Definition of Kaal

Minutes to read.

In the Holy Vishnu Puran (First Part), Chapter 2, Verse 15, it is described that the primary form of Lord Vishnu (Kaal in the form of Maha-Vishnu) is "Purush" (God-like), but his supreme form is "Kaal" (Time/Destruction). When Lord Vishnu—who resides in Brahm-lok as Maha-Vishnu and keeps Nature (Prakriti, i.e., Durga) as his wife in the form of Maha-Lakshmi—separates from his Nature (Durga), he manifests in the form of Kaal.

(This context is from Vishnu Puran, First Part, Chapter 2, Pages 4–5, published by Gita Press Gorakhpur; Translated by Shri Munilal Gupta.)

Special Note: The purport of the above description is that this Maha-Vishnu, or Kaal Purush, appears at first glance to be a merciful God. For instance, he has provided delicious grains, dry fruits, and fruits to eat; life-giving milk and water to drink; fresh air to breathe; and a vast earth to live and roam upon. The union of husband and wife and the blessing of sons and daughters make it seem as though the Lord of this realm is very compassionate.

How is Maha-Vishnu’s actual form "Kaal"? Consider the death of someone’s son, someone’s daughter, or someone losing their entire family in an accident. In some areas, thousands die in floods, and in others, millions perish with their families in earthquakes. In this way, the real form of this Vishnu (Jyoti Niranjan in the form of Maha-Vishnu) is Kaal. Due to a curse, Jyoti Niranjan (Kaal Brahm) consumes one lakh human-bodied beings daily. Therefore, he uses his three sons—Rajgun Brahma, Satgun Vishnu, and Tamgun Shiva—to carry out the processes of creation, preservation, and destruction.

An Analogy

When His dear disciple Shri Dharmadas Ji asked about the status of Kaal, Supreme God KavirDev (Kabir) explained it using an example:

A butcher rears goats. He arranges fodder and water for them and provides shelter to protect them from heat and cold. Those innocent goats think, "Our master is very kind; he takes such good care of us." When the butcher approaches, the male and female goats, viewing him as their benefactor, jump up to touch him or lick his feet to show affection. The butcher pats their backs and feels them, and the goats think he is expressing love. However, the butcher is actually checking how many kilograms of meat the goat has put on.

When a customer arrives for meat, the butcher does not care whose father, daughter, or son is dying, or if an entire family is being destroyed. His sole purpose for providing comforts was to prepare them for slaughter. Similarly, all living beings performing the worship of Kaal (Brahm) ultimately become his food. The method to escape this is detailed in this book.

A First-hand Account

A woman, after listening to a spiritual discourse (Satsang) by me (this servant), shared her sorrowful story:

Direct Evidence: The sister said, "Maharaj Ji, I am a widow. My husband died just as my son was born. I raised my son with immense love and care so that he would never feel the absence of a father. Whatever he requested, I provided, regardless of my own hardships. When he started college in the eleventh grade, he insisted on having a motorcycle. Fearing an accident, I refused many times, but he stopped eating. Out of love, I somehow managed to buy him a motorcycle. I even chose not to remarry so that my son would not suffer. I used to feed him fresh, hot meals. One day, as usual, he picked up a friend on his motorcycle to go to college..."

I prepared the remaining food and had just taken the first bite when my son’s friend came running in, injured. He said, ‘Auntie, brother has been badly hurt in an accident.’ Hearing this, the morsel fell from my hand back into the plate. I ran barefoot with that boy like a madwoman, crying, to the spot where the accident happened. Only the damaged motorcycle was lying there. The people present told me they had taken my son to the hospital. When I reached the hospital, the doctors declared him dead. I banged my head against the hospital wall; my head split open, I needed seven stitches, and I fainted. I regained consciousness after about two hours.

From that day on, I threw all the pictures of the gods out of my house and did not remember any god even in my dreams. This was because I had performed every kind of worship according to folk-tradition (Lokved) for my son's well-being, but nothing worked. Today, after hearing your discourse on the creation of the universe and how the Holy Gita explains that this is all the trap of Kaal, who has enslaved all beings like a butcher for his own selfish ends—my eyes have finally opened. Now, I feel like taking initiation from you to escape this trap of Kaal. (That sister took initiation and secured her welfare.)

I asked that sister, "What kind of spiritual practice did you used to perform?"

The sister replied: She named a very famous saint and said, "I had taken initiation from that fool ten years ago. I used to chant the mantras he gave for hours. I also used to chant the Vishnu Sahasranama. I did a daily reading of the Gita, performed ancestral worship (Shraadh), and followed the village tradition of worshipping Baba Shyam Ji. I observed fasts on Ashtami and Mondays. I visited the nearby temple every day and went for Darshan to Vaishno Devi twice a year. I also worshipped the Mata of Gurgaon and observed the fasts of Navratri. Someone told me that by worshipping Baba Garibdas Ji and visiting Chhudani Dham (District Jhajjar), no calamity could strike; so I used to go there every six months for the fair and organized recitations of Saint Garibdas Ji’s Amritvani. What more can I say? I even worshipped Baba Haridas Ji of Jharoda. I received no benefit. Earlier, it seemed my family was happy and that it was the result of the aforementioned worship."

