Kalki Avatar: the one who will clean grime from the face of the Earth

    When the nobleness of Dharma (meaning morality, decency, honesty) disappears in the world, Vishnu gets incarnated and propagates the universal and omnipotent value of saintly life, restoring Dharma.

    Continuing the subject of prophecies given in all world religions, we should certainly refer to such religion as Hinduism. According to Wikipedia, this religion is the third one in terms of the number of followers, making up around 1 billion people. In Hinduism, just like in Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, there are prophecies of the future and the advent of the Saviour, Messiah. Hinduism contains numerous holy scriptures, the most important of which are Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, and Agamas.

THE DARK AGE OF KALI YUGA

    In the last chapters of Bhavishya Purana it is said that Kali Yuga is the time in which we are currently living. This time is described quite unequivocally as the age of evil, when people are born only to be suffering. Kali Yuga is the age of darkness, pain, sorrow, conflicts. It’s a reverse reflection of the Golden Age, and is also called the Iron Age or the age of possession.

    Here is how the origin of the age of darkness is described in Kalki Purana:

    At the end of times Brahma, the universe creator, allowed sins begotten by himself to fall on his back. Thus Adharma comes into being. Adharma’s spouse, beautiful Mithya (falsehood) with wild-cat eyes, gives birth to her disgusting son Shamba (deception). His sister Maya (illusion) will give birth to Lobhe (desire), while her daughter named Vikriti (disease) will give birth to Krodha (rage) whose sister Himsa (violence) will give birth to Kali Yuga. The terrible Kali Yuga rests upon the power of holy fragrances, lies, wine, women, and gold. Her sister Durkriti (bad deeds) will give birth to a boy named Bhaya (horror) and a girl named Mrityu (death) who will create Niraya (hell).

    There is another detailed description in Linga Purana:

    People of Kali Yuga will pretend they don’t know about the difference between races and the sacred meaning of marriage, about disciple’s attitude to his teacher and the importance of rituals. People will only endeavour to acquire more money, and the richest ones will be having the most power. Life will be uniformized, confusion and unscrupulousness will reign in everything. The only connection between the sexes will be pleasure, the only way to achieve success will be competition and lies.

    According to the same Kalki Purana, “deities, depressed and sorrowful, led by the Mother Earth", will head for Brahma’s dwelling. In his turn, Brahma will appeal to Vishnu, and Vishnu will promise to descend to the earth. “In order to restore Dharma and destroy Kali Yuga, Vishnu will appear in the city of Shambhala as an avatar.”

    There are more records of the Kali Yuga age, which supplement the general picture of the present. In particular:

     Vishnu Purana: "There will be temporary monarchs on the earth, quarrelsome and brutal kings, adhering to lies and evil. They will kill women and children... They will deprive subjects of their property. Their life will be short and desires insatiable. People in different countries will join them... Wealth will diminish until the entire world becomes depleted. Property will be the only measure. Wealth will be the reason for worship. Passion will be the only union between the sexes. Lies will be the means of success in courts. Women will turn into an object of lust. A rich person will be considered pure. Luxurious clothing will be an indication of dignity... Thus, there will be permanent downfall in Kali Yuga... And then, at the end of the black age Kalki Avatar will appear... He will restore justice on the earth... When the Sun, the Moon, Tishya and Jupiter come together, the white Satya age will return.

    “Five thousand years ago sage Vyasadeva was sitting on the bank of Saraswati River in Badrinath and saw in his meditation how in the age of Kali Yuga that has just started people will further degrade and forget the spiritual knowledge. He foresaw that duration of human life will decrease (the Bible also says God has shortened people’s life…), and people will become more and more greedy, lustful, and miserable. Vedic knowledge will be disappearing from the face of the Earth and consigned to oblivion.”

    In Padma Purana (7.26.15-17) it is mentioned that Kali Yuga is an abode of sin, when everyone is busy with sinful activities. People reject the spiritual truth and engage in play and theft. Everybody is attached to sex and intoxicating drinks. Heretics and atheists are put in the forefront.

    Shrimad Bhagavatam (12.3.39-40): In the age of Kali Yuga, human mind will be in permanent agitation. People will be tormented by fear and high taxes, exhausted by hunger and drought...

    In Brahmanda Purana (1.2.31.31-35) is it said that Kali Yuga major characteristics are cruelty, jealousy, falsehood, fraud, and deception, ruin of religious and moral principles, fatal diseases, starvation, and fear.

