Google
Web         Gaudiya Discussions
Gaudiya Discussions Archive » PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY
Discussions on the doctrines of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Please place practical questions under the Miscellaneous forum and set this aside for the more theoretical side of it.

The Iron Age - Where does the idea come from?



Madhava - Wed, 04 Aug 2004 01:36:22 +0530
The age of Kali is popularly called "the iron age" in ISKCON circles. Satya is often called the "golden age". Where do these translations come from, particularly with the iron age? Some have extended the idea into Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali being Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron ages respectively.

What about "plastic age", or "garbage age" even?

= = =

"Modern calculation of Satya yuga, Treta yuga, Dvapara yuga, Kali yuga, as golden age, bronze age, silver age, copper age, and other age, that is historical references. But the Vedic calculation is different from such calculation. But it can be accepted to a certain extent to understand that history is changing and repeating at the same time."

[ ACBS letter to Dayananda, Nandarani - Montreal 24 August, 1968 ]

This age of Kali is not at all suitable for self-realization as was Satya-yuga, the golden age, or Treta- or Dvapara-yugas, the silver and copper ages.

[ ACBS commentary on SB 1.1.21 ]
Madan Gopal - Wed, 04 Aug 2004 01:48:41 +0530
As for the ages being described as iron, bronze, silver and gold, I believe this idea was taken from references to the development of western civilization. I just had a class in ancient civilizations and this idea came up, unfortunately I can't remember what particular civiliation was referenced for which metal.... maybe they were all described in the short history of one civilization, like the Greeks? sorry, can't remember.

I suspect that maybe you could trace ACBSP's description of the Hindu ages as gold, silver, etc. to his British education.
Madhava - Wed, 04 Aug 2004 02:00:22 +0530
Yes, but there was no gold age or silver age out there as far as I know... Stone, bronze and iron age are the three common divisions for (pre)historic societies.
Elpis - Wed, 04 Aug 2004 02:13:41 +0530
QUOTE (Madhava @ Aug 3 2004, 04:06 PM)
The age of Kali is popularly called "the iron age" in ISKCON circles. Satya is often called the "golden age". Where do these translations come from, particularly with the iron age? Some have extended the idea into Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali being Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron ages respectively.

This terminology is most likely borrowed from Greek mythology, where references to such ages are found. See here.
Madhava - Wed, 04 Aug 2004 02:39:04 +0530
Oh yes, sheep and wolves embracing and all that, the golden age. There certainly are parallels there. And the return of the Golden Age in due course, following the advent of Caitanya, the Messiah. I'll say we have a sweet salad of traditions there.

Dhyana - Wed, 04 Aug 2004 14:01:09 +0530
Aurea prima sata'st aetas que vindice nullo
Sponte sua sine lege fidem rectumque colebat...

First was the Golden Age, when, without any law or judge, people our of their own will kept peace and order...

That would be the Romans, probably Ovidius...? But they seem to have gotten the idea from the Greeks.
Madanmohan das - Thu, 05 Aug 2004 03:25:07 +0530
The first chapter of Ovid's Metamorphoses describes these four ages.
Elpis - Thu, 05 Aug 2004 04:29:14 +0530
QUOTE (Madanmohan das @ Aug 4 2004, 05:55 PM)
The first chapter of Ovid's Metamorphoses describes these four ages.

See also Hesiod's Works and Days.

To get back to Madhava's original question, then I think that Baba Premananda Bharati used these expressions, golden age, etc., in his book Sree Krishna, the Lord of Love. Perhaps this is the first instance of them within the gauDIya context, or maybe someone prior to that used them in a more general Hindu setting (probably the latter). Baba Premananda Bharati was also, to my knowledge, the first to use the expression KRSNa consciousness.
Madhava - Tue, 10 Aug 2004 08:37:41 +0530
This brings us to another interesting, more general question: How far can we incorporate terminology that has already been used in a certain, specific context in other cultures into our theology?

For example, a man who is very much into ladies might be called "casanova", but I would not use that in reference to Krishna no matter what the original Sanskrit expression were. I believe I've seen that used somewhere, where exactly it was escapes me at the moment.

I'm certain we could also find many parallel concepts drawn from the Christian world that might not be at all accurate or befitting when well examined.

