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AN INSIGHT INTO THE SACRED SCRIPTURES OF THE HINDU FAITH MUNIR AHMAD AZIM HAZRAT MUHYI-UD--DIN KHALIFATULLAH JAMAAT UL SAHIH AL ISLAM AN INSIGHT INTO THE SACRED SCRIPTURES OF THE HINDU FAITH PREFACE Before writing this book, I made a lot of duas (prayers) so that my Creator (that is, the Unique and Absolutely Supreme God – Allah) may guide me, help me and give me Ilm (knowledge) to write about Hinduism, so that many readers and also many Hindu friends of mine can know more about the sacred scriptures of the Hindu faith and also about the exaggerations and misunderstandings which have crept into them over time, Insha-Allah. Munir Ahmad Azim Hazrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al-Khalifatullah Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 07 Rabi’ul Aakhir 1433 Hijri 01 March 2012 ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 2 INTRODUCTION Vedantism, most commonly referred to as Hinduism is one of the oldest religious orders known to mankind. Conservative estimates suggests that it has its roots more than 5400 years ago and the earliest evidence of its civilization has been found at Moherjo Dhero on the banks of Indus in Sindh and Herappa on the banks of the Ravi in the Punjab. In this age, it is one the major religions of the world and although most of its followers are found in India, it commands a following of more than 700 million or 13% of the world’s population. It is however an extremely complex religion to define since it was not founded by any one person but is believed to be a conglomeration of a host of religions that flourished in India over the centuries under the umbrella of a common motherland, the Dharti Ma which Hindus to this day venerate in their lives. THE VEDAS OR THE HINDU DEITIES The Vedas constitute the sacred scriptures of the Hindu faith and these are, once again, not the work of one single person but are believed to have been communicated to the Rishis or Saints by God Himself over a period of thousands of years and they in turn transmitted these to their disciples. However, the first written record of the Vedas appeared in around the 14th century BCE although the earliest of its Mantras or hymns are stated to have been composed around 24000 BCE. Of the four Vedas Reg is the oldest and the next in order is Yajur which is followed by Sama and Atharva each of these consist of two main parts, the first being the Samhitas, a collection of hymns and the second the Brahmanas which are defined as ritualistic precepts to which are also attached the Upanisads. Of this entire collection, those which are supplementary explanations of the revealed scriptures are called Sruti while those which are supplementary explanations which include the Puranas, the eighteen historical supplements and the Upanisads, the 108 philosophical treatises containing secret and mystical doctrine. ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 3 HINDU CULTURE As in every religion except modern Buddhism, the concept of God forms an essential element of its faith. The Vedantic religion itself accepts the concept of an Isvara, a controller and calls its supreme God Paramesvara. Yet, while the Vedas is stated to know of no idols, the Hindu culture recognise 330 million Gods and Goddesses of which Brahman being the first person of the Hindu Triad, commonly referred to as Trimurti, is considered the supreme spirit and the soul of the universe which is present everywhere and in everything eternal as well as infinite. Stated not to be a person, it is believed to manifest itself into actual existence to be called Brahma or Prajapati and regarded as the supreme being; the great and mysterious cause of the intellectual principle; without limit in time or space; exempt from diminution or decay; invisible and imperishable; varying in form but invariable in substance; the chief principle and self engendered who illuminates the caverns of the heart and who is indivisible, radiant, undecaying and also multiform. He is considered the engineer of the universe and creator of everything. In a very interesting account of creation, the Dharma Shastra states that when this universe was enveloped in darkness, Brahman: ‘who is beyond the cognizance of the senses, subtle, indiscernible, eternal, who is the essence of all things, and inconceivable Himself shone forth. He, desiring and seeking to produce various creatures from His own body, first created the waters and deposited in them the seed. This became the golden egg, resplendent as the sun in which He Himself was born as Brahma, the progenitor of the entire world. This egg has been, described in the Visnu Purana as one the “womb of which was composed of mountains and the mighty oceans were the waters which filled its cavity. In it were the continents, seas and mountains; the planets and divisions of the universe as well as Gods, demons and mankind. It is then said that after the creator had inhabited it for a thousand years, the egg burst open and Brahma issuing forth by meditation commenced the work of creation. He first raised the earth which was