Year 2012
BY: ABHAYA MUDRA DEVI DASI
Aug 31, 2011 — BLAGOEVGRAD, BULGARIA (SUN) —
What will happen in 2012? Speculation runs rampant that the world will end. Even Hollywood, Bollywood and film makers in other countries have cashed in on the frenzy, with movies in many languages speculating about the end of the Earth. Will the dreaded year 2012 see the world as we know it wiped off the cosmic map—or will it continue limping ahead until the glow of Lord Chaitanya's Golden Age overtakes the earth like a tsunami wave of Krishna consciousness? Many believe that next year will be significant because of a dark day in December that marks the end of the Mayan calendar. As devotees, we must ask if any relationship exists between the Mayan and Vedic calendars. And on a more practical note—what should devotees do in case of some extreme emergency?
Various Types of Calendars
There are other calendars which focus upon other planets beside the Sun or the Moon as their leading principle. For example, the Mayan Calendar is a sophisticated system which measures time by the movements of Venus. Another example is the Chinese calendar which measures time according to the movements of Jupiter through the signs or rashis. In the Chinese calendar if somebody was born under the sign of the Rat that means that Jupiter was in Sagittarius during the year of his birth. According to this system, one who is born under the sign of the Bull will find his Jupiter in Capricorn. In Chinese astrology there are also 5 elements which rule the different years: earth, water, fire, wood and metal. Of course, Vedic intelligence considers the five basic elements as earth, water, fire, air and ether. Jupiter makes one tapa or rotation around the zodiac in 12 years. When we multiply 12 years by the 5 elements we arrive at the number 60. This is important because the Vedic panchang uses a 60-year cycle, each one of which has its own name according to its predominating quality.
Each one of the years of the Vedic calendar is named after the qualities of Jupiter for that particular year. For example, the year 2011 is called a khara year. This khara is a krura or cruel year wherein good results are expected to diminish. Still, this movement of Jupiter is only one facet in the multi-dimensional Vedic system of time measurement, in which Jupiter is allotted a superior position to Venus. Jupiter is the guru of the demigods while Venus or Shukra is the guru of the demons. It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that since the astronomers of ancient China were geographically closer to India than the Mayans, they were more closely connected with the principle of jyotish that accepts the devaguru Brihaspati or Jupiter. This appears to be true even up to this day.
The Mayans were possessed of a rich culture with traces of Vedic influence. Still, there is no proof that they worshipped Lord Shri Vishnu and for this reason they are generally accepted as descendents of the great asuras, or worshipers of Venus. In ancient times even the asuras were conversant with Vedic culture. But if someone is not a devotee of Shri Krishna all his activities, even the good ones, have no genuine or lasting value. Therefore, considering these points, is there any validity in accepting that the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world? Or is the supposed end merely a modern scientific interpretation?
Apparently, there exists some agreement between the modern scientists and the Mayan calendar. As they say, similar minds think alike. But we do not know if the Mayans would have agreed with modern science because their civilization ceased to exist about 500 years ago. All we know is that modern science cannot really explain the Mayan calendar completely. Some scientists interpret this mystery in the same way they see the vastness of the cosmos; they admit their own inability to explain it. Still others interpret the enthusiastic publicizing of the Mayan calendar as a convenient excuse for the politicians who support the New World Order. These skeptics feel that this is evidence that these global opportunists have things up their sleeves because they are planning something and the Mayan calendar provides the cover for their dark schemes.
Sun-centered or Earth-centered?
In modern times, scientists have adhered to the limited perspective of the heliocentric ("Sun-centered") model of the universe and from this perspective they continue to discover new "stars" and "galaxies" now and then, though never giving us a compete picture of our place in the cosmos. In fact theirs is the real geocentric ("Earth-centered") model because they do all of their investigations only from within their own limited reach. Though they have sent rockets and satellites into space, their primitive objects cannot venture far from the Geo or planet Earth which they circle like little insects.
