In this part:

The disappearance of Krsna (The Pāṇḍavas Retire Timely)
Arjuna returns to the palace completely devastated
Krsna leaves the planet, Arjuna is defeated
Krsna leaves
Arjuna remembers the instructions of the Bhagavad-Gita
The Pandavas retire
Kali-yuga starts in force, the Golden Age

Arjuna returns to the palace completely devastated

Arjuna is the constant companion of Krsna. Every time Krsna appears in some universe of this material world, Arjuna appears with Him. They are always together. In the Bhagavad-Gita, when Arjuna asks Krsna how could he have spoken the Bhagavad-Gita to Vivasvan, millions of years ago, Krsna answers that Arjuna was also present when this happened, but he had forgotten, while He still remembered.

“The Personality of Godhead said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!” (Bg 4.5)

Now, facing the separation from the Lord, Arjuna is completely devastated. The inquiries from Maharaja Yudhisthira in chapter 14 just increased his grief. Nor was it possible for him to reply properly, because his voice was completely choked-up.

“Sūta Gosvāmī said: Arjuna, the celebrated friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa, was griefstricken because of his strong feeling of separation from Kṛṣṇa, over and above all Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s speculative inquiries.” (SB 1.15.1)

Suta Goswami describes that due to grief, Arjuna’s mouth and his lotus-like heart had dried up and his body lost all luster. In his commentary, Srila Sridhara Swami adds that Arjuna was wiping away his tears using his palm, and he started to sob. With great difficulty, he finally controlled himself and was able to reply:

“Arjuna said: O King! The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, who treated me exactly like an intimate friend, has left me alone. Thus my astounding power, which astonished even the demigods, is no longer with me.
I have just lost Him whose separation for a moment would render all the universes unfavorable and void, like bodies without life.” (SB 1.15.5-6)

Devotees find solace in the separation of Krsna by remembering His pastimes. He thus remembers how Krsna empowered him to execute numerous superhuman activities and protected the Pandavas in many dangerous situations.

Arjuna remembered several pastimes described in the Mahabharata, like how Krsna empowered him to piece the fish on the ceiling through the wheel of the chariot to win Draupadi in marriage, and then defeat the other princes when they attacked him. He remembered how due to the mercy of Krsna he could defeat the demigods and thus allow Agnideva to devastate the Khāṇḍava Forest, and save the demon Maya Dhanava who took shelter in Him. Maya Dhanava was a great materialist, and the Lord had decided to kill him using his Sudarshana chakra, but he was saved by taking shelter in Arjuna, the Lord’s pure devotee. Instead of killing him, the Lord thus decided to engage him in building a majestic assembly house for Maharaja Yudhisthira. In this way, not only Maya Dhanava was saved, but he also had the opportunity to serve the Pandavas.

“Only by His merciful strength was I able to vanquish all the lusty princes assembled at the palace of King Drupada for the selection of the bridegroom. With my bow and arrow I could pierce the fish target and thereby gain the hand of Draupadī.
Because He was near me, it was possible for me to conquer with great dexterity the powerful King of heaven, Indradeva, along with his demigod associates and thus enable the fire-god to devastate the Khāṇḍava Forest. And only by His grace was the demon named Maya saved from the blazing Khāṇḍava Forest, and thus we could build our assembly house of wonderful architectural workmanship, where all the princes assembled during the performance of Rājasūya-yajña and paid you tributes.” (SB 1.15.7-8)

When Duryodhana made an intrigue, sending Druvasa Muni with his 10,000 disciples to eat at the cottage of the Pandavas when they were in exile, at a time when they were incapable of serving so many guests, Krsna saved them by accepting a piece of vegetable from Draupadi. When Krsna ate it, the sages felt completely full and incapable of eating anything more, and thus they decided to go away without further disturbing the Pandavas.

