Kalki

Kalki (Sanskrit: कल्कि), also called Kalkin, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. According to Vaishnava cosmology, Kalki is destined to appear at the end of the Kali Yuga, the last of the four ages in the cycle of existence (Krita). His arrival will mark the end of the Kali Yuga and herald the beginning of the Satya Yuga, the most virtuous age, before the ultimate dissolution of the universe (Mahapralaya).

In the Puranas, Kalki is depicted as the avatar who will rejuvenate existence by ending the darkest period of adharma (unrighteousness) and restoring dharma (righteousness). He is described as riding a white horse named Devadatta and wielding a fiery sword. The portrayal of Kalki varies across different Puranas, and his narrative is also found in other traditions, including the Kalachakra-Tantra of Tibetan Buddhism and Sikh texts.

Etymology

The name Kalki is derived from Kal, which means “time” (Kali Yuga). The original term may have been Karki (white, from the horse) which morphed into Kalki. This proposal is supported by two versions of Mahabharata manuscripts (e.g. the G3.6 manuscript) that have been found, where the Sanskrit verses name the incarnation to be karki.

Description

Hindu texts

Kalki is an avatara of Vishnu. Avatar means “descent”, and refers to a descent of the divine into the material realm of human existence. Kalki appears for the first time in the Mahabharata.

The Garuda Purana lists ten incarnations, with Kalki being the final one. He is described as the incarnation who appears at the end of the Kali Yuga. He ends the darkest, degenerating, and chaotic stage of the Kali Yuga to remove adharma and ushers in the Satya Yuga, while riding a white horse with a fiery sword. He restarts a new cycle of time. He is described as a Brahmin warrior in the Puranas. It is mentioned in the Puranas that the immortal Chiranjivis will assist him in various stages of his life.

A minor text named Kalki Purana is a relatively recent text, likely composed in Bengal. Its dating floruit is the 18th-century. Wendy Doniger dates the Kalki Mythology containing Kalki Purana to between 1500 and 1700 CE.

In the Kalki Purana, Kalki is born into the family of Vishnuyashas and Sumati, in a village called Shambala, on the thirteenth day during the fortnight of the waxing moon. At a young age, he is taught the holy scriptures on topics such as dharma, karma, artha, jñāna, and undertakes military training under the care of the Parashurama (the sixth incarnation of Vishnu). Soon, Kalki worships Shiva, who gets pleased by the devotion and provides him in return a divine white horse named Devadatta (a manifestation of Garuda), a powerful sword, whereby its handle is bedecked with jewels, and a parrot named Shuka, who is an all-knower; the past, the present and the future. Other accessories are also given by other devas, devis, saints, and righteous kings. He fights an evil army and in many wars, ending evil, but does not end existence. Kalki returns to Shambala, inaugurates a new Yuga for the good, and then goes to Vaikuntha. In the Kalki Purana, there is a mention of a Buddhist city whose residents don’t adhere to dharma (not worshipping the devas, ancestors, and not upholding the varna system), which Kalki fights and conquers.