Where does the idea of "holy name" come from, by the way? I have not really seen anything parallel in Sanskrit or Bengali literature, it generally just refers to "nAma", "name", or "harinAma", "God's name". tava nAma pavitraM pUjyatAm?
Jagat - Tue, 10 Aug 2004 16:28:29 +0530
This is a good question that translators have to struggle with constantly. I certainly avoid terms like "Casanova" that are too culturally specific, especially when concerning our ishta-devatas, whose uniqueness should be preserved. Thus, I would avoid using comparisons to Greek or Roman mythology, even where there are parallels.

This can be quite a limitation to our choices. There is a fine line here--when does a term lose its cultural specificity?

On the other hand, some translators are far too timid and tend to use the Sanskrit terms without looking for English equivalents.
Madanmohan das - Tue, 10 Aug 2004 20:31:05 +0530
Just to digress a bit, what about using pronouns for bhagavat svarupas? Should one give a capital h for him or her because there in no such thing, as far as I know, the original writings, and the topic or the tattva speaks for itself; not only that but it can get confusing when refering to, for example Krsna and Madhumangal as They or they came along together. The whole idea of giving God, another strange word, the capitol pronoun, and tha jiva not, smacks a bit of western Christian ideology.
dirty hari - Wed, 11 Aug 2004 00:46:03 +0530

It seems to me to be about the value of the metal. Gold being the most valued, then silver, then bronze, then iron. Greek concepts, many of them, have been shown to have been imported from India. Mt Olympus and ambrosia=Mt.Meru and amrita, Hera=Hare, And the rest of the pantheon as well.

Bhakti Ananda Goswami goes into the deeper philosophical connections which he traces back to Rhodian culture. In their religious philosophy the highest realm is a bucolic paradise, which comes from boukolos, or cowherd. In that cowherd paradise, or para desha, lives Helios Kouros and his feminine aspect Rhoda or Kore, and his first expansion Dionysos, who is also the initiating aspect/hierophant. With them live the kouroi and korae, cowherd boys and girls, they engage in the the chorus kyklos i.e circle dance. Helios Kouros is ever youthfull and plays the flute etc. Kouros, the cowherd with the white cows and flute is the original form of Helios. Apollo and Zeus, are his expansions.
Madhava - Wed, 11 Aug 2004 00:52:42 +0530
Yes, I'm certain the values of the metals were thought of when the Greeks presented the progression/hierarchy of the ages.

Do you have links to Bhakti Ananda's writings where the legend of Helios Kouros etc. is discussed?
dirty hari - Wed, 11 Aug 2004 01:40:47 +0530
Kouros Helios (Krishna) and Rhoda (Radha) on Rhodes
The Rasa-Lila Dance: Caroling the Hora - Part 1
Haryeh as Aryeh Yahu Tzabaoth, The Lion of Judah
Radha-Krishna and Sankarshana at the Heart of World Monotheism
Baladeva-Charaka
Balarama-Charaka as Jesus Christ - A Summary
The Bible as Veda, Genesis/Janus/Ganesha/Gnosis
Good Planets, the Heavenly Jerusalem and Paradise in the Judeo-Catholic Tradition
For all of his articles

The rest of his articles, especially his battles with Theosophists and his expose on Pure Land Buddhism make for great reading.
Elpis - Fri, 22 Oct 2004 06:08:04 +0530
QUOTE(Madhava @ Aug 9 2004, 11:07 PM)
For example, a man who is very much into ladies might be called "casanova", but I would not use that in reference to Krishna no matter what the original Sanskrit expression were. I believe I've seen that used somewhere, where exactly it was escapes me at the moment.

Tripurari uses the word casanova with reference to KRSNa here: "... dhira-lalita Krsna of Vraja, the playful Casanova ..." Another example is this website, which states that KRSNa is "the eternal prankster and the Casanova from amongst the Indian pantheon of Gods."
Madhava - Fri, 22 Oct 2004 06:39:51 +0530
QUOTE(Elpis @ Oct 22 2004, 01:38 AM)
Tripurari uses the word casanova with reference to KRSNa here: "... dhira-lalita Krsna of Vraja, the playful Casanova ..."  Another example is this website, which states that KRSNa is "the eternal prankster and the Casanova from amongst the Indian pantheon of Gods."

I mean, where do you draw the line with this? The Rasputin (rasa-pAThin) of Vraja? How about that? And Radha, what shall we have? The Marilyn Monroe (mAna-raya) of Vraja?
Elpis - Fri, 22 Oct 2004 06:42:51 +0530
QUOTE(Madhava @ Aug 9 2004, 11:07 PM)
tava nAma pavitraM pUjyatAm?

hagiasthêtô to onoma sou.