Once, Arjuna net Lord Shiva in the forest, dressed as a hunter. Arjuna fought with him so valiantly that he became satisfied with him and presented him with his personal weapon, the Pashupatastra. When Arjuna visited the celestial planets, the demigods not only honored him but took shelter in his arms, asking him to kill the demon Nivātakavaca, who was causing them problems.

“During our exile, Durvāsā Muni, who eats with his ten thousand disciples, intrigued with our enemies to put us in dangerous trouble. At that time He [Lord Kṛṣṇa], simply by accepting the remnants of food, saved us. By His accepting food thus, the assembly of munis, while bathing in the river, felt sumptuously fed. And all the three worlds were also satisfied.
It was by His influence only that in a fight I was able to astonish the personality of god Lord Śiva and his wife, the daughter of Mount Himālaya. Thus he [Lord Śiva] became pleased with me and awarded me his own weapon. Other demigods also delivered their respective weapons to me, and in addition I was able to reach the heavenly planets in this present body and was allowed a half-elevated seat.
When I stayed for some days as a guest in the heavenly planets, all the heavenly demigods, including King Indradeva, took shelter of my arms, which were marked with the Gāṇḍīva bow, to kill the demon named Nivātakavaca. O King, descendant of Ajamīḍha, at the present moment I am bereft of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by whose influence I was so powerful.” (SB 1.15.11-13)

Arjuna also remembers how by the mercy of Krsna he was able to cross the great ocean of the army of the Kauranas during the battle of Kuruksetra and defeat great generals like Bhisma, Drona, and Karna. Due to the protection of Krsna, all these great generals couldn’t cause him any harm, even at the most dangerous moment when he had to come down from his chariot to give water to the horses.

Arjuna then remembers his personal association with Krsna and their friendly dealings:

“O King! His jokings and frank talks were pleasing and beautifully decorated with smiles. His addresses unto me as “O son of Pṛthā, O friend, O son of the Kuru dynasty,” and all such heartiness are now remembered by me, and thus I am overwhelmed.
Generally both of us used to live together and sleep, sit and loiter together. And at the time of advertising oneself for acts of chivalry, sometimes, if there were any irregularity, I used to reproach Him by saying, “My friend, You are very truthful.” Even in those hours when His value was minimized, He, being the Supreme Soul, used to tolerate all those utterings of mine, excusing me exactly as a true friend excuses his true friend, or a father excuses his son.” (1.15.18-19)

Krsna leaves the planet, Arjuna is defeated

Arjuna finally describes how he had been defeated on the way by a group of cowherd men armed with sticks, while he was guarding the wives of Krsna, although he was the same Arjuna, fighting with the same Gandiva bow and mounted in the same chariot:

“O Emperor, now I am separated from my friend and dearmost well-wisher, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore my heart appears to be void of everything. In His absence, I have been defeated by a number of infidel cowherd men while I was guarding the bodies of all the wives of Kṛṣṇa.
I have the very same Gāṇḍīva bow, the same arrows, the same chariot drawn by the same horses, and I use them as the same Arjuna to whom all the kings offered their due respects. But in the absence of Lord Kṛṣṇa, all of them, at a moment’s notice, have become null and void. It is exactly like offering clarified butter on ashes, accumulating money with a magic wand or sowing seeds on barren land.” (1.15.20.21)

We can understand that Arjuna could lose his powers after the disappearance of Krsna since the Lord was the source of his powers, and had empowered him to perform a certain mission, fighting in the battle of Kuruksetra and so on. At that point, the mission was already complete, so there was no need for Arjuna to have such power. However, how could this group of infidel cowherds take the wives of Krsna, who were devotees surrendered to Him? Naturally, this was all part of a pastime.

Most of Krsna’s associates in Dvaraka are eternally liberated souls who came with Krsna from the spiritual world. These Yadhus never left the city and just went back to the spiritual world when the city disappeared. They never take birth in the material world, and just become manifest here when the city itself appears. When Dvaraka submerges in the ocean following the disappearance of Krsna, it just means the city and all the associates who live there stopped being visible in this particular universe and manifested somewhere else.

