SECTION II.
Parāçara said:—Hear, O highly illustrious one, I shall describe fully what the great Vyāsa has related upon the subject.
Once on a time, the sages assembled and discussed at what season the least morality obtained the greatest reward and by whom it was most easily displayed. In order to terminate the discussion they went to Veda Vyāsa to remove their doubts. They saw the illustrious sage, my son, immersed in the water of the Ganges, and awaiting the close of his ablutions, the sages remained on the banks of the sacred river under the shelter of a grove of trees. As my son plunged into the water and rose up from it the sages heard him exclaim. "Excellent is the Kali age". Again dived he and again did he exclaim in their hearing. "Well done, well done, Sudra, thou art happy". Again he sank down and again did they hear him say "Well done, well done, women, they are happy who are more fortunate than they". After this my son finished his bathing and the sages met him as he approached to welcome them. After they had been seated and offered their respects the son of Satyavati said to them "For what you have come here?" The Rishis said. "Having entertained some doubts regarding a subject we have come here to consult thee; but let that remain at present; explain to us some thing else. We heard you say 'Excellent is the Kali Yuga!' We are anxious to learn why this was said and why you repeatedly called them happy. Explain to us the meaning of it if it be not a mystery. We will then place before you the question that engages our thoughts".
Being thus accosted by the ascetics Vyāsa smiled and said to them "Hear excellent sages, why I said 'Well done Well done!' The fruit of penance of continence, of silent prayer and the like, practised in the Krita age for ten years, in the Treta for one year, in the Dwāpara for a month is obtained in the Kali age in a day and night; therefore I did say 'Excellent, excellent is the Kali age'. The reward, which a man obtains in the Krita age by abstract meditation in the Treta by sacrifice, in the Dwāpara by adoration, he receives, in the Kali Yuga by merely reciting the names of Kesava. O pious and great ascetics, in the Kali age, by very little exertion men attain to exalted virtue and it is for this reason I speak highly of the Kali Yuga. Formerly the Vedas were to be acquired by the twice-Born through the diligent observance of self-denial and it was their duty to celebrate sacrifices in accordance with the ritual. Thereafter, idle prayers, idle feats, fruitless ceremonies were performed, only to mislead the twice-born; for although observed by them devoutly, yet in consequence of some irregularity in their celebration sin was incurred in all these works and what they ate or what they drank did not bring about the fulfilment of their desires. In all their objects the twice-born enjoyed no independence and attained their respective spheres only with exceeding pain. On the other hand, the Sudra, more fortunate than they, attains to his assigned station by rendering their service and performing merely the sacrifice of preparing food in which no rules determine what may or may not be eaten, what may or may not be drunk. Therefore, excellent sages, the Sudra is fortunate.
"Men should acquire wealth by means not incompatible with their religious duties and it should be given to the worthy and spent upon sacrifices. There is great trouble in their acquisition as well as their preservation. And it is equally difficult for them to spend them on pious observances. O excellent Brāhmanas, by undergoing these troubles and other diverse ones people attain to the holy region of Prajāpati. A woman has only to honour her husband in act, thought and speech to reach the same region to which he is elevated and she thus accomplishes her object without any great exertion. This was the meaning of my exclamation ‘Well done' the third time. I have thus related to you what you asked. Now put to me in any way you please the question for which you came and I will make you a clear reply".
The ascetics then said to Vyāsa. "The question that we purposed to put to you has already been answered by you in your reply to our subsequent enquiry". Hearing this Krishna-Daipāyana laughed and said to the pious sages who had come to see him whose eyes were wide open with surprise. "By virtue of my divine knowledge I perceived the question you intended to put to me and in reference to this I uttered the expressions 'Well done! Well done!' In fact in the Kali age duty is performed by the mortals with very little trouble, whose sins are all washed away by the water of their individual piety—by Sudras through the diligent service of the twice-born ones and by women through the slight effort of obedience to their husbands. It is for this reason O Brāhmanas, that I did thrice express my admiration of their happiness; for in the Krita and other ages great were the toils of the regenerate to perform their duty. I did not wait for your enquiry but replied at once to the question you wanted to put. Now what do ye, conversant with virtue, wish me to tell you?"
Thereupon the ascetics saluted and praised Vyasa and freed by him from uncertainty departed as they came. I have also communicated to you. O excellent Maitreya, the secret—this one great virtue of the otherwise vicious Kali age. I shall now describe to you the dissolution of the world and the aggregation of the elements.