In this way the modern scientific investigation into the depths of the universal law is linked through an umbilical cord of limited distance-reach to Earth, while all modern scientific investigations in truth remain focused upon the geo-centric model. For this reason these scientists have formulated a geocentric point of view though they claim a heliocentric perspective. In the modern scientific opinion, the Sun will align with the galactic center in year 2012 and, according to some, this event may mark a time of total destruction. But should we believe these new-comers on the block, these so-called "experts" and "scientists"? Modern science is merely a few centuries old and, truth be told, has a terrible track record.
Some of the followers of the so-called "New Age" speculate that the supposed upcoming end is the beginning of a new Satya Yuga, while the great economic powers of the day are trying to utilize the excitement surrounding year 2012 as an excuse to implement their own questionable designs of one-worldism. And these globalists will certainly have their own pre-planned surprises in store for us in the upcoming year.
Rural Communities are the Need of the Hour
We are all witness to the recent great decline in the global economy. And we know that the world cannot run much longer on fossil fuels. Oil is the life-blood of mother Earth and it is required to keep her in orbit. Once the oil has been depleted, the Earth will no longer be able to stay afloat and Mother Bhumi could plummet into the Garbodhaka Ocean. This has already happened before due to the activities of the demon Hiranyaksha. As explained by Shrila Prabhupada in his Bhaktivedanta Purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 2.7.1:
"Since the beginning of creation, the demons and the demigods, or the Vaishavas, are always the two classes of living beings to dominate the planets of the universes. Lord Brahma is the first demigod, and Hiranyaksha is the first demon in this universe. Only under certain conditions do the planets float as weightless balls in the air, and as soon as these conditions are disturbed, the planets may fall down in the Garbhodaka Ocean, which covers half the universe. The other half is the spherical dome within which the innumerable planetary systems exist. The floating of the planets in the weightless air is due to the inner constitution of the globes, and the modernized drilling of the earth to exploit oil from within is a sort of disturbance by the modern demons and can result in a greatly harmful reaction to the floating condition of the earth. A similar disturbance was created formerly by the demons headed by Hiranyaksha (the great exploiter of the gold rush), and the earth was detached from its weightless condition and fell down into the Garbhodaka Ocean. The Lord, as maintainer of the whole creation of the material world, therefore assumed the gigantic form of a boar with a proportionate snout and picked up the earth from within the water of Garbhodaka."
Today we can practically see how much waste is created by the use of oil upon which all modern industries depend. Only Lord Vishnu in His Form as the Divine Boar could dig the Earth from the filth at the bottom of the universe. But today who will save us from the demons of Kali Yuga? The guideline for these little demons of today is greed alone. These demons in the form of religionists, industrialists, politicians and scientists have neither regard for the Earth, nor the cow, nor for women and neither even for tomorrow. Devotees cannot expect mercy in the hands of living entities that are blinded by the desire to lord it over all they survey. The world desperately needs to take shelter of the Holy Names of the Lord Shri Krishna. To access the situation accordingly, we need to use our divinely-endowed intelligence by the grace of Shrila Prabhupada and plan accordingly.
We are already 5,100 years into the depths of Kali Yuga. We know from the Shrimad Bhagavatam, that Kali Yuga has total of 432,000 years. Furthermore, we know that there is no prediction of devastation after the passing of a mere fifty or fifty-one centuries of Kali Yuga. Therefore as devotees we should have faith in the spotless Purana, the Shrimad Bhagavatam. The only light in this Dark Age is the mercy of Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In this material world the situation tends to grow darker over time. For this reason at the end of Kali Yuga and the beginning of Satya Yuga an incarnation of Godhead appears to reset the measurement of time. Still, Shri Krishna has promised a mini Satya Yuga even within the present Kali Yuga. Will this Golden Age totally re-work and repair the tendencies of Kali Yuga like our shortened memories and life spans? We should not expect miracles of this sort but we should rather concentrate on the essence of preaching and chanting the mahamantra.