A second group however is composed of the associates who joined Krsna’s pastimes from this particular universe. This group includes demigods who incarnated to take part in Krsna’s pastimes, the celestial ladies and sages who desired to associate with Him, and so on. These were the Yadhus who left the city and participated in the pastime of the disappearance of the dynasty.

In connection with this particular passage of the cowherds kidnaping the wives of Krsna, some of the wives of Krsna were previously celestial girls who were cursed to be kidnaped after attaining Krsna as their husband by the sage Aṣṭāvakra while others were gopis who wanted to become wives, and after finishing this pastime had to go back to their eternal position as gopis in Vrindavana. To accomplish both, Krsna orchestrated this pastime.

This is narrated by Prabhupada in his purport:

“Once the fair denizens of heaven pleased Aṣṭāvakra Muni by their service and were blessed by the muni to have the Supreme Lord as their husband. Aṣṭāvakra Muni was curved in eight joints of his body, and thus he used to move in a peculiar curved manner. The daughters of the demigods could not check their laughter upon seeing the movements of the muni, and the muni, being angry at them, cursed them that they would be kidnapped by rogues, even if they would get the Lord as their husband. Later on, the girls again satisfied the muni by their prayers, and the muni blessed them that they would regain their husband even after being robbed by the rogues. So, in order to keep the words of the great muni, the Lord Himself kidnapped His wives from the protection of Arjuna, otherwise they would have at once vanished from the scene as soon as they were touched by the rogues. Besides that, some of the gopīs who prayed to become wives of the Lord returned to their respective positions after their desire was fulfilled.”

Extra details are given in another passage. After Krsna was hit by the arrow of the hunter Jara, and was sitting under the Banyan tree, Daruka (his driver) appeared there. Krsna told him:

“O driver, go to Dvārakā and tell Our family members how their loved ones destroyed one another. Also, tell them of the disappearance of Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa and of My present condition. You and your relatives should not remain in Dvārakā, the capital of the Yadus, because once I have abandoned that city it will be inundated by the ocean. You should all take your own families, together with My parents, and under Arjuna’s protection go to Indraprastha.”

This group was being escorted by Arjuna to Indraprastha (Hastinapura) when they were attacked by a group of cowherds on the way.

These cowherds were armed with just sticks, but still, Arjuna couldn’t defeat them, despite his best efforts. The power that Arjuna displayed before had left him. Srila Prabhupada explains this on 1.15.5:

“The power and energy which were bestowed upon Arjuna were required for fulfillment of the mission of the Lord, but when His mission was fulfilled, the emergency powers were withdrawn from Arjuna because the astounding powers of Arjuna, which were astonishing even to the denizens of heaven, were no longer required, and they were not meant for going back home, back to Godhead. If endowment of powers and withdrawal of powers by the Lord are possible even for a great devotee like Arjuna, or even the demigods in heaven, then what to speak of the ordinary living beings who are but figs compared to such great souls. The lesson is, therefore, that no one should be puffed up for his powers borrowed from the Lord. The sane man should rather feel obliged to the Lord for such benefactions and must utilize such power for the service of the Lord. Such power can be withdrawn at any time by the Lord, so the best use of such power and opulence is to engage them in the service of the Lord.”

It’s described that Arjuna tried to shoot arrows at the cowherds, but suddenly his bow became too heavy. When using all his strength he was able to draw the bow and shoot a few arrows at the cowherds, they couldn’t even pierce their skin. In desperation, Arjuna tried to hit them using the sides of his bow, but the cowherds just laughed at his attempts. Thus, Arjuna was utterly defeated.

These were not ordinary cowherds, but direct expansions of Krsna. To fulfill the curse of Aṣṭāvakra Muni, Krsna appeared in different forms to kidnap His own wives. After defeating Arjuna, these cowherds took the group and brought them all back to Godhead. Krsna’s wives joined Him in His eternal pastimes, the gopis were brought back to Vrindavana, and His parents and other relatives went to the next universe where He was about to start His pastimes. In this way, the Queens and Gopis rejoined Krsna and at the same time, the curse of the sage was fulfilled.

