Punishment and Reward of Kali
After giving Kali permission to reside in specific places, Parikshit continued his tour of the kingdom. The arrangement he had made with Kali represented a practical approach to governance - recognizing that in Kali-yuga, some degradation is inevitable, but it can be controlled and confined. This demonstrated Parikshit's wisdom in statecraft; rather than attempting the impossible task of completely eliminating sin, he restricted it to specific areas that devotees could avoid.
However, Kali was not satisfied with just the five places he had been assigned. Being the personification of sin, he was always looking for opportunities to expand his influence. He noticed that Parikshit was wearing a gold crown, and since gold had been designated as one of his dwelling places, Kali saw this as an opportunity. He thought that if he could somehow gain influence over the emperor himself, he could spread his degrading influence throughout the entire kingdom.
Parikshit, being extremely intelligent and spiritually advanced, immediately understood that wearing gold might give Kali some access to influence him. As a pure devotee of Krishna, he wanted to ensure that nothing would contaminate his consciousness. Therefore, he made the extraordinary decision to give up his golden crown along with all his other royal ornaments. This act of renunciation demonstrated his priorities - he valued spiritual purity far more than royal prestige or material opulence.
The chapter explains the characteristics of Kali-yuga in more detail. Kali's influence causes people to become short-lived, quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky, and constantly disturbed. Without the constant presence and guidance of great souls like Parikshit, society would quickly degrade completely. The text emphasizes that in this age, the simple process of chanting the holy names of Krishna is the most effective means of counteracting Kali's influence. Parikshit's example teaches us to be vigilant against contamination and willing to give up anything, even valuable possessions, if they might impede our spiritual progress. His renunciation of gold foreshadows his later complete renunciation when he receives the curse that will end his life in seven days.