Kali Yuga

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In Hinduism, Kali Yuga (Sanskrit: क लयुग,

romanized: kaliyuga, lit. 'age of Kali') is the
last of the four stages (or ages or yugas)
the world goes through as part of a 'cycle
of yugas' (i.e. mahayuga) described in the
Sanskrit scriptures.[1] The other ages are
called Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, and
Dvapara Yuga. The "Kali" of Kali Yuga
means "strife", "discord", "quarrel" or
"contention" and Kali Yuga is associated
with the demon Kali (not to be confused
with the goddess Kali).

According to Puranic sources,[2] Krishna's

departure marks the end of Dvapara Yuga
and the start of Kali Yuga, which is dated
to 17/18 February 3102 BCE.[3]

Based on a start year of 3102 BCE and a

duration of 432,000 years or 12,000 divine
years, Kali Yuga started roughly 5,121
years ago with 426,879 years remaining as
of 2020 CE.

Possible starting and ending

dates

Information kiosk at Bhalka, the place from where

Krishna returned to his heavenly abode
According to the Surya Siddhanta, Kali
Yuga began at midnight (00:00) on 18
February 3102 BCE.[4] This is also
considered the date on which Krishna left
the earth to return to Vaikuntha.[5] This
information is placed at the temple of
Bhalka, the place of this incident (see
photo).

According to the astronomer and

mathematician Aryabhata the Kali Yuga
started in 3102 BCE. He finished his book
Aryabhattiyam in 499 CE, in which he gives
the exact year of the beginning of Kali
Yuga. He writes that he wrote the book in
the "year 3600 of the Kali Age" at the age
of 23. As it was the 3600th year of the Kali
Age when he was 23 years old, and given
that Aryabhata was born in 476 CE, the
beginning of the Kali Yuga would come to
(3600 - (476 + 23) + 1 (As only one year
elapses between 1 BCE and 1 CE)) = 3102
BCE.[6]

According to K.D. Abhyankar, the starting

point of Kali Yuga is an extremely rare
planetary alignment, which is depicted in
the Mohenjo-daro seals.[7] Going by this
alignment the year 3102 BCE is slightly off.
The actual date for this alignment is 7
February 3104 BCE. There is also
sufficient proof to believe that Vrdhha
Garga knew of precession at least by 500
BCE. Garga had calculated the rate of
precession to within 30% of what the
modern scholars estimate.[8][9]

The common belief until Swami Sri

Yukteswar Giri had analyzed the dating of
the yuga cycles was that the Kali Yuga
would last for roughly 432,000 years after
the end of the Dwapara Yuga (3102 BCE).
This originated during the puranic times
when the famous astronomer
Aryabhata[10] recalculated the timeline by
artificially inflating the traditional 12,000
year figure with a multiplication of 360,
which was represented as the number of
"human years" that make up a single
"divine year". This was likely a purposeful
miscalculation due to conflicts with one of
the preeminent astronomer of the time
Brahmagupta.[11] However, both the
Mahabharata (which was used by
Aryabhata in his calculations) and the
Manu Smriti have the original value of
12,000 years for one half of the yuga cycle.

Contemporary analysis of historical data

from the last 11 millennia[12] matches with
the indigenous Saptarishi Calendar.[13] The
length of the transitional periods between
each yuga is unclear, and can only be
estimated based on historical data of past
cataclysmic events. Using a 300 year (10%
of the length of a particular yuga) period
for transitions, Kali Yuga has either ended
recently in the past 100 to 200 years, or is
to end soon sometime in the next 100
years.

Other authors, such as the revered Hindu

guru Swami Sri Yukteswar[14] in his book
The Holy Science, as well as the influential
Yogi Paramhansa Yogananda,[15] believe
that the Kali Yuga has already ended, and
that we are now in an ascending Dvapara
Yuga. This calculation is also supported
[16] by modern-day self-styled spiritual
promoters such as Jaggi Vasudev.
Attributes
Hindus believe that human civilization
degenerates spiritually during the Kali
Yuga.[17] Common attributes and
consequences are spiritual bankruptcy,
mindless hedonism, breakdown of all
social structure, greed and materialism,
unrestricted egotism, afflictions and
maladies of mind and body.

Hinduism often symbolically represents

morality (dharma) as an Indian bull. In
Satya Yuga, the first stage of development,
the bull has four legs, but in each age
morality is reduced by one quarter. By the
age of Kali, morality is reduced to only a
quarter of that of the golden age, so that
the bull of Dharma has only one leg.[18][19]

References in the Mahabharata …

This section does not cite any sources.

