Karma, jnana and yoga ineffective in Kali-yuga

The Satya-yuga sages who took up the process of meditation were personally purified by Krsna and given the treasure of devotional service. In the Treta-yuga, the same spiritual success crowned those who flawlessly performed opulent sacrifices to satisfy the Lord. In the Dvapara-yuga, He granted devotion to those who adhered to the path of perfect Deity worship. With the advent of the present age, Kali-yuga, Lord Krsna saw the dreadful condition of the jivas (living beings) and relinquished all hope in the processes of karma, jnana and yoga. People in the Kali-yuga are short-lived, always harassed by disease, and are born with a weak body and mind. The observance of varnasrama-dharma and the cultivation of sankhya philosophy, yoga, and empiricism will not yield the strength humanity needs to redeem itself.

Indirect devotional paths of jnana and karma are intended to lead one to the shrine of devotional service through either the association of saintly persons during philosophical discussions, or by the ritualistic offering to the Supreme Lord of the results of work performed without desire but in Kali-yuga both paths have become contaminated. Genuine saintly persons, now rarely seen, have been displaced by crass, commercial pseudo-spiritualists. Religious duties are no longer performed for purifying the consciousness but for enjoyment of the material results of the rituals. Therefore these secondary paths are no longer beneficial.

The Lord, considering the jivas' welfare, descended in Kali-yuga along with His holy name to propagate the yuga-dharma (the religion of the age). By taking up the yuga-dharma the jiva attains love of Krsna: he has only to remember the Supreme Lord's name (nama-smarana or japa) and chant the Lord's name congregationally (nama-sankirtana).

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Karma, jnana and yoga ineffective in Kali-yuga

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