Arjuna, however, couldn’t understand these cowherds were expansions of Krsna. Sometimes, Krsna performs pastimes that even Lord Balarama can’t understand, what to say about Arjuna.

In this way, after being defeated by the cowherds, Arjuna went back to Indraprastha alone, where he met with King Yudhisthira and narrated to him what had happened. Although Arjuna looked dejected and had tears in his eyes, these were not ordinary symptoms of sorrow, but actually ecstatic symptoms due to the separation of Krsna. Despite the external symptoms, he is fully Krsna Conscious.

The examples given by Arjuna in verse 21, “offering clarified butter on ashes, accumulating money with a magic wand or sowing seeds on barren land” describe how without the sanction of Krsna, all our efforts will be rendered futile. “Men propose, God disposes”. Even a materialist can achieve something only when Krsna empowers him to do so.

As Prabhupada explains in his purport: “All energies and powers are derived from the supreme source, Lord Kṛṣṇa, and they act as long as He desires and cease to function as soon as He withdraws. All electrical energies are received from the powerhouse, and as soon as the powerhouse stops supplying energy, the bulbs are of no use. In a moment’s time such energies can be generated or withdrawn by the supreme will of the Lord.”

Without the sanction of Krsna, nothing will bring results, just like offering ghee to ashes or planting seeds in an unproductive land. Accumulating money with a magic wand is another example. One may perform a magic trick, in which it appears that one is making making money appear, but in reality, no money is being created, one is just manipulating his own money. One may perform thus the same trick over and over, and no new money will appear from it.

Next, Arjuna describes the fate of the other inhabitants of Dvaraka:

“O King, since you have asked me about our friends and relatives in the city of Dvārakā, I will inform you that all of them were cursed by the brāhmaṇas, and as a result they all became intoxicated with wine made of putrefied rice and fought among themselves with sticks, not even recognizing one another. Now all but four or five of them are dead and gone.
Factually this is all due to the supreme will of the Lord, the Personality of Godhead. Sometimes people kill one another, and at other times they protect one another.
O King, as in the ocean the bigger and stronger aquatics swallow up the smaller and weaker ones, so also the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to lighten the burden of the earth, has engaged the stronger Yadu to kill the weaker, and the bigger Yadu to kill the smaller.” (SB 1.15.22-26)

This describes the disappearance of the Yadhus who were incarnations of demigods. These Yadhus left the city after receiving the curse of the sages, under the pretext of performing a sacrifice. After the sacrifice was over they started drinking a liquour made out of rice. Inebriated, they started fighting, first verbally, and then using their fists. Since they were all Ksatriyas, the fight quickly escalated, and soon they were killing each other using bamboo rods. Krsna and Balarama also entered the fight, and thus the whole dynasty was finished. In this way, all demigods could go back to their posts and continue managing the universe.

After seeing the destruction of the dynasty, Krsna sat under a banyan tree, where he instructed Uddhava and Maitreya. This is the conversation narrated in the 11th canto and happened before the conversation of Vidhura and Maitreya narrated in the 4th canto, which in turn happened before Vidhura returned to the palace and instructed Dhritarastra, narrated in the first canto. 🙂 After Krsna finished giving His instructions, the hunter Jara hit Him on the foot with His arrow, giving Krsna the excuse to leave this universe and continue His pastimes in another one. After Krsna left, Dvaraka also disappeared, together with all the eternal associates who stayed in the city. For the people of this planet who observed the events, the city appeared to have submerged in the ocean, but in reality, it just became immanifest after the disappearance of Krsna.

Just like Krsna disappears in one universe and becomes visible in another, Dvaraka also manifests or disappears from the same universes following Krsna.