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The Kurukshetra War and the decimation

of Kauravas thus happened at the Yuga-
Sandhi, the point of transition from one
yuga to another. The scriptures mention
Narada as having momentarily intercepted
the demon Kali on his way to the Earth
when Duryodhana was about to be born in
order to make him an embodiment of
arishadvargas and adharma in preparation
of the era of decay in values and the
consequent havoc.

Prophesied events …

A discourse by Markandeya in the

Mahabharata identifies some of the
attributes of Kali Yuga.[20]

In relation to rulers, it lists:

Rulers will become unreasonable: they

will levy taxes unfairly.
Rulers will no longer see it as their duty
to promote spirituality, or to protect their
subjects: they will become a danger to
the world.
People will start migrating, seeking
countries where wheat and barley form
the staple food source.
"At the end of Kali-yuga, when there exist
no topics on the subject of God, even at
the residences of so-called saints and
respectable gentlemen of the three
higher varnas (guna or temperament)
and when nothing is known of the
techniques of sacrifice, even by word, at
that time the Lord will appear as the
supreme chastiser." (Srimad-
Bhagavatam (2.7)
With regard to human relationships,
Markandeya's discourse says:

Avarice and wrath will be common.

Humans will openly display animosity
towards each other. Ignorance of
dharma will occur.
Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness,
tolerance, mercy, physical strength and
memory diminish with each passing day.
People will have thoughts of murder
with no justification and will see nothing
wrong in that.
Lust will be viewed as socially
acceptable and sexual intercourse will
be seen as the central requirement of
life.
Sin will increase exponentially, while
virtue will fade and cease to flourish.
People will become addicted to
intoxicating drinks and drugs.
Gurus will no longer be respected and
their students will attempt to injure
them. Their teachings will be insulted,
and followers of Kama will wrest control
of the mind from all human beings.
All the human beings will declare
themselves as gods or boon given by
gods and make it as a business instead
of teachings.
People will no longer get married and
live with each other just for sexual
pleasure.
Weather and environment will degrade
with time and frequent and
unpredictable rainfalls will happen.
Earthquakes will be common.
Maximum age of humans will be 50
years by the end of Kali Yuga.
Many fake ideologies will spread
throughout the world.
The powerful people will dominate the
poor people.
Many diseases will spread.
 At the end of Kali Yuga, lord Vishnu will
take birth on earth to wipe out the
sinners.

It is also scheduled that the Bhagavata

Purana will be composed.

10,000 year "Golden Age"

The Brahma Vaivarta Purana (related to
Rathantara kalpa) mentions a ten
thousand-year period, starting from the
traditional dating of the Kali Yuga epoch,
during which bhakti yogis will be
present.[21] Krishna foretold that Kali Yuga
will be full of extreme hardships for people
with ideals and values.
The Brahma-vaivarta Purana has words
spoken by Krishna to Mother Ganga just
before the beginning of the Kali Yuga (the
age of quarrel and strife). The Kali Yuga
began approximately five thousand years
ago, that golden age is being described
below by Krishna. Predicted in Brahma-
vaivarta Purana 4.129. The fourth part of
the Brahma-vaivarta is called Kṛṣṇa-janma-
khanda. Chapter 129 is called
Golokarohanam, because it describes how
Krishna returns to His abode. This specific
dialogue is between Krishna and Mother
Ganga. Verse 49 is a question by Ganga,
verses 50–60 are Krishna's answer.
This text is taken from the Brahma-
vaivarta Purana [14] Text 59:

kaler daṣa-sahasrāṇi

madbhaktāḥ santi bhūtale

ekavarṇā bhaviṣyanti

madbhakteṣu gateṣu ca

"For 10,000 years of Kali such

devotees of Mine will be present
on earth. After the departure of
My devotees there will be only
one varna."
The above is supported in 4.90.32–33:

kalau daṣa-sahasrāṇi

haris tiṣṭhati medinī

devānām pratimā pūjyā

śāstrāni ca purāṇakam

"(Sri Krisna said:) Lord Hari will

stay on this earth for the first
ten-thousand years of Kali-yuga.
Till then gods will be
worshipped and the Puranas
 and scriptures will also be
present."

Personification

Kalki and his horse, Devadatta.

