FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 12.3.52

कृते यद्ध्यायतो विष्णुं त्रेतायां यजतो मखै: । द्वापरे परिचर्यायां कलौ तद्धरिकीर्तनात् ॥ ५२ ॥
kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ
[krite yad dhyaayato vishnum]
tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ
[tretaayaam yajato makhaih]
dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ
[dvaapare paricharyaayaam]
kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt
[kalau tad dhari-keertanaat]
kṛte — in the Satya-yuga yat — which dhyāyataḥ — from meditation viṣṇum — on Lord Viṣṇu tretāyām — in the Tretā-yuga yajataḥ — from worshiping makhaiḥ — by performing sacrifices dvāpare — in the age of Dvāpara paricaryāyām — by worshiping the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa kalau — in the Age of Kali tat — that same result (can be achieved) hari-kīrtanāt — simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra..
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ
kṛte
in the Satya-yuga
yat
which
dhyāyataḥ
from meditation
viṣṇum
on Lord Viṣṇu
tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ
tretāyām
in the Tretā-yuga
yajataḥ
from worshiping
makhaiḥ
by performing sacrifices
dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ
dvāpare
in the age of Dvāpara
paricaryāyām
by worshiping the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa
kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt
kalau
in the Age of Kali
tat
that same result (can be achieved)
hari-kīrtanāt
simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra..
Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretā-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-yuga by serving the Lord’s lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

A similar verse is found in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (6.2.17), and also in the Padma Purāṇa ( Uttara-khaṇḍa 72.25) and the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa (38.97):

dhyāyan kṛte yajan yajñais tretāyāṁ dvāpare ’rcayan yad āpnoti tad āpnoti kalau saṅkīrtya keśavam

“Whatever is achieved by meditation in Satya-yuga, by the performance of sacrifice in Tretā-yuga, and by the worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet in Dvāpara-yuga is obtained in the Age of Kali simply by glorifying the name of Lord Keśava.”

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has further quoted from the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa concerning the degraded condition of people in Kali-yuga:

ataḥ kalau tapo-yoga- vidyā-yajñādikāḥ kriyāḥ sāṅgā bhavanti na kṛtāḥ kuśalair api dehibhiḥ

“Thus in the Age of Kali the practices of austerity, yoga meditation, Deity worship, sacrifice and so on, along with their various subsidiary functions, are not properly carried out, even by the most expert embodied souls.”

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has also cited the Cāturmāsya-māhātmya of the Skanda Purāṇa concerning the necessity of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa in this age:

tathā caivottamaṁ loke tapaḥ śrī-hari-kīrtanam kalau yuge viśeṣeṇa viṣṇu-prītyai samācaret

“In this way the most perfect penance to be executed in this world is the chanting of the name of Lord Śrī Hari. Especially in the Age of Kali, one can satisfy the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu by performing saṅkīrtana. ”

In conclusion, massive propaganda should be made all over the world to induce people to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, by which human society can be rescued from the dangerous ocean of the Age of Kali.

Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Twelfth Canto, Third Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Bhūmi-gītā.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretā-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-yuga by deity worship, can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting about the Lord. Thus ends the commentary on the Third Chapter of the Twelfth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas. Chapter Four Four Types of Destruction
What meditation gave in Satya, sacrifice gave in Tretā, and Deity service gave in Dvāpara, the mahā-mantra delivers in Kali. We are not at a disadvantage; we have been given the easiest, most powerful method — provided we actually use it.
Reflection Questions
  • Do I really believe chanting can give what those earlier methods gave?
  • What experiment in regular chanting would test it in my own life?
📝 My note

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