Did the demons’ residing places change over the ages from different planets in Satya Yuga and same heart in Kali Yuga?

by Chaitanya CharanMarch 18, 2012

Question from Sanjay:

In one of our classes it was explained that demons (or demonic propensities) reside in different planets during Saya-yuga; on the same planet/s during Treta-yuga; in the same families during Dwapara-yuga and in the same body (same person) during Kali-yuga. Is this understanding correct?

A brief summary of the answer:

The idea that demons have different locations in different ages has serious problems, as mentioned below.

Firstly, it is not to be found in any of Srila Prabhupada’s books or any of the other known scriptures.
It obviously has logical and scriptural problematic implications:
1. That demons no longer have any of their own lokas in Kali yuga
2. That demons didn’t have a presence in the heart in Satya-yuga. This presence is a metaphorical reference to the propensities that they personify, so they may have been present much lesser in earlier ages but to say that they had no presence in the heart seems an overstatement.

Overall, this statement seems like a naive overdramatisation that mixes the literal and metaphorical understandings.

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Chaitanya Charan