Kali is the reigning lord of Kali Yuga and

his nemesis is Kalki, the tenth and final
Avatar of Vishnu. According to the Vishnu
Purana, Kali is a negative manifestation
working towards the cause of 'the end' or
rather towards eventual rejuvenation of the
universe.[22]

Kali also serves as an antagonistic force in

the Kalki Purana. It is said that towards the
end of this yuga, Kalki will return riding on
a white horse to battle with Kali and his
dark forces. The world will suffer a fiery
cataclysm that will destroy all evil, and
Shiva will destroy the universe. Brahma
will create the universe anew, and then a
new age (the next Satya Yuga of the
following Mahayuga), will begin.
In Shaivism
Some Shaivites maintain that the ill effects
of Kali Yuga can only be moderated by the
manifestation of Shiva himself. Shastriji,
one of the followers of Haidakhan Babaji,
gave the following narration: "Once Parvati
asked Lord Shiva, her husband: 'You have
done good work for the people in all ages,
but I am afraid for the people in the Kali
Yuga; how will they safeguard
themselves?' Then Lord Shiva told Parvati:
'I will appear in the Kali Yuga and I will
create a new state, a new centre of religion
- a most important place, where I will live
and establish all the Gods there.'"[23]
Shastriji went further to suggest that this
promise manifested through the person of
Haidakhan Babaji.[24] One of the central
tenets of Haidakhan Babaji's teachings is
the message of Karma Yoga or hard work.
In the context of Kali Yuga Haidakhan
Babaji explained:

"As I have told you before, the thing

needed in this Age is work (karma). In
every Age people have reached salvation
through different types of action and
sadhana (spiritual discipline), but in this
Age one can reach liberation only through
hard work. I want real, practical human
beings and only he is a true human being
who lives in accordance with this Age. We
need not consider religion or caste, but
look only to hard work."[25]

In Sikhism
In Sikhism, Kali Yuga is metaphorically
used to describe the state of the world as
was commonly understood in the 16th
century. It is stressed that one should
meditate as much as possible to reach the
state of mukti and be liberated or be one
with God.

Guru Granth Sahib on Ang:1185 says:

ab kaloo aaeiou rae : Now, the
Dark Age of Kali Yuga has come.

eik naam bovahu bovahu : Plant

the Name, the Name of the One
Lord.

an rooth naahee naahee : It is

not the season to plant other
seeds.

math bharam bhoolahu

bhoolahu : Do not wander lost
in doubt and delusion.[26]
Other usage
The Kali Yuga is an important concept in
both Theosophy and Anthroposophy,[27][28]
and in the writings of Helena Blavatsky,
W.Q. Judge, Rudolf Steiner, and
Traditionalist philosophers such as René
Guénon and Julius Evola, among others.
Rudolf Steiner believed that the Kali Yuga
ended in 1900.[29] The Traditionalists
describe modern Western civilization as
being in its Kali Yuga phase, in a state of
degeneration and eventual collapse.

See also
Hindu units of time
 List of numbers in Hindu scriptures
Metrics of time in Hinduism