In his purport to 1.15.34, Srila Prabhupada explains: “The Lord and His eternal associates appeared on earth to help the administrative demigods in eradicating the burden of the world. He, therefore, called for some of the confidential demigods to appear in the Yadu family and serve Him in His great mission. After the mission was fulfilled, the demigods, by the will of the Lord, relinquished their corporeal bodies by fighting amongst themselves in the madness of intoxication.”

Arjuna remembers the instructions of the Bhagavad-Gita

In this mood of deep sadness due to the departure of Krsna, Arjuna remembers His teachings to him when he was in a similar situation, right before the battle of Kuruksetra, when he destroyed all his doubts by speaking the Bhagavad-Gita. By this remembrance, Arjuna’s mind finally became pacified:

“Now I am attracted to those instructions imparted to me by the Personality of Godhead [Govinda] because they are impregnated with instructions for relieving the burning heart in all circumstances of time and space.
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Thus being deeply absorbed in thinking of the instructions of the Lord, which were imparted in the great intimacy of friendship, and in thinking of His lotus feet, Arjuna’s mind became pacified and free from all material contamination.” (SB 1.15.27-28)

In this way, Arjuna gives us the example of how can we deal with difficult solutions in life. Generally, when people are faced with problems they deal with it in two ways: some find solace in hoping that the problems will be eventually solve d and they may be in a better situation, while others, fall into depression and take shelter in different types of intoxication. Arjuna however shows us a third path, which is to take shelter in transcendental knowledge, especially the Bhagavad-Gita, which can be studied at all times, especially in times of need.

As Prabhupada explains in his purport:

“The problem which arose in the heart of Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra was solved by the teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā. Again, after the departure of the Lord from the vision of earthly people, when Arjuna was face to face with being vanquished in his acquired power and prominence, he wanted again to remember the great teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā just to teach all concerned that the Bhagavad-gītā can be consulted in all critical times, not only for solace from all kinds of mental agonies, but also for the way out of great entanglements which may embarrass one in some critical hour.”
“The Bhagavad-gītā begins with the problems of life by discriminating the soul from the elements of matter and proves by all reason and argument that the soul is indestructible in all circumstances and that the outer covering of matter, the body and the mind, change for another term of material existence, which is full of miseries. The Bhagavad-gītā is therefore meant for terminating all different types of miseries, and Arjuna took shelter of this great knowledge, which had been imparted to him during the Kurukṣetra battle.”

The next verses describe the results of applying this transcendental knowledge. Not only does it provide us with a real solution for our life struggles, but it allows us to elevate ourselves to a transcendental position, free from the influence of the three modes. At this stage, we can not only live peacefully. but also easily remember Krsna at the time of death, returning thus to our original position in the spiritual world.

“Because of his possessing spiritual assets, the doubts of duality were completely cut off. Thus he was freed from the three modes of material nature and placed in transcendence. There was no longer any chance of his becoming entangled in birth and death, for he was freed from material form.” (1.15.31)

After hearing that Krsna and the whole Yadhu dynasty had left the planet, Maharaja Yudhisthira decided to also leave, going back home, back to Godhead. He prepared to abandon his royal life and go to the Himalayas by dressing appropriately. He enthroned Pariksit Maharaja on the throne of Hastinapura, and Vajra (the grand-grandson of Krsna) on Mathurā, as the King of Śūrasena. He then formalized his renunciation by executing a Prājāpatya sacrifice and placing in himself the fire for renounced life.