sunk beneath the water after which he continued his work of creation. The Matsya Purana gives an account of the creation of the first woman and states that Brahma (the creator) “formed from ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 4 his own immaculate substance a female who came to be known as Sarasvati or Savitri and even Brahmani.” There are several other variations and legends in relation to how Brahma came into being. In one such account in the Dharma Shastra, he is stated to have continued in an egg for a period of only one year after which the egg divided into two parts by his mere thought but in the Matsya Purana, the third person of the Trimurti, Siva is credited with being first in existence and of creating Brahma. This particular legend presupposes a creation that formerly existed and proceeds to state that when everything had been destroyed and there remained nothing of the former creation and all was involved in an impenetrable darkness, Maha Kala, i.e.; Siva who pervaded the space all alone: “being desirous of creation, churned his left arm with his right forefinger; whence issued a bubble, which increasing in size became an egg resembling gold, this egg Maha Kala divided with his hand and of the upper part formed the heavens while of the lower half the earth and in the centre appeared Brahma with five heads and four arms to which Maha Kala thus said: ‘through my favour effect creation.’ Having thus spoken, he disappeared!” Brahma is then stated to have considered the manner with which he could accomplish his task and on meditation to his Lord Bhava, i.e. Siva, received the four Vedas which enable him to become the creator. There is however another version of this legend in the Vamana Purana in which Brahma himself and not Siva is stated to have undertaken this task of creating the world once again after it had been destroyed. In this particular legend, Brahma is stated to have reposed in slumber for a thousand years after which he decided to create the world again and his first act was to create Siva. But, no sooner had he done that, a quarrel ensured amongst them in which Siva injured Brahma instantaneously created to extract vengeance for the injury sustained by him. Nonetheless in the Mahabharata and also some other Puranas, Brahma is stated to have issued forth from a lotus that sprang from the navel of the second person of Trimurti, Visnu. In the Padma Purana, Visnu and not Brahma is asserted to be the first cause of everything, who, desirous of creating the whole world himself became ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 5 threefold, i.e. Brahma the creator, Visnu, the preserver and Siva, the Destroyer. These legends which bestow the honour of being the first to Visnu assert that the world was produced from him and it exists in him and he is the cause of its continuance and cessation. Brahma himself is also stated to have been produced by Vishnu from the right side of his body. Nonetheless, in the Brahma Purana in which Brahma is given the name of Apava, i.e. who sports on the waters he is stated to have divided himself into two parts, male and female, from which proceeded Vishnu. While it is positively impossible to reconcile the contradictions contained in these numerous legends, it is not difficult to discern that the most popular view favours Brahma as the Ultimate creator “who generated the Gods and the entire world, and within whom exist the world and the universe!” It is believed that there are two states to him, one with and the other without shape, one perishable and the other imperishable and while the imperishable is the Supreme Being, the perishable is the entire world. It is also stated that the world is nothing more than the manifested energy of Brahma himself. Hence, the Atharva states that in the beginning, Brahma was the universe. He created Gods and having created them, He placed them in their respective places, i.e. Agni, the God of fire in this world; Surya, the God of light in the sky and Vayu or Indra, the God of firmament in the air. He is also stated to have “placed other Gods which are still higher than these three main deities of the universe into higher spheres and bestowed immortality unto all these Gods which were originally mortal.” Thus he is considered without a second. Brahma is represented in Vedic art as a red man with four heads although in the Puranas he is stated to originally have five heads. He is shown dressed in white clothes and riding upon a goose, carrying a staff in one hand and in the other a dish for receiving alms. In some other depictions, he is shown to have four hands and seated on a lotus. The Matsya Purana statutes that the four heads of Brahma were formed when he became affected with love at seeing the beauty of Sarasvati, his daughter formed from his own immaculate substance. He passed a remark at her at whom she turned to the right side of his gaze but since he wished to ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 6 keep looking at her, a second head issued from his body and he was able to continue to stare at her. Sarasvati then passed to his left to