The Gods of Kalyug

When Krishna said, “abhyuthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srijamyaham”, to Arjun, he was not joking. He reincarnated Himself down on earth in Kalyug as well, only in particular kinds of bodies. More than one body. No doubt, enough ammunitions needed to remain handy to properly handle Kalyug and its shenanigans. The embodiment seemed very merit-based at the time, but over time, the arbitrariness became apparent.

Only in this Kalyug, The God represents a coterie of Gods. And, Thank God, because otherwise, the power usurpation would have been beyond control and the pandemonium a regular sight. The Gods definitely maintain order here in Kalyug as well. Read Gods, although Gods have a relation of equivalence with The God of yore. 

Like the basic attribute of God in philosophy, there is also a categorization here: the less God, the lesser God, and the God Himself. The personification of this order is not new and has been carried down from eras before. The Guptas concretized it, or made it popular and then for the pervasive understanding of something as mysterious as God, the categorization became the basis for many interpretations by monks and friars. The system appeared well-tested. Formidable. So why tinker with a well-oiled system when it is already serving the interests of the Gods and these are just the Kalyugis who would be the beneficiaries of change, innovation, new ideas, etc. So, the easier option was to adopt the well-tested system in toto and make it more stringent to serve their interests and concentrate power in their pockets. Kalyug couldn’t be served without that.

From before, where these Gods had their incarnations, The Gods of Kalyug also followed in. This way of understanding had already proven successful in the past, so it became yet another solid reason to perpetuate the augustness of the system. The need was felt to not mess with the perfect system, which was yielding rewards. Following the trend, the God of Kalyug liveried up their dwarapalas (gatekeepers). Further, the assistants (the demi-Gods) were allowed to inhabit the same space with almighty rulers of Vaikuntha (The God Himself) but with a silent vow of obeisance. And, then, these assistants were promised a place in the secret brotherhood of The Gods someday, at a later point in time. The design of the system permitted the dwarapalas to enjoy the bliss of Vaikuntha but for the sake of resolution of Kalyug, the dwarapalas were taught the need to restrict the control in the hands of few and they agreed that it could be a genuine possibility, which could not necessarily be a reality. Sycophancy was adopted as the only currency. For it was the only efficient way to bring about the order. No other option existed.

These Gods roam the earth. They have a code of conduct; they have to work in anonymity. But for it is Kalyug and after applying those few rules from past a little zestfully, they make themselves entirely inaccessible to their devotees. Their admirers. I mean, why shouldn’t they? Kalyugis must be taught lessons. And what better than the lessons of good versus evil. Of course, this inaccessibility and the “what could be behind the curtains” pique the curiosities in their little minds and Kalyugis then agree to pay just about anything to have that one peek of The Divine. Thank God, this price or sum goes directly to the coffers. The Gods have designed these coffers especially for the purpose, otherwise, imagine the spillage. Imagine the ruckus the Kalyugis would have caused and the way they would have brought shame to the construct of the order and dignity of the upholders. So, an arrangement was made to avoid any unnecessary hassles and because these Kalyugis cannot be given the benefits of doubt regarding self-responsibility. After defining ‘fairness’, Gods decided to keep the treasury, with themselves for they are the best judge of expenditure, equality and equity. In all ‘fairness’. So, for extra security, even the coffers are kept away from the peeking eyes.

Meanwhile, the dwarapalas have to face the din, who are always fighting with the devotees, who always want to run down the barricade. These dwarapalas seem like the unnecessary hurdles between the fanatics and their Gods, Kalyugis often complain to the Gods. But, as an extra precautionary measure, they are not told that the dwarapalas were actually posted by the Gods themselves to secure their Vaikuntha. The Kalyugis cannot be trusted. Who wouldn’t do just about anything to meet their God, dwarapalas do understand. But they stand their ground because they are only trying to perform their duties, their holy duty.

These Gods have been here before my birth so to say. I guess when the Kalyug was being transitioned into, these Gods formed the steel structure of the formative phase. Then they studied the environment, the plants, the animals, and they worked out the most efficient way to grace in exchange for the proffering and oblations. They found out that Kalyug was so full of evil, only the evil could cure the Kalyug of its last speck of wrong. The Gods moulded their own conscience and became inwards to conserve all the goodness. They established that no good can come out from within the civilians of Kalyug and they are the only good left behind. Hence, the need to preserve. The rest were then doomed to eternal perdition. And deserving of the stick only.

Surely, for the sake of Kalyugi public who can internalise the notions of nature, world, Karma, God must also have Kalyugi attributes, for they must be able to identify themselves with their Gods. To express familiarity and most importantly, believe, like in the approximation theory of the Christians. They can only believe what their minds can make. The constraints of the petty, finite beings. So the Gods play a colourful movie, high-definition, better than the reality which keeps the finite beings captivated. They give them hope, the expectation, the sight of greener pastures all while they control the breath, the breathing, the life of Kalyugis. Of course, after they had preserved themselves in the cosy bunkers when the apocalypse hit.

Or, this could all be relatively closer to what we saw in the movie Ludo: it is all the making of our mind. The good versus evil, heaven versus hell, the running picture keeps the minions contented for the time being. No opium is, thus, required.

May the God really exist, who shall judge and not let fairness disappear without a peep.