    And this is only a part of information available in Hindu scriptures. As for the end of Kali Yuga and the day of judgement mentioned in all religions (and corresponding talks do not subside until today), the Vedas, including Bhavishya Purana, provide unambiguous understanding: the end of Kali Yuga and the end of the world are inevitable. Moreover, in Hindu scriptures there are indeed words about the advent of the Saviour, Comforter, who is called Kalki Avatar.

КALKI AVATAR: SAVIOUR AT THE JUNCTION OF TWO YUGAS

    Kalki Avatar, or the White Horse Avatar is considered the last, tenth incarnation of God Vishnu. He will come as the Saviour at the junction of two Yugas: at the end of Kali Yuga and the beginning of Satya Yuga. When he comes, heavens will open wide, and Vishnu will appear “sitting on a foam-white horse, with his sword raised and glaring like a comet, for the final extermination of impious, restoration of the “creation”, and “renewal of purity”. This horse is a shell of the evil spirit, and Vishnu will ride it, remaining invisible for everybody until he overcomes the evil spirit for the last time. Let’s note that the end of each Yuga is signified by the world destruction, and the earth changes its appearance, flooding some continents and lifting other ones. Kalki combines two superior functions: spiritual dominion and temporary power.

Here is what we’ve discovered about Kalki Avatar in various Hindu scriptures:

    “When methods taught in the Vedas and legal guidelines are nearly dead, when the time of Kali Yuga decline approaches, a part of the Divine Being Who Supports Itself by Its Own Spiritual Nature, of the One Who is the end and the beginning, Who knows and understands everything, will descend to the earth.” (4.24)

    “The time will come, and the twice born Kalki Vishnuyashas will appear, endowed with great force, mind and power… This kind, conquering by Dharma, will assume the supreme power and bring peace to the restless world. Having appeared to the world, the brilliant Brahman, high in his thoughts, will put an end to destruction..." (Mahabharata, Book III Aranyaka Parva (the Forest Book), Chapter 188, “Legends of Markandeya Talks”)

    “Thereafter, at the junction of two Yugas, the Lord of Creation will be incarnated in Kalka and assume birth as the son of Vishnu Yashi". (Bhag., 1.3.25)

    “By your desire, I shall be born in Shambala... I shall place two sovereigns on the earth again: Maru and Dewali. I shall establish Satya Yuga again and restore Dharma in its former power. After Kali Yuga defeat I shall return to my residence.” (Kalki Purana)

    “At the end of Kali Yuga, when nobody will remember God even in dwellings of so-called saints and respected noble people belonging to the three higher castes, when governmental power will be in hands of ministers elected from among impious Sudras or worse, when no one will know even by hearsay how sacrifice is to be made, God, the Supreme Punisher will appear.” (Bhag., 2.7.38)

    “God Kalki, the Lord of the universe, will get on his fast white horse Devadatta and will move across the land with his sword raised, manifesting His eight mystic properties and eight divine qualities. Shining in incomparable brilliance, He will impetuously rush on his horse, killing millions of thieves who dared to wear king clothing.” Shrimad Bhagavatam (12.2.19-20)

    “Lord Vishnu, the Superior Sovereign, the spiritual teacher of all movable and immovable creatures, the Supreme Soul of everything, will be born to defend the principles of religion and to save His faithful from the consequences of material affairs.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam)

    “With his invincible power He will rout thieves and all those whose mind is devoted to lawlessness. He will restore righteousness on the earth, and the minds of those who will live at the end of Kali Yuga will awake and become crystal clear. Changed by the power of the unique time, these people will be like seeds of human beings, and they will give birth to a new race of people who will follow the laws of Satya Yuga, the age of purity.” (Vishnu Purana (4.24))

    Certain Scriptures also contain information that, after Lord Kalki returns to his Abode, those who will live at the end of Kali Yuga will be enlightened, and people’s minds will be illuminated. Once this happens, Satya Yuga will set in, and a new bright world will come, where people will be aware of themselves as eternal souls and gain true piety, devotion, peace, and clear consciousness. “Then Siddhas (enlightened and perfect living creatures who stayed invisible on higher planes of existence until the end of Kali Yuga) will return to the earthly dimension and become visible again. Along with them Saptarishi, the seven sages, will return and assert themselves again; their duty is to teach everybody spiritual life, Vedic knowledge and proper society organisation ensuring peaceful and sensible existence. Then peoples will blossom again…”

    Indeed, while reviewing predictions from various religions of the world, which have existed for millennia, it’s impossible not to notice an unquestionable fact: all predictions have common meaning, and the images of Messiah, Saviour, etc. who will bring the Knowledge and renew the world are quite similar as well. 

Prepared by Eva Kim.