Srila Prabhupada is the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and we should always keep him in the center as our prophet. A generation ago His Divine Grace foresaw and discussed the impending dangers of world trends and their impact. He spoke of the collapse of cities, how nuclear weapons will be used and of world wars that presage the coming age of world sankirtan yagna. To this end the pure devotee ordered his disciples to safely domicile in rural communities. These Krishna conscious villages should function with a vision of becoming totally self-sufficient. The village model is described by Srila Prabhupada throughout his Krsna Book. Creating museum-like farms that are merely show places and which are out of touch with reality will not provide the devotees any real shelter when the need arises. The age of Kali is rife with danger and times are becoming more and more complicated. Farm communities are the real solution for simple living and high thinking.
Most of us need to learn methods of self-sufficiency. On a personal note, here in Bulgaria people still grow their own food right in their front and back yards. They know the methods of food preservation and storage in preparation for winter and for hard times. Here in beautiful Bulgaria there are many empty villages in which empty houses can be purchased for a tiny fraction of what homes cost elsewhere, since the population of Bulgaria has diminished considerably in the last few decades. Bulgaria with its abundance of fresh water, wild herbs, wild fruits, short winters, pleasant weather, pristine rivers and endless mountains and valleys would make an ideal place for a devotee community modeled on the tenets of Vedic civilization and culture.
Unfortunately, we have become dependent on modern ways. Following the principles taught by Srila Prabhupada nothing is bad that can be utilized in Krishna's service. We should use even the last kilobyte of the Internet for preaching before the inevitable day when the plug gets pulled. Keep in mind that the computer is dependent on oil production and if the other alternative power sources that are presently available are not utilized we will soon be without the Internet. We will not be able to travel and therefore visiting Vrindavana and Mayapur will be out of the question. We should recreate the village of Shri Krishna close to the place where we live. This was the intended model of the first rural community New Vrindavan in West Virginia. Both individually and as an organization we should focus on preparing ourselves for the upcoming disasters by manifesting Vrindavana in our own homelands. In this regard, Srila Prabhupada wrote to Hayagriva das on 14 June 1968:
"They have been advised to turn San Francisco gradually into New Jagannatha Puri, and I have advised Kirtanananda and yourself to convert West Virginia into New Vrindaban. I understand the spot is very beautiful, and the hills may be renamed as New Govardhana. And if there are lakes, they can be renamed as Syamakunda and Radhakunda. Vrindaban does not require to be modernized because Krishna's Vrindaban is a transcendental village. They completely depend on nature's beauty and nature's protection. The community in which Krishna preferred to belong was Vaisya community, because Nanda Maharaja happened to be a Vaisya king, or landholder, and his main business was cow protection. It is understood that he had 900,000 cows and Krishna and Balarama used to take charge of them, along with His many cowherd boy friends, and every day, in the morning He used to go out with His friends and cows into the pasturing grounds. So, if you seriously want to convert this new spot as New Vrindaban, I shall advise you not to make it very much modernized. But as you are American boys, you must make it just suitable to your minimum needs."
Yuga Yoga and a Portentous Future
Let us now provide some background for the incidents that will happen around 2012 from Vedic astrological perspective. These heavenly portents have passed by us and are all but unnoticed. These ominous portents are far more telling than the Mayan calendar or modern scientific estimations. Not very often do the planets align in the sky. This phenomenon brings drastic changes to the environment and in the mentality of people in general. The coincidence of the planet aligning in one sign most drastically appears when one yuga changes into the next one.
A yuga yoga is described as an instance wherein all seven planets (minus Rahu and Ketu) align in two signs. Readers can understand from its name that it foretells impending changes. The fact that there was a yuga yoga in May 2011 that preceded by a couple of weeks a threesome of eclipses in a one month period is a sign of an impending shift upon the horizon. The yuga yoga which occurs maybe twice in a century, heralds drastic transformation not only for the environment, but in the mentality of the masses as one period transforms into another.
