Bhakti leads to mukti

The Bhagavata Mahatmya captures the spirit of Kali Yuga whose evil effects are felt by all. People have distanced themselves from God, and though He resides as antaryami in all, He is not recognised.

The Bhagavata Mahatmya captures the spirit of Kali Yuga whose evil effects are felt by all. People have distanced themselves from God, and though He resides as antaryami in all, He is not recognised. The real value of penance, dhyana, yoga, etc, is slowly eroded by the entrenchment of false views and practices.

In a discourse, Sri Dushyanth Sridhar drew attention to the power of bhakti that can easily lead people to mukti in Kali Yuga. This is explained through an allegory. Bhakti is personified as a young woman and she along with her children jnana and vairagya, after wandering over many regions, has come to the banks of the Yamuna. The children jnana and vairagya are lying unconscious beside her and she tries to revive them. Through Divine Will, Narada comes that way. She entreats him to alleviate her distress. She explains that she is Bhakti and the two men are her children jnana and vairagya. It is symbolic of the fact that in the earlier Krita, Treta and Dwapara yugas, people attained mukti through jnana and vairagya. But in Kali Yuga only bhakti can enable one to achieve mukti. She praises Narada for his extraordinary bhakti and piety. His only concern is the well being of all. Did he not instruct Prahlada and Dhruva into the path of devotion? Prahlada listened to his advice and overcame the Maya Shakti and Dhruva attained an exalted position.

Kali Yuga is a combination of good and evil, that is, in this Yuga there is the chance to reap great spiritual benefits even as there are plenty of opportunities to incur its damaging effects. The results which cannot be achieved through penance, yoga, and meditation can easily be earned purely through the devotion to the Supreme Lord in the times of Kali. Bhakti enables one to attain Sayujya with the Lord.