Beyond Birth and Death
111
Another symptom of Kali-yuga is  dākṣyam kuṭumba-bharaṇam  ( Bhāg.  12.2.7): one will be famous for his pious activities simply if he can maintain his family. The word  dākṣyam , meaning “famous for pious activities,” comes from  dakṣa , which means “expert.” In Kali-yuga one will be considered expert if he can maintain a family consisting of himself, his wife, and one or two children. In India, of course, the traditional family is the joint family, consisting of a man and his wife, their parents and children, their in-laws, and so on. But in Kali-yuga it will be difficult to maintain a simple family of oneself, one’s wife, and a few children. When I was living in New York, among the people coming to our classes was an old lady who had a grown son. I asked her, “Why doesn’t your son get married?” She replied, “Yes, he can marry when he can maintain a family.” I did not know that maintaining a family was such a difficult job here. But this is described in the  Bhāgavatam : if one can maintain a family, he will be considered a very glorious man, and if a girl has a husband she will be considered very fortunate.
It is not our business to criticize, but the symptoms of Kali-yuga are very severe, and they will grow more severe. The duration of Kali-yuga is 432,000 years, and although only 5,000 years of it have passed, already we find so many difficulties, and the more we grow into this Kali-yuga, the more the times will be difficult. The best course, therefore, is to complete our Kṛṣṇa consciousness and return home, back to Godhead. That will save us. Otherwise, if we come back again for another life in Kali-yuga, we shall find difficult days ahead, and we shall have to suffer more and more.