Such a conjunction of planets produces a result that could be compared to a group of executives who are meeting to share their confidential plans and finalize some agreement. Although each one of them must leave the assembly and go their respective ways after the get-together, the moment of agreement will continue to be reflected in their future activities. In other words, the contractual influence of the meeting remains binding until their next gathering. Similarly, the planetary assembly called yuga yoga creates a lasting influence upon each one of the planetary deities.
The conditions for the formation of yuga yoga simply state that all planets should be in two signs. On May 13th these five Sun (the king), Mars (the commander and owner of the sign), Mercury (the crown prince), Jupiter (the head priest) and Venus (the priest of the demons) met together in the war-like Aries. Meanwhile, six signs away, Moon (the deity of nourishment) and Saturn (the wily old master) assembled in earthy Virgo. Of all the planetary deities only Shanideva was vakra or retrograde, looking back.
The meeting began at the tithi corresponding to the auspicious eleventh day of Vaishakha-masa shukla-paksha, the sacred day of Mohini ekadashi. As Srila Prabhupada reminds us time and again, "The demigods are servants of the Lord deputed to look after the management of various activities of universal affairs." (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.2.32 Purport). Therefore, the fact that this meeting of planetary deities began on the sacred day of Shri Hari is of great significance to devotees. The meeting continued through dwadashi, the holy appearance day of Goddess Lakshmi in Her Form as Shri Rukmini Devi, and it ended on trayodashi. These are all auspicious tithis of an auspicious fortnight in a most auspicious month during vasant-ritu, the auspicious spring season. The quickest planet (Moon) and the slowest "generational" planet (Saturn) met in the fertile soil sign of Virgo (mutable earth). This demonstrates the need for a quick move towards the age old system of agriculture in the coming hard times ahead. The meeting of the other five planets in Aries, the sign of war, is ominous. As Prabhupada used to say: "After the war, preaching will be very good." And preaching means re-establishing the cow and the bull to their rightful place as the sacred mother and father of the entire system of varnashram dharma for the good of the beleaguered planet.
Sometimes gola yoga will appear in the heavens before the occurrence of yuga yoga. The definition of gola yoga is that all seven planets should be positioned in one sign. Gola means "ball," but the understanding is "universe" as in "great universal changes." After the appearance of a gola yoga, a new period allegorically compared to a yuga commences as seen through the next step of yuga yoga. This is typically initiated when the swiftest of planets, the Moon, rushes out of the meeting. This gola yoga phenomenon of all planets meeting in one sign was last observed on February 3rd 1962 in Makara. The gola yoga continued for 3 days until February 5th when the Moon moved into Kumbha rashi. In that gola yoga all the planets were aligned in Capricorn, the sign of USA, along with the South Node Ketu. When the Moon broke the alignment of planets, by moving into Aquarius, the next step or yuga yoga appeared in the heavens.
This significant event must have marked the early beginnings of the promised 10,000 years of Satya Yuga, which is supposed to occur after 5,000 years of the present Kali Yuga. This is described in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana 4.129. Krishna spoke to Mother Ganga about the future events which would come to pass after His departure from Earth about 5,000 years ago. Mother Ganga was very disturbed by the fact that Kali Yuga was coming and she was afraid that nobody would protect her. Shri Krishna promised her some relief with the following words:
"O Ganga devi, on the earth 5,000 years of Kali will be sinful and those sinners will deposit their sins in you by bathing. Thereafter by the sight and touch of those who worship Me by My mantra, all those sins will be burnt. O Ganga devi, the whole planet will become a pilgrimage sight by the presence of Vaishnavas, even though it had been sinful. In the body of My devotees remains eternally [the purifier]. Mother Earth becomes pure by the dust of the feet of My devotees. For 10,000 years of Kali such devotees of Mine will fill the whole planet. After the departure of My devotees there will be only one varna [outcaste]. Devoid of My devotees, the earth will be shackled by Kali. Saying this, Lord Shri Krishna departed."