side to avoid his amorous glances at which a third head appeared on Brahma’s shoulders. She then walked behind him and consequently the fourth head appeared. And finally, she sprang into the sky but as Brahma was anxious to gaze after her, a fifth head was immediately formed. At this stage, he convinced Sarasvati not to flee from him and he finally espoused her after which the couple withdrew to a secluded place where they dwelt together for one hundred divine years. There is another legend in the Vamana Purana which states that after Brahma had reposed in slumber for a thousand years, he was once again desirous of creating the world which had been formerly destroyed. Therefore, he invested himself with the quality of impurity and assumed a corporeal form with five heads. However, his fifth head was, according to this version, cut off by Siva after they became involved in a personal dispute immediately after Brahma had created Siva as his first act of recreating the already destroyed world. In one version, Brahma’s fifth head is stated to have disappeared when he was asked by the holy sages to declare the true nature of the Godhead and he, under the influence of the demon Mahesha asserted his own pre-eminence at which Narayana, i.e., Visnu challenged him. The two finally resolved to allow the matter to be decided by the Vedas which declared Siva to be the Supreme Being. However, since Brahma refused to accept this verdict, Siva was incensed and from this anger sprang into existence Bhairava whom he commanded to chastise Brahma and no sooner did Bharava receive his orders, he cut off the fifth head of Brahma with the thumb of his left hand. The Mahabharata however states that Brahma, under the influence of intoxication, attempted to seduce Siva’s daughter. Although Brahma is the first person of Trimurti, the worship of Brahma has not been common for many centuries now. This is believed to be a result of a legend in which he is indicted of falsehood and the charge proven against him. ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 7 Hence the Skanda Purana concludes: “Since thou hast childishly and with weak understanding asserted a falsehood, let no one henceforth perform worship to thee!” This curse upon Brahma is stated by the Skanda Purana to have been invoked by his spouse Sarasvati, whom Brahma created from his own immaculate substance. Apparently, Brahma and Sarasvati had resolved to make some sacrifices but when the time for performing these arrived, Sarasvati was detained by some household chores. Since she was not able to immediately repair to the assembly where these sacrifices were to be performed and the priest advised Brahma that without a wife the advantage of these rites could not be accrued, Brahma, incensed with Sarasvati commanded that another wife be found for him immediately. Consequently, a young and beautiful Milkmaid, Gayatri was seized by Indra, the God of firmament and brought to the assembly where she was espoused by Brahma. But, Sarasvati became incensed by her husband marriage and also his false excuses which he made when challenged by her. Therefore she invoked a curse upon him that he may never be worshipped in the future except on one day each year, which apparently falls in the Vedic month of Magh. Yet, she is represented in Hindu art as a fair young woman with four arms seen presenting a flower with one hand to her husband by whose side she continually stands. In the other hand she holds a book of palm leaves which indicates that she is fond of learning. She is shown to hold a string of pearls stated to be the garland of Siva in her third hand and a drum in the fourth while in another depiction of Sarasvati, she is shown as a young woman seated on a lotus playing a Sitar. Sarasvati is herself a deity of some importance in Hindu mythology. She is considered the Goddess of wisdom and science and the mother of Vedas while being celebrated as a river and also a Goddess. She is mentioned along with the other well known rivers, namely the Ganges and Sindhu and in some ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 8 passages of the Hindu scriptures, she is said to surpass all other rivers. In other verses she is called upon to descend from the sky or the great mountain to the sacrifices. She is regarded as a patroness of ceremonies which are celebrated on the banks of the sacred and holy rivers and her directions are sought and blessings invoked as an essential to the proper performance and success of these ceremonies. Sarasvati is also believed to afford protection for the worshippers and hence is supplicated to secure the same for them. Her blessings are invoked upon along with the other deities known to Hindu mythology. Although she is shown to be a person of incredible temper and colossal anger who, incensed with her husband marriage cursed Brahma for marrying Gayatri; Indra for bringing the milkmaid to him; Vishnu for giving Gayatri in marriage to Brahma. Agni for being instrumental in performing the marriage rites; the Brahmans and priests for conducted the marriage; Lakshmi and Indrani for deciding to return to the assembly