The four ages—the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Copper Age, and the Iron Age—follow one another in chronological order. However, they sometimes overlap. During the reign of Vaivasvata Manu (the Sanskrit word Manu means “the father of humanity”), for example, in the twenty-eighth cycle of four ages, the third preceded the second. In this age, Lord Krishna also chose to appear, and for this reason, the normal course of time underwent certain alterations.

In the Golden Age, all human beings—women, men, and children—were all under the sign of virtue, but since the advent of the Silver Age and the Copper Age, we have witnessed the gradual decline of virtue and the degradation of the human mass. In the present age, the one we live in, the Iron Age, virtue is practically nonexistent.

What leads to eternal life?

Indeed, systematic listening to or attentive reading of the sublime pastimes, attributes, qualities, excellences, and holy names of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, leads to eternal life.

All those who desire to attain the total perfection of existence must listen with a submissive ear, or read with great attention, everything related to the spiritual and absolute pastimes, attributes, qualities, and excellences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Systematic listening or reading implies an ever-deepening knowledge of the person of Godhead as He really is, which in turn leads to an evolution towards eternal life.

Furthermore, glorifying the sublime acts of Lord Krishna is precisely the prescribed remedy that neutralizes the ailments of birth, illness, old age, and death, which afflict all materially conditioned beings. Achieving such a level of perfection is the goal of human life and the attainment of spiritual bliss.

What must one do to access the spiritual planets of the spiritual world, and what must one do to enter the kingdom of God?

Only surrender to Krishna, God, the Supreme Personality, and the desire to serve Him with love and devotion, allow one to access the spiritual planets.

The spiritual condition exists on the absolute plane, but it is revealed in all its truth to the spiritualist who possesses knowledge of this high level of pure consciousness, who wishes to inquire into the teachings of God.