Two stories are told to mark the beginning of the Kali Yuga after Yudhisthira's grand Ashwamedha sacrifice. In the first, two farmers dispute over finding gold but maintain generosity, impressing Yudhisthira. In the second, a mongoose seeks to turn its other half gold by rubbing burnt sacrifice remains but finds a past family's selfless gift achieved this instead, showing virtues are declining. The rishis realize rituals are becoming less about charity and more about power, signifying the dawn of the Kali Yuga age of decline.

1. Page 11
Start of Kali Yuga
(From an Illustrated
Retelling of the
Mahabharata by Devdutta
Pattanaik)

2. Start of Kali Yuga
• Setting:
– Place: Hastinapuri
– Time: Yudhisthira’s
Ashwamedha Yagna
– Characters:-
• Lord Krishna, Yudhisthira,
Rishis, Mangoose
• Two farmers

3. Summary
Two stories
i. Story of two farmers
ii. Story of a mongoose

4. Beginning of the story
• Description of Yudhisthira’s
Ashwamedha Yagna
– Grandest yagna in
human memory
– A lot of wealth spent
– Rishis
• chanting mantras
• food, clothing & cows

5. i. Two Farmers’ Story
• In the midst of Yagna
• Two farmers – to Yudhisthir
• The dispute
– Selling land
– Finding a pot of gold
– Did not take the pot of gold
• Yudhisthira – impressed by charitable nature, did not know
how to solve, Krishna’s advice – return after 3 months,
farmers agreed

6. • Farmers return
• The farmers would fight for the pot of gold
• Easy to settle the case
• Greed – generosity
• Outrage – compassion
• Aswamegh yagna – will conclude – Starts Kali
What would happen after 3 months?

7. • Dawning of a new age
• Only a quarter of the values
instituted by Prithu at the
beginning of civilization will
survive
• Man will live for pleasure
• Children will abandon
responsibility
• Women will be like men
• Men will be like women
What would happen in Kali yuga?

8. • Humans will copulate like
beasts
• Power will be respected
• Justice abandoned
• Sacrifice forgotten
• Love ridiculed
• The wise argue for the law of
the jungle
• Every victim will turn a
victimizer
What would happen in Kali yuga?

9. • Yagna completes
ii. Mongoose story
• A mongoose appears
– Half body gold
– Enters the sacrificial hall
– Jumps into the fire-pit
– Rubbed its normal side on the
charred remains of the ritual
– Then left the altar with a
disappointed look
After 3 months
• Tells reason for being
sad
• Half body turning gold
when rubbing his body
against the remains of a
ritual

11. • Hope of other half turning
to gold after rubbing
against remains of
Aswamedh yagna
• Not happened
• Curiosity to know – ritual
– 3 months ago – a poor family
starved to death
– Offering their meal to a guest
Mongoose story contd…
• Mongoose rubbed on
the food offered leaves
• Surprised – turning half
of the body to gold
• Remains of Ashwmedha
Yagna fails

12. • Yudhisthira’s sacrifice
– Grand
– Less about charity
– More about royal power
– A lesser ritual
Rishis’ realization

13. Conclusion
• Even the 4 Pandavs turn bad at the beginning
of the Kaliyuga
• Only Yudhisthira cling to Dharma
• Dharma would sustain the world
• When Dharma abandoned – Pralaya - doom