It is stated in Shrimad-Bhagavatam (12.2.31) that Kali Yuga began when the constellation of Ursa Major or the seven sages (Sapta Rishis) passed through the lunar mansion of Magha located in Leo. Vedic astrologers have calculated that this occurred at 2:27 a.m. on February 20, 3102 BC. It took place some 36 years after Lord Krishna spoke Shrimad Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna. The initial 5,000 years of Kali Yuga which were so full of darkness ended in 1898. This year is significant because Srila Abhaya Charan De had appeared in 1896 and now at age the age of two, the future world acharya was already imbibing spiritual lessons from His father, Shri Gour Mohan De. By then, Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the father of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was actively involved in translating and presenting the Vaishnava literature into English. His son Shriman Bimala Prasada Dutt (the future spiritual master of Srila Prabhupada) was now in ascendance. In 1905, Bimala Prasad accepted initiation from Shrila Gaura Kishore das Babaji and became Shrila Barsabanabidevi Dayitaya, and later Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati. Therefore, the emerging first rays of the Golden Age began to spread their light concurrent with the lives of these three acharyas as they lay the foundation for the spreading of Lord Chaitanya's Hare Krishna movement throughout the world. It is significant that historically we can trace that a yuga yoga also occurred back then in the signs of Libra and Scorpio on 6 November 1899.
As noted, the alignment of planets in two signs occurs about every 50 years. Since they may occur twice in a century, yuga yogas are not exceedingly rare. However, the occurrence of gola yoga which aligns all planets in one sign is very rare. The 1962 event issued new promises to the world. This is especially true since not only seven planets conjoined in a single sign, but Ketu, the planet of liberation, was also involved. This was the exact time Prabhupada was printing his Delhi Shrimad Bhagavatam in preparation for world enlightenment.
After this gola yoga, the world looked to technological improvements marked by the sign of Aquarius (the point of breaking the yoga was caused when the Moon entered into the next sign of Aquarius.) Two years after the occurrence of this gola yoga Srila Prabhupada, ventured west and founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. He taught that technology, such as this computer you and I are communicating with, should be utilized in Krishna's service.
The yuga yoga conjunction of 13-15 May 2011 marks a mini cycle that is linked to the alignment that occurred from 3 to 5 February 1962. Let us investigate the significance of the present yuga yoga occurring in the signs of Aries and Virgo, two very dissimilar signs. Aries being ruled by the ever-youthful Mars and being the first sign of the zodiac is the sign of new beginnings. Aries is full of Martian energy, self-confidence and dynamic enthusiasm. Virgo, the sign of mother Earth, is very detail- and service-oriented. Being ruled by the young "prince of the planetary deities," Mercury, Virgo is also swift. Thus this yuga yoga promises the conflicting aspects of care for the environment combined with destructive military campaigns. Ongoing wars and the ones to come will ostensibly be claimed for bettering the situation on Earth. Since Aries is hardly known as a caring sign, warlike megalomaniacal world mis-leaders may employ inhumane activities while claiming to strengthen the world's situation for better. We will witness many battles between the forces of good and evil before the good prevails, until the next yuga yoga comes around in October 5th 2040. That yuga yoga which will be the longest one possible. It will occur in the signs of Virgo and Libra and will last for five days. We foresee by the planetary positions that Virgo-ruled agriculture giving way to peace, beauty and harmony—qualities consistent with Libra—will eventually prevail.
After examining the yuga yogas of the past many centuries, none included the nodes Rahu and Ketu except the rare event in 1962, the one that proclaimed the person Bhagavat and written Bhagavat would come West. As per our understanding, the yuga yoga of this month foreshadows that over the next three decades (until the next yuga yoga) the following effects in different parts of the world:
A Few Possible Forthcoming Events
-Though Japan will suffer on the domestic front, the Japanese people will learn a few stark lessons from the recent disaster. The country will attract investors and others who are willing to assist them on their terms. Japan will ultimately rise out of the present nuclear-age crisis and will aggressively strive to re-develop its own influence. The Japanese will want to take the fate of their nation in their own hands rather than relying on super-powers like the US whose General Electric company is said to have knowingly built the nuclear facility in an earthquake zone next to a tidal wave prone area. As far as Vaishnavism is concerned, many little Krishna temples will arise. Devotees will find that book distribution becomes more popular as many take shelter of the eternal dharma of Krishna consciousness.
