Kali Yuga and the End of Days

[DynoMight]

I have recently become aware of what is know as the Kali Yuga in Hinduism. Apparently this concept is very much like or even identical to the concept of the End of Days in the Christian religion. In a nut shell the KY and ED are marked by decadence, moral decay and finally chaos.

Many Hindus believe that we have entered the low period in cyclic history. Also many Christians believe that these are the end of days. What do you think?

Also if any is aware of similar concepts in other religious traditions I would be interested to read them.

Cheers,
Dyno Might (Maybe. Who knows?)

 

[Francis king]

I'm suspecting ur a fan of Gong... but might be wrong...

buddhism is the same, the dharma falls into disrepute and then the new messiah comes to save us all, although I dont know whether the idea was influenced by the kali yuga thing...

 

[DynoMight]

I'm suspecting ur a fan of Gong... but might be wrong...

buddhism is the same, the dharma falls into disrepute and then the new messiah comes to save us all, although I dont know whether the idea was influenced by the kali yuga thing...

Never heard of Gong. What is it?

Also I'm not only interested in the similarities between these prophecies I'd also be very interested to find out about their differences.

 

[Dondi]

There are many parallels in the apocalyptic literature of the Bible:

"For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD. For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory." - Isaiah 66:15-18

"And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand." - Daniel 12:9-10

"For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." - Matthew 24:5-13

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." - I Timothy 4:1-3

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." - II Timothy 3:1-7


"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." - Revelation 21:8


I'm sure I could fish for more,examples, but I think you get the idea.

 

[Dondi]

Actually, I was quite surprised when I looked up Kali Yuga on the Wiki and found this:

"Kali (Demon) (Devnāgari: कलि) is the reigning lord of Kali Yuga and nemesis of Sri Kalki, the 10th and final avatar of Lord Vishnu. According to the Vishnu Purana, he is a negative manifestation of Vishnu who, along with his extended evil family, perpetually operates as a cause of the destruction of this world.[2] He is the major antagonist in the Kalki Purana.
Towards the end of this yuga, Kalki will come riding on a white horse to battle Kali and his dark forces. The world would suffer a fiery end where all evil will perish. And in turn will start a new age, the age of Satya Yuga."

I immediately recalled this biblical scripture:

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh." - Revelation 19:11-21

 

[Agnideva]

I have recently become aware of what is know as the Kali Yuga in Hinduism. Apparently this concept is very much like or even identical to the concept of the End of Days in the Christian religion. In a nut shell the KY and ED are marked by decadence, moral decay and finally chaos.
Many Hindus believe that we have entered the low period in cyclic history. Also many Christians believe that these are the end of days. What do you think?

Namaste DynoMight,

In Hinduism, there are two sorts of opinions on the Kali yuga. The traditional opinion cites the Purâna texts and says that we are currently living in the Kali yuga, which is to last another 426892 solar years. The not-so-traditional opinion says that the traditional calculations confused the human years for Deva years (a factor of 360), and so the Kali yuga is already over. Those that hold the second opinion cite the invention of new technologies and overall betterment of human life as evidence that a new yuga has begun. The coming of Kalki at the end of Kali yuga is a prophecy fortold in the Purânas as well, and is an important belief of Vaishnavite denomination of Hinduism, which essentially believes in the former scheme.

Using the non-traditional scheme, some people have claimed that religious leaders of the past were in fact Kalki. Two such claims that have been circulating over the years among many others is that Baha'u'llah is Kalki, and Prophet Muhammed is Kalki.

Regards,
A.

 

[Agnideva]

A Purânic passage regarding the Kali yuga:

Suka said: “And then, O King, will, day after day, under the strong influence of the time the religiousness, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance and mercy as well as the duration of life, the strength and the memory become ruined. In the age of Kali will among men wealth alone be the sign of a good birth, behavior and qualities and will might be the only criterion in determining what would be just and right. Marital relations will be based on superficial attraction, in business will deceit be the norm, to be a man or woman will depend on one's sexuality, and a sacred thread is then enough to call someone learned. An outer mark will suffice to make out a person's spiritual status and it will also be enough reason for switching between positions; not making so much money one looses credibility and being handy with words is one of scholarship. Poverty is simply held unholy, and hypocrisy is held a virtue; a promise is considered enough to be married and to take a bath is enough to appear for the day. A reservoir of water somewhere far away is considered a holy place, beauty depends on one's coiffure, life's purpose is to fill one's belly, audacity is considered truthfulness, being able to maintain a family is one an expert and serving religiously one does for a good name. With the globe of the earth crowded by a populace corrupted this way, will whoever among the intellectuals, the merchants or the ruling or working class is the strongest, be the king of the hill. The citizens, with their wives and property stolen away by the merciless and avaricious ruling class acting to the nature of ordinary thieves, will flee to the mountains and the forests. With the consumption of vegetables, roots, meat, honey, fruits, flowers and seeds will they, suffering draught, be ruined, tormented by famine and taxes. By cold, wind, heat, rain and snow plagued as well as by hunger, thirst and diseases, suffer they as a consequence great distress and anxiety. The maximum duration of life for human beings in Kali yuga will be fifty years. When the bodies of all living entities by the contamination of Kali yuga are in decay; the dutifulness of the members of all status-orientations is lost; with the Vedic path there for all men changed into an atheistic conception of duty; when the kings predominantly act as thieves and men in their various occupations in truth are all lying bandits of meaningless slaughter; when the classes are predominantly labor-minded; the cows are no better than goats; the hermitages are just like materialistic homes; family ties extend no further than the bonds of marriage; when the plants and herbs have reduced in size and all trees are like sâmi trees, when there is always lightning in the clouds and the homes are ruled by loneliness; when Kali yuga is running at its end and the people have become like asses, will the Supreme Lord descend in the mode of pure goodness to protect the dharma.” (Bhâgavata Purâna Book XII, Chap 2, 1-16)

