Passage 22

In English

The loss of one pada in Thretha Yuga really means the loss of one sadhana, namely, thapas. The work of the pada is to help man walk. Thapas also is the process of enforcement in action. It was possible in Thretha Yuga to attain dharma without thapas by following the other three, namely yajna, yaga, and yoga. In the Dwapara Yuga with the help of only two, yaga and yoga, it was possible to attain liberation. Yajna had been eliminated. In the Kali Yuga, dharma has only one pada, namely yoga. Yaga is gone and yoga alone remains. “What kind of yoga?” you may ask. That yoga which is relevant is bhakthi yoga, the yoga of devotion. There is no other way to attain liberation in this Kali Yuga except through the path of devotion. In the Thretha Yuga, people were able to enjoy the proximity to Divinity through the three methods, yajna, yaga, and yoga. In the Dwapara Yuga, the same could be achieved with the help of only two padas, yaga and yoga. It is possible to attain this in Kali Yuga through yoga alone. Thus, the inner meaning is that they have facilitated the process, eliminated the difficult ones and the one that is easily accessible to all, the path of devotion, is what remains in the Kali Yuga.