-Australia will work in partnership with others because its business interests will appear to decline. Krishna Consciousness will attract many new followers. Communities of devotees will struggle for maintenance, while traveling and sponsoring festivals will stand as the optimum methods of getting the message across.
-India's business interests will continue to grow. The self-esteem of the land of sages will grow as India ascends into one of the leading industrial nations of the world. Paralleling India's economic success, many great new temples will arise attracting many influential personalities to support Krishna Consciousness. India's reputation as a force to contend with in the world will continue to advance.
-China can count on its good fortune increasing. The spirituality of the country will be boosted, and it won't be surprising if Krishna Consciousness gains countless followers in this country by the will of Srila Prabhupada. China somehow appears to be one place that is more or less protected by the impeding dangers.
-Russia will continue its emergence as a world power. Business will prosper and Krishna Consciousness will receive great support. Everything there is on the increase.
-Though Eastern Europe and Eastern Africa will face many difficulties on their domestic fronts, the overall riches of these areas will enjoy a new affluence. It will not be surprising if some nations that were once looked upon as poor gradually become rich. In these areas, Krishna Consciousness will be developed through building local communities.
-Western Europe will only remain powerful if due recognition to natural methods of agriculture are acknowledged. By this formula, good fortune can be continued. Europeans will increasingly demand for foods produced by natural agricultural methods and the governments must promote food that is ecologically wholesome if they wish to remain credible.
-Many nations of Africa will understand the need to throw off the terrible yoke of Western corporatism that has exploited this rich continent's mineral resources for decades leaving uncounted poor in the wake of first world greed. In some countries caring leaders will arise to show the world that they can succeed. They will demand a chance for self-determination through lessening of outside political and economic interference which props up undesirable leaders in manipulative political legerdemain that purposely creates countrywide chaos. In other words, they will break away from first world exploitation and succeed by taking the reigns of their own fate as a surprising example to the world.
-South America will focus on their local riches and inherent culture as the tide turns away from looking north to Uncle Sam, who few any longer there have any faith in (except the most motivated). Their main focus will be banking and economic development. Seminar-type preaching will be responsible for spiritual growth. This part of the world will remain a bit isolated from the rest of the world as these countries delve into their own histories and explore their own assets.
-The United States will be forced to examine what is wrong with its image as the world's enforcer on a one-way street. The nation that today claims to be the world's richest overall must consider why it has the most debt-ridden economy that is bolstered by a sagging dollar and propped by the printing of worthless currency. As over the coming years world leaders snub the eager handshake of American salesmen in the dress of elected officials, the USA will find itself receding from its place of active world leadership. The people will turn to re-discovering their own happiness by re-developing local agriculture. Many communities of devotees will increase. This tendency will be followed mostly in the eastern part of the country. California especially will refuse to read the handwriting on the wall and there may be a diversion of opinions. That may surprisingly form two distinctively different cultures. The western part of US will try to hold onto the present Kali Yuga "values" by focusing on movie production and other propaganda-saturated media. Spiritual values in this part of the country will be at the lowest ebb.
We envision that because this yuga yoga is part of the gola yoga that occurred in 1962, technology will not be abandoned, but may actually be utilized for solving some of the ongoing problems in the world. The overall picture of the next 30 years is painted in shades of red (Aries) and green (Virgo) with the Martian qualities often overriding the green quality of Mercury. Both Mars, the commander in chief, and Mercury, the prince, are young, and hence impetuous. The path to the coming mini-Satya Yuga is narrow and beset with dangers. War will continue to spread indiscriminately in many places. Yet, in the many battles that lie ahead, Krishna Consciousness will finally prevail.
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