Question: What does kali yuga mean then?

Sri Chinmoy: It is all mental theory. When people are not aspiring, when the consciousness has descended, it is called the kali yuga. But I want to say, was there a time when the consciousness did not descend? In the Mahabharata time, five thousand years ago, why did Sri Krishna have to fight against the Kauravas? He Himself asked the Pandavas to fight against the wrong forces. So you see, even five thousand years ago, there were undivine elements in the world. And if you can be aware of the satya yuga, the Golden Age, you will see that there were countless undivine people on earth at that time.

Our goal is not to look behind, not to enter into the past. Our goal is in the future, in the Eternal Now. Yesterday I was crawling, then I started walking. A few times I fell down. Then I began running. Now, will it help me to remember that I crawled? No. The only thing that will help me is to think, “I am a runner. I want to be a better runner, I want to be an excellent runner.”