"But now, after hearing your discourse, I have realized that I was merely receiving what was in my destiny. These forms of worship were contrary to the scriptures because they are not mentioned in the Holy Gita or the sacred Amritvani of Saint Garibdas Ji. Consequently, no benefit was ever going to come from them. What was my fault? I was performing the worship told by the Guru with my full body, mind, and wealth. Now I realize they are not true Gurus; they are quacks. They are the greatest enemies of human life. Had I found this true worship earlier, my son would not have died. I have seen the happiness of your followers and observed how terrible calamities have been averted for them. That is why I came to listen to your discourse, and after listening for four consecutive days, I felt the desire to take initiation today."

I told that sister: "The practices you were performing were not in accordance with the scriptures; that is why you did not receive any benefit from God. You have reached this conclusion yourself. This is because, until today, you had never received a true Satsang (spiritual discourse). What you were listening to, thinking it was Satsang, was actually Lokved (folklore/knowledge contrary to the scriptures). You were visiting various shrines, organizing recitations, and worshipping Respected Garibdas Ji, whereas Respected Garibdas Ji himself says:

The evidence in the above nectar-speech (Amritvani) shows that Respected Garibdas Sahib Ji is saying: 'Even my liberation was granted by God Kabir (KavirDev); you too should perform the worship of that same Almighty (Kavir-Amitauja), the infinitely powerful Supreme God Kabir.' He further says that those who worship local goddesses or shrines and bow their heads there are completely unfaithful to the path of truth."

{In the Vedas, Supreme God Kabir is referred to as "Kavir-amitauja," which means KavirDev is infinitely powerful. Those knowledgeable in the Sanskrit language, using their academic intellect, translate "Kavir-amitauja" to mean "the poet is infinitely powerful; his power is boundless." It is a matter worth considering that no ordinary poet can be infinitely powerful. Because they failed to correctly understand the profound words of the Vedas, the translators have not provided accurate meanings. In numerous places in the Vedas, the glory of God is sung. There, the word "KavirDev" is written, which translators have rendered as "Poet God," whereas it actually refers to the Supreme God Kavir (Kabir). We call Him Kabir (Kabir) Saheb. These same translators have rendered Yajuh (Yajur) as Yajurveda in the Yajurveda because the context is the Yajurveda, even though only the word "Yajuh" is written. Similarly, based on the context, where "Kavih" is written in the Vedas and the glory of God is being described, it is appropriate to translate it as "KavirDev."

For example, in Yajurveda Chapter 5, Verse 32, it is written:

"Ushik asi kavir-anghari asi bambhari asi samrat asi swajyoti ritadhama asi"

The authentic translation is as follows: (Ushik asi) He who is the supreme giver of peace is (Kavir-angh-ari) KavirDev, who (asi) is the enemy of sins, i.e., the destroyer of sins. (Bambhari) He is the enemy of bondages, i.e., the Liberator from Bondage (Bandi Chhor). (Samrat asi) He is the Great King/Master of all the universes. He is (Swajyoti) self-illuminated and (Ritadhama) a resident of the True Abode (Satlok).

In contrast, other translators have rendered the word "Kavir" in this Vedic mantra as "omniscient," which is a distortion. A mere poet cannot be omniscient; the glory belongs to God. It is clear from the original text that "Kavir" (KavirDev) is the "angh-ari" (enemy of sins). The combined word written is Kaviranghari, which signifies the glory of KavirDev—He is the sin-destroying Lord.}

Regarding this, it has been said that one should secure their welfare by taking initiation from a Complete Saint who is the recipient of the grace of Supreme God Kabir (KavirDev). Relying on false gurus makes life futile. One should renounce such fake gurus who prescribe spiritual practices contrary to the scriptures. Even the sight (Darshan) of such a guru is considered inauspicious. Respected Garibdas Ji says in his nectar-speech:

Jhoothe Guru ko leetar laavain, usko nishchay peete | Uske peete paap nahin hai, ghar se kaadh ghaseete ||

In the above nectar-speech, Respected Garibdas Sahib Ji is speaking about the fake (false) guides (gurus) who destroy the priceless human birth by teaching spiritual practices devoid of scriptural methods. He says that they are the destroyers of your life; one should get rid of them immediately and not even allow them into the house. They are the enemies of Supreme God Kabir (KavirDev) and are messengers sent by Kaal.