Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana Book 1 Chapter 17:17-31

Book 1: Chapter 17

Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 1: Chapter 17: Verses 17-31 King Pariksit subdues Kali Dharma replied : "Such an assurance of protection to the distressed is quite becoming of you, the scions of Pandu, whose hosts of virtues compelled the divine Sri Krsna to accept the (humble) role of an envoy etc., to you (your forbears). Bewildered as we are by the conflicting statements of various thinkers, we know not the person who is responsible for the causes of suffering, O jewel among men ! Some, who deny all difference, declare their own self as responsible for their suffering; others attribute it to Providence; yet others ascribe it to their own doings; a fourth school avers nature to be the cause of suffering; while still others declare God as the bestower of suffering. Some, again, hold that the cause of suffering is something beyond the reach of speech or mind. Now investigate, 0 royal sage, by your own judgement, which of these views is sound." Suta continued : When Dharma spoke in this strain, Emperor Pariksit, SSaunaka, was disillusioned and with a calm mind, replied to him as follows: The king said : You speak what is right, O knower of Dharma (righteousness). Evidently you are Dharma (the god of virtue) in the guise of a bull. (You refuse to tell the name of your persecutor) only because (you know that) the lot which falls to a wrong-doer is also shared by the denouncer. Or the (right) conclusion is that the ways of the divine Maya (deluding potency) are surely beyond the scope of the mind and speech of living beings. In the Krta age (Satyayuga) you had four whole feet in the form of austerity, purity, compassion and truthfulness. Three of them have since been destroyed by the progeny of unrighteousness, viz., pride, attachment and hauteur. Now, O Dharma, you have only one foot left in the shape of truthfulness, on which you are somehow supporting yourself. Yonder unrighteousness in the shape of Kali, however, seeks to rob you of the same, strengthened as it is by falsehood. And this cow is no other than the good mother Earth, whose heavy burden was relieved by the Lord and who was adorned all round by His charming footprints. Forsaken by Him, the holy mother now grieves like an unlucky woman, with tears in her eyes, to think that Sudras who hate the Brahmanas and pretend to be kings will rule over her. Having thus comforted Dharma as well as mother Earth, Pariksit (who was a great car-warrior) drew his sharp-edged sword in order to dispose of Kali, the spring of unrighteousness. Perceiving that the king was bent upon killing him, he threw off his insignia of royalty and placed his head at the king's feet, overwhelmed with fear. The praiseworthy hero (Pariksit), who was kind to the meek and hospitable to those who sought his protection, took compassion on Kali, who had fallen at his feet, and did not slay him, but smilingly spoke thus: The king said : You have no cause for fear when you have joined your palms before us, that have inherited the glorious traditions of Arjuna (who had overcome sloth). But on no account should you stay in my realm, a friend as you are of unrighteousness.