No Kalki Avatar in this Kali Yuga

by Srimati Jadurani devi dasi [Syamarani didi]

I first met Srila Narayana Maharaj about seven years ago, at the Rupa Sanatana Gaudiya Math, his temple near Seva Kunja in Vrndavan. Since that time I'd always strongly felt Srila Prabhupada's presence when ever I met Srila Maharaja. His answers to any of my questions seemed as brilliant and astounding as those of Srila Prabhupada, and everything he said gave me new insight into Srila Prabhupada's books. After several meetings with him, therefore, I was so overwhelmed that I asked him, "Can I understand that when you tell me something, that it is Srila Prabhupada telling me through you?" With a soft smile he answered, "if you have got that faith." And daily my faith became stronger and stronger.

One thing he said, however, I couldn't reconcile. Srila Maharaja mentioned a few times that in this age of Kali, Kalki avatar doesn't come. Maharaja would quote Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, who had said that "because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came in this particular Kali Yuga, this Kali Yuga is called Dhanya Kali, blessed Kali." Although in other Kali Yugas Kalki does come, in this one He doesn't. On one hand I had no doubts in Srila Maharaj, but on the other hand I still could not reconcile the apparent difference in Srila Prabhupada's statement. For years I had been hearing the cassette tape of Srila Prabhupada singing "Sri Dasavatar-Stotram" by Sri Jayadeva Goswami, " Kesava! dhrta-Kalki-sarira jaya jadadisa hare." Then, in his purport to the song, Srila Prabhupada had explained that at the end of Kali Yuga there will be no preaching because people will be too degraded and sinful to understand Krsna Conscious philosophy. So Kalki comes, not to preach, but to kill all the sinners and usher in the next Satya Yuga. In a humble way I told this to Srila Maharaj and he answered, "Not in this Kali Yuga. He won't come. But if he comes, no harm; he will be raising his arms and chanting 'Hari Bol! Hari Bol!' in Mahaprabhu's sankirtan movement."

So I let it go. I had faith in both Srila Prabhupada and Srila Maharaja. Diksa Guru and Siksa Guru are one. Srila Prabhupada is both my diksa and siksa guru and Srila Maharaja is my siksa guru. I knew that when Srila Prabhupada wanted to, he would show me how to reconcile the apparent contradiction. Later, in studying one of our Gaudiya Vaisnava songs, Ke Jabi Ke Jabi Bhai, by Srila Locan dasa Thakura, I read, "dhanya kali-yugera caitanya-avatar," that is, Sri Caitanya-Avatara is the good fortune (dhanya) of this Kali Yuga (He does not come in every Kali Yuga. He comes as the Yuga Avatara of Kali Yuga only once in a day of Lord Brahma, that is, once every 2,000 Kali Yugas.) This convinced me, but still, I had a desire to hear more from Srila Prabhupada himself, since according to my memory, I'd previously heard the opposite from him.

Then, about two months ago, on a casual reading of Caitanya Caritamrta, I found it in Madhya Lila chapter six, in the discussions between Sarvabauma Battacarya and Gopinatha Acarya. Srila Prabhupada was quoting Gopinatha Acharya, "in this age of Kali there is no lila avatar of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore He is triyuga.

That is one of His holy names." In the purport, Kalki is mentioned as the last of the twenty-five Lila Avatars. At the end of the purport, Prabhupada wrote: "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is not mentioned as a lila avatar because he is an incarnation in disguise (channa avatar). In this age of Kali there are no lila avatars, but there is an incarnation of the Lord manifested in the body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This has been explained in Srimad Bhagavatam."

At this point I turned to Srimad Bhagavatam, first canto chapter three. There Prabhupada had written that Kalki will come after 427,000 years. Did that mean Srila Prabhupada contradicted himself?. No, of course not. Everything is reconciled. Kalki (and all other incarnations) come in the body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This is confirmed in Caitanya Caritamrta (Adi Lila 4.5-16). These verses explain how, just as all incarnations come in Krsna's body when he descends, so Lord Caitanya, is also Krsna Himself, and the same applies to Him "When the complete Supreme Personality of Godhead descends, all other incarnations meet together within Him."

There were many other instances where I could understand by Srila Narayana Maharaja's association that I had so little understanding of Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Maharaja has been giving me a deeper understanding. He is always showing me the glory of Srila Prabhupada, that he is coming in the line Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, Srila Locan dasa Thakur, Sri Krsna das Kaviraja, Srila Rupa Goswami, and ultimately Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who came to give what no other incarnation or acharya gave for a long time--since the last time Lord Caitanya came--in the previous day of Brahma.

Even with Srila Prabhupada's words in front of me for the last thirty-two years, being a conditioned soul, I can not understand him fully. Of course, "it takes one to know one." Only a Maha-bhagavata can understand the mood and siddhanta of another Maha-bhagavata. And only he can help the conditioned souls understand.

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