Purânic passages on the coming of Kalki:

The spiritual Master of all the moving and nonmoving beings, Lord Vishnu, the Controller of All, will for the protection of the religion and the saintly put an end to the fruitive activities and the being born. In the village of Shâmbhala will Lord Kalki appear in the home of the great soul, Vishnuyashâ. Mounting His swift-riding horse Devadatta, will the Lord of the Universe with His sword, transcendental qualities and endowed with the eight mystic opulences, subdue the unholy. With His horse moving fast about the earth will He, unrivaled in His splendor, destroy the thieves disguised in the grab of kings. When all the robbers have been killed, will the minds clear up of all the city-people and country folk that were touched by the breeze carrying the most sacred fragrance of the [with sandalwood paste] decorated body of Lord Vâsudeva. When Vâsudeva, the Supreme Lord, is situated in their hearts in His transcendental form of goodness, will the culture of their progeny flourish as never. When the Lord Kalki, the Lord and Master of Dharma, incarnates, will Satya yuga and the creation of progeny in the mode of goodness begin. When the moon and the sun to the lunar mansion of Tishyâ [or Pushyâ] simultaneously rise with Jupiter in the same constellation, will at that time Krita or Satya Yuga begin. (Bhâgavata Purâna Book XII, Chap 2, 17-24)

“When the practices taught by the Vedas and the institutes of Dharma shall nearly have ceased, and the close of the Kali Age shall be nigh, a portion of that Divine Being who exists of His own spiritual nature in the character of Brahmâ, and who is the beginning and the end, and who comprehends all things, shall descend upon the earth. He will be born as Kalki in the family of an eminent brâhmana of Shâmbhala village, endowed with the eight superhuman faculties. By his irresistible might he will destroy all the barbarians and thieves, and all whose minds are devoted to iniquity. He will then reestablish righteousness (dharma) upon the earth; and the minds of those who live at the end of the Kali Age shall be awakened, and shall be as pellucid as crystal. The men who are thus changed by virtue of that peculiar time shall be as the seeds of human beings, and shall give birth to a race which shall follow the laws of the Krita Age, the Age of Purity. As it is said, ‘When the sun and moon, and the lunar asterism Tishyâ, and the planet Jupiter, are in one mansion, the Krita Age shall return.’” (Vishnu Purâna, Book IV, Chap 24)

 

[Eudaimonist]

Many Hindus believe that we have entered the low period in cyclic history. Also many Christians believe that these are the end of days. What do you think?

I believe these are just stories made up to satisfy the psychological need of people to understand the origin and ultimate future of humanity.

Also if any is aware of similar concepts in other religious traditions I would be interested to read them.

There's the Nordic story of Ragnarök.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[DynoMight]

My understanding of the nature of the Kali Yuga is that it doesn't really have to do with techology or a better material life so much as it has to do with corruption and declining moral values.

Personally I think that corruption is getting quite out of control all over as are morals. So IMHO the Kali Yuga and the End of Days may be quite near.

 

[Eudaimonist]

Personally I think that corruption is getting quite out of control all over as are morals. So IMHO the Kali Yuga and the End of Days may be quite near.

Every generation thinks this.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Dondi]

I believe these are just stories made up to satisfy the psychological need of people to understand the origin and ultimate future of humanity.

Perhaps. But then again, we're living in an age when the end of the world is now very possible, even in secular terms, provided a few of the right buttons are pushed. Should we not have cause for concern?

When I read biblical passages like this, I shudder, because of the reality we live with today:

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" - II Peter 3;10-12

It is no small step to imagine this happening in a nuclear holocost. I don't revel in fulfilled prophesy, as if to welcomely usher in the inevitable. I would that we never see this happening. I really hope that the prophesy is wrong.

But I brace for the time when some terrorist will actually use such as device to destroy a large metropolitan city. It'll make 9/11 look like a school recess scuffle.

 

[Eudaimonist]

Perhaps. But then again, we're living in an age when the end of the world is now very possible, even in secular terms, provided a few of the right buttons are pushed. Should we not have cause for concern?

I'm not opposed to concern.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Eudaimonist]

(Sorry, double-post.)

 

[Agnideva]

My understanding of the nature of the Kali Yuga is that it doesn't really have to do with techology or a better material life so much as it has to do with corruption and declining moral values.

This is quite correct according to the traditional scheme.

Personally I think that corruption is getting quite out of control all over as are morals. So IMHO the Kali Yuga and the End of Days may be quite near.

There are many instances in history where people have thought this very thought, and waited for the end of the days.

Have you looked into the Mayan prophecy which says that the world will end on Winter Solstice, Dec 21, 2012?

Regards,
A.