
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Concept: Kali is ‘good’ because, despite moral decline, the means to liberation becomes comparatively easy through simple devotion—especially remembrance and praise of Hari.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Prioritize steady nāma-japa and satsanga; do not despair at societal decline—use the accessibility of devotion as your daily sādhanā.
Vishishtadvaita: Emphasizes grace-accessibility: the Lord responds to even minimal but sincere bhakti, consistent with the Viśiṣṭādvaita stress on prapatti/bhakti as effective means.
Vishnu Form: Hari
FAQs
Vyāsa’s statement highlights a paradox: even in decline, Kali-yuga can be ‘good’ because sincere devotion and spiritual striving can become especially direct and potent amid adversity.
Parāśara frames the account as a witnessed episode among sages, using Vyāsa’s remark to underscore the yuga-cycle’s moral drift while implying that dharma’s refuge remains devotion to Vishnu.
Though not named in the verse, the Purāṇic logic is Vishnu-centered: the yugas change, but the supreme refuge and sustaining sovereignty behind cosmic order remains Vishnu.