In the Srimad Bhagavatam we have the description of the encounter of Pariksit Maharaja, and Kali, who was beating Bhumi and Dharma, in the form of a cow and a bull. Pariksit had the chance of killing Kali, but decided to spare him. Why is it so?

It’s described that Kali, although the most degraded, is dressed like a king, which indicates the situation of Kali-yuga when the most degraded people become the rulers and advance an agenda of exploitation and degradation of society.

It’s described that bull was as white as a white lotus flower. He was terrified of the śūdra who was beating him, and he was so afraid that he was standing on one leg, trembling and urinating. The cow was separated from her calves and her legs were being beaten by a śūdra. There were tears in her eyes, and she was distressed and weak. She was hungry and desiring to get some grass from the field.

Seeing this scene, Pariksit immediately got down from his chariot and addressed Kali:

“Oh, who are you? You appear to be strong and yet you dare kill, within my protection, those who are helpless! By your dress you pose yourself to be a godly man [king], but by your deeds you are opposing the principles of the twice-born kṣatriyas.
You rogue, do you dare beat an innocent cow because Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, the carrier of the Gāṇḍīva bow, are out of sight? Since you are beating the innocent in a secluded place, you are considered a culprit and therefore deserve to be killed.” (SB 1.17.5-6)

At this point, Maharaja Pariksit took his sword and prepared to kill Kali. He was such a powerful king that Kali immediately became hopeless, without the possibility of either fighting or escaping.

Understanding the situation, Kali and immediately abandons his false position and surrenders to the King, begging him to spare his life.

Being not only an honored Ksatriya, but a pure devotee of the Lord, Pariksit is prepared to accept the surrender of a poor person, and thus pardons Kali. He however has to move, since there is no place for his nefarious activities in the kingdom of a saintly king.

Kali is not an ordinary human being, but a subtle entity, similar to a Dhanava or a demigod. However, Maharaja Pariksit was so powerful that he could threaten even such a powerful entity.

Prabhupada mentions that a surrendered soul should be given all protection, even though he may be an enemy. That is the principle of religion. Therefore, since Kali surrendered, there was now the need to give him a place where he could live peacefully. At the time of Maharaja Pariksit, activities such as drinking and prostitution were practically nonexistent, therefore Kali was severely limited. However, now these activities are rampant, and Kali runs free.

When we rigidly follow the four principles, avoiding meat eating, intoxication, illicit sex, and gambling, we become free from the influence of the age of Kali, otherwise, it’s impossible to resist his influence. Therefore, following these four principles is a prerequisite for anyone interested in seriously practicing spiritual life. If we can personally follow these principles, Kali will not have influence in our lives and we will be free to practice Krsna consciousness and advance spiritually. If our whole family follows it, then our house will be free from the influence of Kali and we will be able to live peacefully in family life. If our whole community follows, we will be able to live peacefully with our neighborhoods, and if the whole world follows, there will finally be peace amongst nations.

One could question why Pariksit didn’t kill Kali, since it was clear that Kali would be able to spread his influence sooner or later. The point is that Kali-yuga is part of the cosmic order. There must be a degraded age in the universal cycle so the souls who don’t have the qualification to take birth in the other ages can take their human births and thus have the opportunity to practice Krsna Consciousness. Because we are not able to practice meditation for long periods like people in Satya-yuga, perform perfect yajnas like people in Treta-yuga, or even perform regulated deity worship, like people in Dwapara-yuga, the Lord comes as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to give us a process we can follow. Simply by chanting the holy names, people in Kali-yuga can attain the ultimate success. The doors are wide open.

On SB 12.3.51, Sukadeva Goswami mentions: “My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.”

On SB 1.18.7 it’s mentioned that in this Age of Kali, auspicious things produce good effects immediately, whereas inauspicious acts must be actually performed to render effects.

In previous ages, the standards were so high that people would become contaminated just by the thought of performing some sinful activity, while pious or spiritual activities had to be effectively performed to award results. In Kali-yuga it’s the opposite: we can advance by just desiring to serve Krsna, while we become contaminated by sinful activities only if we physically perform them. Therefore, if we can control ourselves enough to at least not perform gross sinful activities, we can maintain ourselves pure, and we can advance in spiritual life just by the mere thought of serving Krsna and His devotees, what to say about really chanting and doing practical service!

It’s said that in Kali-yuga a wife automatically shares the pious merits of her husband by just loving and serving him, without sharing any of his sins. Similarly, a servant shares the pious results of his master, without having to share the results of his sinful activities. Above all, we can easily attain perfection just by chanting the holy names, even if imperfect. People of other ages don’t have faith that the chanting of the holy names is a perfect process by itself, and therefore they waste their long lives in complicated processes of self-realization that are very slow to act. Only in Kali-yuga, the glories of chanting the holy names are fully revealed by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and we can take advantage of the process.

Because of the chanting of the holy names, even people who are not devotees can hear and chant, or even take prasadam and associate with devotees. In this way, they become purified and become devotees in their next lives. In this way, devotional service gradually spreads, almost like a virus.

If we can practice devotional service and at the same time remain free from the effects of the age of Kali by following the four principles and being serious about our spiritual practice, we can get the best of the two words, enjoying all the benefits of the age of Kali, without being affected by its negative effects. Our goal is thus not to stop Kali-yuga (which would be actually very unfortunate) but to stop its effects by spreading the chanting of the holy names. That’s also what Maharaja Pariksit was trying to do.