hall after leaving with her in the first instance. Sarasvati is also shown to be a person whose anger subsides with little persuasion. She like her husband, she too is worshipped once a year only, as a goddess of learning. Vishnu is represented in Hindu art as a black man with four arms – holding a club in one hand; a shell in another; a chakra with which he slew his enemies in the third and a lotus in the fourth. He is shown dressed in yellow robes and seen to be riding in the bird Garuda. He is believed in Hindu mythology to have been the subject of numerous incarnations and is stated to manifest himself in this world whenever the wickedness of its inhabitants becomes unbearable to the Gods at which time he discards his invisible form to help and protect the Surahs, i.e. Gods against the asuras, i.e. demons and after he has put the conditions right, he returns to the heavens. There is however, a legend in the Matsya Purana, which states that the result of a curse invoked upon him by Brahma’s son Bhrgu for the murder of his wife whom Vishnu slew while she assisted the demon against Indra. The Satapatha Brahmana gives an account of Vishnu earliest incarnation during Satyayuga or the age of truth in the form of a fish, Matsya, which appeared to Manu, allegedly the progenitor of the human race, while the ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 9 ancient sage was performing ablution from a pitcher. In one account from the Vishnu Purana, Vishnu, the Boar who raised up this earth which was formerly immersed deep down in the ocean while in another he is stated to have become incarnate as the tortoise Kurma when the Gods were in danger of losing their authority to the demons and hence sought Vishnu’s assistance. The Vishnu Purana also describes the incarnation of Vishnu as Nrisingha, half man and half lion, who slew the Haranyakasipu, the demon whose death was desired by both, the Gods and men because of the great excesses which Haranyakasipu perpetrated after having been given immunity from being slain by any created being. Krishna, the hero of the Bhagavad Gita is also generally believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu. He is said to have appeared during the third age of Dvapara-Yuga to assist his friend and devotee, Arjuna, against the tyrant king, Kansa – the illegitimate son of the king, of Mathura’s beautiful but barren wife who had been beguiled by a demon who assumed the shape of her husband. However, there is a difference of opinion regarding Krishna – whether he has an incarnation of Vishnu or whether he was the supreme deity himself. Krishna is claimed to be the supreme deity on the basis of an argument that Balrama, who was present in this world at the same time as Krishna, was in fact an incarnation of the serpent Sesha, who in turn was a part of Vishnu. Others argue that Kamadeva, the son of Krishna and his wife Rukmani was an incarnation of Vishnu and therefore Krishna had to be the supreme deity himself. While these incarnations of Vishnu are recorded as events of history, it is also believed by the Hindu people that Vishnu shall appear, at least once again, in this world as Kalki to end the wickedness during that age of Kali Yuga to establish a kingdom of righteousness and peace in the world. ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 10 THE LIFE OF KRISHNA However, no reliable records are available of this remote period and as a result we find the personality of Krishna obscured by fables and hearsay. It is almost impossible to penetrate the layer upon layer of myths surrounding the name of Krishna to ascertain his true character. Even so I shall endeavour to reveal a glimpse of the authentic personality of this great man. The Genealogy of Krishna is as follows: (1) Jagati had a son, Jodu by name. (2) Jodu’s son Debamita (also called Debamiroosh) had two sons; one was called Shur (whose mother was Khatriya), the other was called Parjanya (whose mother was Vasya). Parjanya had a son Nanda who later taught Krishna. (3) Shur had a son called Basudeba and a daughter called Pritha (also known as Kunti). (4) Basudeba had two wives who were sisters; one named Deboki who bore him a son who we know as Krishna and the other wife, Rohini bore him a son called Balram. Krishna was not the name given at birth to the man we know by it. It is derived from the word Krish which, in Sanskrit, means to plough the land. There is also another meaning which is to attract something towards oneself. Just as a farmer first prepares the land and then sows the seeds, the spiritual leaders prepare the hearts of men and women and then sow the seeds of divine love to attract the people to God. So it can be assumed that it is such spiritual leaders who are entitled to be called Krishna, which is a qualitative name. The real name of the person we know as Krishna in history was Kanai, we shall use both these names for the same person in line with accepted convention. It is related that Brahma had foretold about Krishna. “After a while having heard a voice from heaven, Brahma said, God is aware of the danger faced by the world even before anyone