The Yogas

There now suddenly follows a discussion between King Bhadrashva and the sage Agastya on the nature of the four yugas.

In kali yuga, the system of the four varnas (classes) and the four ashramas (stages in life) gets completely destroyed and humanity also moves towards certain destruction. In satya yuga, sattva guna or the quality of goodness, is the predominant quality. In fact, it is the only quality. In treta yuga, sattva guna becomes contaminated with rajas guna, the quality of passion. But sattva guna continues to be more important than rajas guna. In dvapara yuga, rajas guna becomes more important than sattva guna. In kali yuga, tamas guna, the quality of evil becoming dominant and varnas and ashramas getting mixed up, the way to obtain pardon for one’s sins is through meditation, prayers, studying the holy texts, performing sacrifices and giving alms.

But without true devotion, mere sacrificial ceremonies alone cannot lead to the attainment of Narayana. Narayana’s leela is truly wonderful, as the sage Narada discovered on many occasions. (A leela is a fanciful and magical display of divine power.)