The process of renunciation of Maharaja Yudhisthira is further described in the Srimad Bhagavatam:

“Then he amalgamated all the sense organs into the mind, then the mind into life, life into breathing, his total existence into the embodiment of the five elements, and his body into death. Then, as pure self, he became free from the material conception of life.
Thus annihilating the gross body of five elements into the three qualitative modes of material nature, he merged them in one nescience and then absorbed that nescience in the self, Brahman, which is inexhaustible in all circumstances.
After that, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira dressed himself in torn clothing, gave up eating all solid foods, voluntarily became dumb and let his hair hang loose. All this combined to make him look like an urchin or madman with no occupation. He did not depend on his brothers for anything. And, just like a deaf man, he heard nothing.
He then started towards the north, treading the path accepted by his forefathers and great men, to devote himself completely to the thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And he lived in that way wherever he went.
The younger brothers of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira observed that the Age of Kali had already arrived throughout the world and that the citizens of the kingdom were already affected by irreligious practice. Therefore they decided to follow in the footsteps of their elder brother.” (SB 1.15.41-45)

In this way, the five Pandavas went to the Himalayas to practice devotional service, and thus they went back home, back to Godhead. It’s mentioned that “This abode of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, known as Goloka Vṛndāvana, cannot be attained by persons who are absorbed in the material conception of life. But the Pāṇḍavas, being completely washed of all material contamination, attained that abode in their very same bodies.”

One may question how they could reach the spiritual world in the same bodies. Srila Jiva Goswami concludes in the Priti-Sandarbha that it is because their bodies were not material. Due to their advanced devotional service, the Pandavas were pure to such an extent that their bodies became completely spiritualized.

Kunti also heard when Arjuna spoke about the disappearance of Krsna and the Yadu dynasty, and thus she also prepared to go back to Godhead by engaging in devotional service. This is described in verse 33:

“Kuntī, after overhearing Arjuna’s telling of the end of the Yadu dynasty and disappearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa, engaged in the devotional service of the transcendental Personality of Godhead with full attention and thus gained release from the course of material existence.”

Vidura resumed his pilgrimage and eventually left his body at Prabhāsa, in western India. He left in full Krna Consciousness, but couldn’t immediately go back to Godhead, because he still had a service to perform as Yamaraja. Thus, he was received by the inhabitants of Pitṛloka, and from there reinstated in his post.

Although a paradisiac place, where pious persons live in great opulence, because Pitṛloka is the court of Yamaraja, it is geographically situated at the bottom of the universe, close to the hellish planets. Pious people who are attached to their families have the opportunity to meet their ancestors there and enjoy with them while at the same time observing their descendants on Earth. They can remain there as long as their descendants honor them and offer them food and water (pinda) every year. In other words, pious people can extend their current identities and remain connected with their family members if they can perform their family duties properly and leave pious descendants who can continue the family tradition, remaining pious and honoring their ancestors according to the rules of the scriptures. That’s why in Vedic culture the offerings to the ancestors are considered so important. When this chain is broken, all the ancestors fall from Pitṛloka and the lineage ends.

This is mentioned by Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita when he says:

“An increase of unwanted population certainly causes hellish life both for the family and for those who destroy the family tradition. The ancestors of such corrupt families fall down, because the performances for offering them food and water are entirely stopped.” (Bg 1.41)

In verse 50, it’s described that Draupadi stayed in the palace with Subadra, and they practiced pure devotional service together by remembering Krsna’s pastimes:

“Draupadī also saw that her husbands, without caring for her, were leaving home. She knew well about Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. Both she and Subhadrā became absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa and attained the same results as their husbands.”

Srila Prabhupada gives a very powerful purport on 1.15.50:

“When flying an airplane, one cannot take care of other planes. Everyone has to take care of his own plane, and if there is any danger, no other plane can help another in that condition. Similarly, at the end of life, when one has to go back home, back to Godhead, everyone has to take care of himself without help rendered by another. The help is, however, offered on the ground before flying in space. Similarly, the spiritual master, the father, the mother, the relatives, the husband and others can all render help during one’s lifetime, but while crossing the sea one has to take care of himself and utilize the instructions formerly received. Draupadī had five husbands, and no one asked Draupadī to come; Draupadī had to take care of herself without waiting for her great husbands. And because she was already trained, she at once took to concentration upon the lotus feet of Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. The wives also got the same result as their husbands, in the same manner; that is to say, without changing their bodies they reached the destination of Godhead. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura suggests that both Draupadī and Subhadrā, although her name is not mentioned herein, got the same result. None of them had to quit the body.”