spoke to him about it. The saviour will soon be born in the household of Basudeba and will release the world of its crushing burden.” (Bhagobat Puran 10 \1\1417) ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 11 It is believed that Krishna came for the salvation of good people and for the uprooting of the wicked people. The Mahabharat says: “It is important to destroy evil-minded people who want to wipe out religion and to promote Godlessness.” (12\33\30). In the time of Krishna addiction to drinking was prevalent amongst the people, so much so that he issued an edict against drinking and the production of intoxicants. It is also known that Krishna’s greatest opponents were amongst his own relatives. In Krishna’s life-time the majority of people did not accept him as the apostle of God and as a result Krishna was forced to migrate towards Dwarka. Some scholars think Krishna was against the Vedas, but the fact is that he was not against the original or genuine Vedas. He was only against that version of the Vedas, which comprised man made interpolations. He was against the distorted form of religion, which passed under the name of the Vedas. His mission was to distinguish truth from falsehood, to separate pristine religion from fake religion. The demonic characters of Krishna’s time had little faith in the establishment of a just society based on true religion under the supreme Lord, God.” (The Gita 16\8) Krishna never claimed God-head for himself and it is clear from Hindu literature that he was just a mortal like other men (ibid. 6\66\8, 9). He had parents, wives, offspring and other family and was governed by the laws of life and death (ibid. 16\4\21). Krishna is known to have had several wives and among them, two were his cousins, namely Bhadra and Mitrabinda. The names of some other wives were: Ruksimini, Kalindi, Satya, Jambabbati, Rohini, Lakshana, Satyabhama and Tanni. From another source we learn the names of three more wives, Nagnajiti, Shaibasudatta and Madrisubhima. In short we can say that he was a mortal human being, but he was the ideal man of his time (Mahabharat 6\66\102). Krishna did not come to found a new religion. He believed in the everlasting religion. He was a preacher and a determined champion of true religion. He is said to have preached the ever-lasting religion, and there is hardly any difference between the truth and the ever-lasting religion. Truth is God and God is truth (ibid, 12\162\241). For him religion was the proof of man’s human ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 12 nature, while man devoid of religion was no better than an animal. It should be noted that the word ‘Hindu’ was originally used to describe the inhabitants of the area and was not the name of the professor of a particular religion as it has come to mean today. The word Hinduism became attached to a particular set of beliefs much later than the advents of Krishna, later even than the Gautama Buddha (approx. 500 B.C). Krishna did everything enjoined or prescribed by the scriptures. He used to get up every morning at dawn at a point of time called Brahma-Muhurta in Sanskrit (the period of 48 minutes immediately preceding sunrise which is similar to the time Muslims call Fajr in Arabic). He washed his face and hands (which is similar to the ablutions of Muslims before daily prayers) and engaged in meditation, thinking of his creator, the great soul who is unique, who is light and absolutely pure (Subhan in Arabic). From time to time Krishna used to bathe in fresh water in the evenings, put on a clean dress and engage in worship (Bishnu Bhagobat Puran). It is also reported that he used to leave his bed in the middle of the night (Tahajjud time for Muslims) to worship his lord (The Mahabharat 12\53\1-2). It is worth noting that the Sanskrit word Brahma means big, for which the Arabic work is Akbar and Al-Akbar meaning the biggest, is an attribute of God. (The Muslim call to prayer begins with Allah-O-Akbar – God is the greatest). It is also reported that Krishna used to pray to God for a son, having good looks, strength and valour like himself, and who would be austere and highly learned in the scriptures (Haribangsha 3\93). It is common for God’s apostles to pray for a gifted son. Krishna is said to have died at that age of 101 or 105 years. ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 13 ALLEGORICAL STORIES OF KRISHNA’S NATURE It is reported that Krishna used to snatch the clothes of maidens called Gopis and used to have fun and games with them in water. These Gopis are commonly understood to be female cowherds. This story has been given wide currency through the paintings of religions artists. However, it seems likely that such reports were allegorical ways of communicating ideas and precepts which were later taken too literally. The term Gopi is derived from the word Go, which in Sanskrit means the world and those who try to save the world are called Gope (Masculine gender) and Gopi (feminine gender). Since Krishna was the guardian of these Gopis he was termed Gopal. Those who recognised Krishna as an apostle of God are called