References
1. Smith, John D. (2009). The
Mahābhārata: an abridged
translation . Penguin Classics
(ISBN 978-0-670-08415-9), p. 200
2. The Bhagavata Purana (1.18.6),
Vishnu Purana (5.38.8), and Brahma
Purana (212.8), the day Krishna left
the earth was the day that the Dvapara
Yuga ended and the Kali Yuga began.
3. See: Matchett, Freda, "The Puranas", p
139 and Yano, Michio, "Calendar,
astrology and astronomy" in Flood,
Gavin (Ed) (2003). Blackwell
companion to Hinduism. Blackwell
Publishing. ISBN 978-0-631-21535-6.
4. The Induand the Rg-Veda, Page 16, By
Egbert Richter-Ushanas, ISBN 81-208-
1405-3
5. "Lord Krishna lived for 125 years" .
The Times of India. 8 September
2004. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
6. H.D. Dharm Chakravarty Swami
Prakashanand Saraswati.
Encyclopedia Of Authentic Hinduism
The True History and the Religion of
India, Hardbound, 2nd Edition, 2003,
ISBN 0967382319 Retrieved 2015-01-
21
7. Abhyankar, K. D. (1993). "Astronomical
significance to two Mohenjodaro
seals". Astronomical Society of India,
Bulletin. 21 (3–4): 477.
Bibcode:1993BASI...21..475A .
8. Abhyankar, K. D. (1993). "Astronomical
significance to two Mohenjodaro
seals". Astronomical Society of India,
Bulletin. 21 (3–4): 475.
Bibcode:1993BASI...21..475A .
9. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from
the original (PDF) on 14 February
2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
10. burgess, Ebenezer (1978).
"Translation of the Surya-Siddhanta, A
Text-Book of Hindu Astronomy With
Notes, and an Appendix" . Journal of
the American Oriental Society. Journal
of the American Oriental Society, Vol.
6 (1858 - 1860). 6: 141–498.
Bibcode:1978tsth.book.....B .
doi:10.2307/592174 .
JSTOR 592174 .
11. Alberuni's India, Chapter XLII. p. 375.
12. Bibhu Misra Dev (15 July 2012). "The
end of the Kali Yuga in 2025:
Unraveling the mysteries of the Yuga
Cycle" . Retrieved 26 March 2019.
13. Sankara Balkrishna Dikshit, Robert
Sewell. "The Indian Calendar: With
tables for the conversion of Hindu and
Muhammadan into A.D. dates, and
vice-versa" : 45.
14. The Holy Science, by Jnanavatar
Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, Yogoda Sat-
Sanga Society of India, 1949
15. Yogananda, Paramhansa (August
2008). Autobiography of a Yogi .
BiblioBazaar. pp. 200–201. ISBN 978-
0-554-22466-4.
16. Sadhguru (12 September 2017), The
Great Cycles or 'YUGAS' Isha
Fondation Sadhguru , retrieved
12 April 2019
17. Dimitri Kitsikis, L'Orocc, dans l'âge de
Kali, Editions Naaman,1985, ISBN 2-
89040-359-9
18. "The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana
Parva: Markandeya-Samasya Parva:
Section CLXXXIX" . Sacred-texts.com.
Retrieved 20 January 2013.
19. Bhāgavata Purāṇa 1.16.20
20. Mahabharata SECTION CLXXXIX
21. Ramesh Chaturvedi, Shantilal Nagar.
Brahmavaivarta Purana. Parimal
Publications. 2001. ISBN 978-81-
7110-170-2. Online Book 4, Chapter
129, versus 49–60
22. "Chap. Vii" . Sacred-texts.com.
Retrieved 20 January 2013.
23. The Teachings of Babaji, 25 December
1981.
24. "Having some doubt, Kartikeya, son of
Lord Shiva, once asked what would
happen to man during the Kali Yuga
when there would be so much trouble
in the world. The Holy utterance of
Lord Shiva was that he would
manifest in the Kali Yuga to uplift the
world and liberate those who turn to
God. Shiva now lives among us in Shri
Babaji, who is doing the services for
mankind now from Herakhan Vishwa
Mahadham." The Teachings of Babaji.
30 October 1982.
25. The Teachings of Babaji. 21 March
1983.
26. "Enabling Gurmat Knowledge" .
SikhiToTheMAX. Retrieved 20 January
2013.
27. Christopher Bamford (ed.).
Spiritualism, Madame Blavatsky &
Theosophy: An Eyewitness View of
Occult History : Lectures by Rudolf
Steiner.
28. Kevin T. Dann (2000). Across the
Great Border Fault: The Naturalist
Myth in America. Rutgers University
Press.
29. Christopher Bamford (ed.).
Spiritualism, Madame Blavatsky &
Theosophy: An Eyewitness View of
Occult History : Lectures by Rudolf
Steiner.

Further reading
Glass, Marty Yuga: An Anatomy of our
Fate (Hillsdale, NY: Sophia Perennis,
2004)
Guénon, René The Crisis of the Modern
World, translated by Arthur Osborne,
Marco Pallis and Richard C. Nicholson
(Hillsdale, NY: Sophia Perennis, 2004)
 Lings, Martin The Eleventh Hour: The
Spiritual Crisis of the Modern World in
the Light of Tradition and Prophecy
(Cambridge, UK: Archetype, 2002)
Sotillos, Samuel Bendeck "New Age or
the Kali-Yuga?" AHP Perspective,
April/May 2013, pp. 15–21.
Upton, Charles Legends of the End:
Prophecies of the End Times, Antichrist,
Apocalypse, and Messiah from Eight
Religious Traditions (Hillsdale, NY:
Sophia Perennis, 2005)

External links
 Wikiquote has quotations related to:
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