An attentive reader may notice a contradiction between this description and the Mahabharata, where it’s described that Draupadi went with the Pandavas to the Himalayas. Srila Jiva Goswami explains (in his Sat Sandarbhas) that the events described by Vyasadeva in the Mahabharata are pastimes that happened in a different universe, that he could see in his meditation, while the events described in the Bhagavatam relate to the way it happened in this particular universe, 5000 years ago.

The pastimes of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata are eternal and are repeated unlimitedly in different universes. However, the pastimes don’t happen in exactly the same way every time.

Another point is that the Mahabharata is destined for common people, who are not expected to understand advanced spiritual topics, while the Srimad Bhagavatam is a book destined for Paramahansas who are on their way back to Godhead. Is thus expected that the descriptions of both books may differ, as different passages and details are emphasized according to the public they are destined to.

The last verse of the 15th chapter offers us another blessing:

“The subject of the departure of the sons of Pāṇḍu for the ultimate goal of life, back to Godhead, is fully auspicious and is perfectly pure. Therefore anyone who hears this narration with devotional faith certainly gains the devotional service of the Lord, the highest perfection of life.”

Kali-yuga starts in force

It’s described that the same day Krsna left the planet, Kali-yuga became fully manifested:

“When the Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, left this earthly planet in His selfsame form, from that very day Kali, who had already partially appeared, became fully manifest to create inauspicious conditions for those who are endowed with a poor fund of knowledge.” (SB 1.15.36)

The Pandavas received the news of the disappearance of Krsna months after the events had happened, and thus the descriptions of the degradation of the people we studied in the 14th chapter, were observed by Maharaja Yudhisthira when Kali-yuga was already active.

Because in this specific Kali-Yuga Lord Caitanya comes to perform his pastimes and save all the souls, it seems Kali manifested especially strongly in the first 5000 years, advancing his agenda to the fullest extent before the 10,000 years of the golden age of the sankirtan movement could start. We can see that symptoms that are described in the Srimad Bhagavatam for the end of Kali-yuga were already observable in the Middle Ages, and others became common recently.

Observing the current situation of the world we may question how a golden age is supposed to start, especially considering how our movement appears to now be much less powerful than in the times Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was personally present. If a Golden Age didn’t start at that time, how is it supposed to start now? There is an explanation that can make us more hopeful.

It is described that when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was present, all the souls on the planet went back to Godhead due to the influence of His canting. The world was then seamlessly repopulated with a new batch of sols, awakened from the causal ocean, and life continued as if nothing had happened.

The sankirtan movement started by Mahaprabhu was thus concluded with his disappearance, after the deliverance of all souls, and a new sankirtan movement was started from zero with the preaching of Srila Narotama Dasa Thakur, Shyamananda Prabhu, and others, based on the Vani, or the instructions of Mahaprabhu and His associates. This Vani was the seed from which future generations could also get love of Godhead.

From there, things were gradually being built, with the contributions of Srila Bhaktivinodha Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and Srila Prabhupada being added, and the number of advanced devotees on the planet growing.

The sankirtan movement has thus two phases. The first phase started with Mahaprabhu and was concluded with the withdrawal of his manifested pastimes. From there, a new batch of souls started their practice of Krsna Consciousness under the guidance of a new generation of preachers, including a few associates of Mahaprabhu who remained on the planet. These are souls who started their Krsna Consciousness from scratch and are by now practicing for a number of lives, with new souls starting the process at each generation. This wave has been growing since these times, and now becoming bigger, with the millions of people who are currently practicing Krsna Consciousness to some capacity. The older students are guiding the new students, and we may have a few associates of Mahaprabhu amongst us supervising things.

This new movement has beem developing since. As the number of pure devotees increases, it will eventually lead to the 10,000 years of the Golden Age predicted by Srila Prabhupada and the previous acaryas.