Gopi. Among the Gopis the most important was one called Radha or Radhika. A prominent Hindu, Swami Vivekananda said: Radha was not of flesh and of blood. Radha was froth in the ocean of love. Krishna is said to steal the clothes of maidens while he was seated in a tree. A tree is a symbol used for speech and words. A good word has been likened to a fine tree in Arabic. (Shajaratan Tayyebatan). Nowadays it has become fashionable among young people to sprinkle colour and dyes on each other on a certain festive occasion in commemoration of a colour game supposedly played by Radha and Krishna. On the occasion of Holi and Dole Puja such fun and games are played extensively in quite a childish manner. Instead of imitating the good qualities of Krishna, people seem to engage in such meaningless activity. ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 14 KRISHNA’S FLUTE The messengers of God come to the world to play the tune of divine love on their flute or to sound the trumpet of judgement. A flute has no tune of its own; its tune is exactly that of its player. Apostles are just like flutes in the hand of God. God propagates his tune through them. A flute cannot play by itself. The world hears God’s sacred music through the flute-like apostles. Lovers of God are drawn irresistibly to the tune of the flute, so much so, that they even give up their homes and friends. Sometimes they even sacrifice their lives. It is regrettable that some simple minded people or those who are over impassioned do not appreciate the gravity of these spiritual values and make ridiculous assumptions into fairy stories. They portray Krishna as a lad with a bamboo flute in his hand. In some pictures Krishna appears as an immature boy by the side of a voluptuous Radha. It is alleged that the sinless boy who does not appear to have acquired any knowledge of love and sex, has had great fun with Radha, to which act they have given the term Krishna Leela. It is probable that the artist who first portrayed Krishna as a lad wanted him to be remembered as a handsome innocent being, but that artist’s impression got spoilt through later interpretation. It is to be noted that Krishna had nothing to do with idol worship. One cannot find any statement implying that Krishna supported worship of idols, throughout such books as the Mahabharat and the Haribangsha. He himself worshipped the formless Brahma and praised and prayed to the Almighty who is the light of the heavens. He never beseeched any idol for a son but addressed his prayer for a glorious son to the creator. In some pictures of Krishna, made by artists out of their imagination, one notices a circular ring like object on the index finger. Often the index finger is raised when a speaker wishes to stress a logical point. So it is most likely that the ring like object shown on Krishna’s index finger indicates his use of logic in the course of his preaching which destroyed all falsehood. Through his clear logic and powerful proofs he put wickedness and evil to rout. In short, the ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 15 beautiful face of Maharaj Krishna is today covered with a welter of ugly symbolism which is a travesty of truth. KANGSA AND PHARAOH There are some similarities in the life of Krishna with that of Moses. Before Krishna’s birth king Kangsa had decreed that all the sons of Deboki be put to death. Pharaoh had similarly decreed that all the sons of Israel be killed. Now, when Moses was born he was placed in a basket and floated on a river and this act led to his deliverance. Krishna in his infancy was taken across a river for safe keeping. Moreover, both Moses and Krishna grew up in an environment away from their respective homes. Each of these great historical figures faced powerful adversaries who in the course of time, were destroyed. THE RE-ADVENT OF KRISHNA Krishna had declared that he would come back to this world again and again, whenever the necessity arose, to ensure the salvation of the good and the destruction of the wicked ones. The spirit of this declaration is that whenever demonic forces in the form of wicked men have grown in power on this earth bringing evil, injustice, corruption, exploitation, i.e. sin has engulfed every sphere of life, a saviour in the form of a man has invariably appeared in the world (Kalki is coming by Jagatlaha, published from 82 Mahatma Gandhi Rd. Calcutta p.3). The same writer goes on to say: “Another saviour is expected soon. He will be called ‘Kalki Deb’ the latest apostle. He will destroy the world which is full of sin, corruption, injustice, cruelty and exploitation and bring about a revolutionary change in the world. The new civilisation would be called ‘Satyajug’ in which peace, order and justice would be permanent and a real golden age of life on earth would be established. This juncture of history is just around the corner.” (ibid. p.6) The Mahabharat says: In that age (Kaliyug) the Brahman will not follow his religion. The Khatri and Vasya people will be involved in unrighteous activities. The Sudras will be addressing the Brahmans without due respect while the Brahmans will be