Krishna, God, the Supreme Person, used his external energy, which transforms into material nature, to create the material cosmos with its countless galaxies.

He willed that each material galaxy have a limited lifespan, bounded by a cycle of universal time operating under his authority.

A cycle is composed of four ages of varying duration and spiritual levels. First, there is the Golden Age, where beings are immersed in perfect spiritual life; then the Silver Age, where people are consumed by sensual passions; the Copper Age, where they are under the influence of ignorance; and finally, the Iron Age, the present age, where they turn away from God and become wicked.

This cycle of four ages lasts 4.32 billion years and ends with a devastation also known as the Flood.

The last Flood occurred during the time of “Noah,” who was actually a king. God thus puts a stop to materialistic society, atheism, obscurantism, and wickedness. We are currently at the beginning of the Iron Age (only five thousand years have passed), which will end in 427,000 years with the advent of the Supreme Lord, who will come like the Messiah to annihilate all demonic unbelievers, protect all the saints, and restore spirituality. Then devastation or a flood will occur. The Golden Age will begin anew with a new cycle, and spirituality will be its hallmark.

In truth, the purpose of existence is to reach God and return to His eternal kingdom. This is the ultimate plan of the Supreme Eternal.

Living beings haunted by the desire to enjoy material existence, and having thus accepted as their master another blind person equally attached to the objects of the senses, cannot understand that the purpose of life is to return to their original home to serve God. Just as blind people led by another blind person stray from the right path and fall into a ravine, so too do those attached to material life who allow themselves to be guided by other people of a similarly materialistic mindset find themselves bound by the very strong cords of self-interest and endlessly pursue their material existence, subject to the three forms of suffering.

Throughout history, humankind has sought to alter circumstances by manipulating external energy, material energy, unaware that it is bound hand and foot by the laws of material nature, laws that no one can violate.

The Lord says: Plunged into oblivion of God, living beings have allowed themselves to be seduced by My external energy since time immemorial. This is why the energy of illusion causes them all kinds of suffering in this material world.

Material Nature dominates living beings through its various modes of influence, but through ignorance, they think: “I invent, I act, I progress.” This is what we call illusion. No one can progress or improve without the awareness of God. Individual beings, distinct from God, came into the material universe because they wanted to imitate God. The possibility of apparent enjoyment was thus granted to them.