addressing the Sudras with extraordinary respect. Good conduct and meritorious deeds will be rare. Prostitutes and vagabonds ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 16 will be seen in large numbers on the main streets of the cities. Rains shall not come on their due time...” (Bonaparba chapter 199) There are many other signs of the Kalijug given in the same book such as: Women will not cover their heads, girls will disobey their own husbands, and people will not have to take the trouble of finding husbands for their daughters and formally handing them over in a marriage ceremony. Girls will not bother about parent’s permission for marriage. The rulers will not be concerned about religion. Nobody will accept anybody else’s advice. No one will recognise another as teacher or guide. People will eat new-fangled foods at various locations and deception during business transaction shall be commonplace, and so on. According to the Haribangsha: Pupils will not respect their teachers, rivers will be dammed. There will be fierce wars, disastrous storms and excessive rains. People will hate each other and try to harm each other. Roads will be full of robbers. Maidens will comb their hair with special care and wear a lot of ornaments. In those days most people will write poetry, will dine sitting in the same place. Alcohol and meat will become fashionable. Arrogance based on wealth will be greater than normal. The Brahmans will exchange the Vedas for money... (Bhabishy Parba, the destruction of Kalijug and the sketch of Satyajug). There is hardly any doubt that the present is the Kaliyug. In this age the Hindu Pundits are expecting the second coming of Krishna. The Delhi based newspaper ‘Tej’ say: There is a greater need of the birth of Sri Krishna today than it was in the days of the Mahabharata. If the promise made by God in the Bhagobat Gita is true than the present age needs an Avatar most. So please Lord Krishna come, be born, ride this world of impurity and establish religion. (The Tej, dated 18 Aug. 1930) In another book we find these words, “Lord listen to the waiting of your hapless children and do come.” (Shudarshan Chakra, dated 29 Aug. 1928, p.25) A Pundit writes in the Allahbad based newspaper the Satyayug: ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 17 “Whenever the world passes from one age into another there are always momentous changes when the sun and the moon shall be brought together (special type of solar and lunar eclipse will take place) then Satyajug shall commence.” Some Pundits say, “this event will occur in the month of Sraban in the year of 2000 of Bikrami calendar and it will mark the beginning of Satyajug and the end of Kalijug.” WORLDWIDE ROLE OF KRISHNA IN HIS SECOND ADVENT The eleventh chapter of the Gita has been called that chapter describing the world-wide role of Krishna, who was the guide of Arya Bharat in his time. However, it has been said that when he will reappear in the latter days he will be called Kalki, the Ruler of the world. This means that his mission would be of global dimensions in the latter days. He will be a thousand times greater than the Krishna of the earlier age. When Krishna’s cousin, Arjun, who was also his close friend, asked him for a glimpse of the global form of Krishna he was told: “It is not possible to see the global form of Krishna with physical eyes. For that you need the ability that is called insight or heavenly revelation!” Arjun was fortunate to see that global form of Krishna in an extraordinary flash and he described this experience in words to this effect that if a thousand suns simultaneously burst forth with their powerful lights only then they could create the kind of luminosity which will accompany that of Krishna’s global from. Again Arjun follows: “The whole world has brought together all of its far-flung parts within the effulgence of the global form of Krishna.” This is to say that when Krishna will embark upon his worldwide mission he will be instrumental in bringing the nations of the world together. In short he will become the ruler of the entire world. In the ancient book, the Kalki Puran, also, Krishna has been said to possess the effulgence of a thousand suns (3\19\22). ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 18 Many followers of Krishna use the foregoing description to illustrate that he was God. But it can be shown from the Gita that this was not so. God is not born. He is the Lord of everything (Gita 10\3) all of us know that Krishna was subject to birth and death. The Kalki Avatar has also been termed as the remover of sins (ibid. 3\6\32). He will be like a moon presiding over a group of men as stars (ibid. 3\19\14). If one is buried in his village near his feet, after having accepted him and lived according to his teachings such a person shall be rid of his sins and shall attain salvation (ibid 3\18\4). This means that his sincere followers who qualify to be buried in a specific plot of land, having made significant sacrifices for the sake of religion are sure to attain to paradise. ©2012 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam 19