Kalki

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For other meanings, see Kalki (disambiguation).
Kalki
Copper engraving of Kalki from the late 18th century.
Copper engraving of Kalki from the late 18th century.
Devanagari कल्कि
Affiliation Avatar of Vishnu
Weapon Sword
Mount Horse
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In Hinduism, Kalki (Devanagari: कल्कि; also rendered by some as Kalkin and Kalaki) is the tenth and final Maha Avatara (great incarnation) of Vishnu who will come to end the present age of darkness and destruction known as Kali Yuga. The name Kalki is often a metaphor for eternity or time. The origins of the name probably lie in the word "kalka" which refers to dirt, filth, or foulness and hence denotes the "destroyer of foulness," "destroyer of confusion," "destroyer of darkness," or "annihilator of ignorance."[citation needed] Other similar and divergent interpretations based on varying etymological derivations from the ancient Sanskrit language - including one simply meaning "White Horse" - have been made.[1]

In the Buddhist Kalachakra tradition, some 25 rulers of the legendary Shambhala Kingdom have the title of Kalki, Kulika or Kali-king.[2]

Contents

[edit] Maha Avatara

Hindu traditions permit numerous interpretations of what avatars are and to what purpose they act. Avatara means "descent" and indicates a descent of the divine awareness into manifestations of the mundane form. Prominent religious leaders like Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda are considered avatars by some, but in most Hindu traditions there are only 10 Maha Avataras or Great Avatars. The Bhagavata Purana has a list of 25 Great Avatars.

All Hindu traditions declare all people to be manifestations of the divine essence or Atman and avatars to be individuals who are far more acutely and extensively aware of this fact and its implications than most. They have entered the mortal realms voluntarily to teach important truths to humanity or dharma, and who usually have extraordinary abilities to aid in these roles.

[edit] Kalki's appearance and the end of days prophecy

Kalki as vajimukha (horse-faced), as seen in this Cambodian sculpture in Musée Guimet.
Kalki as vajimukha (horse-faced), as seen in this Cambodian sculpture in Musée Guimet.

As with the prophecies of many traditions there is some debate within Hinduism regarding the time of the appearance of the Kalki avatar, as well as the divine purpose that this appearance will signify.

Popular images depict him riding a white horse with wings known as Devadatta (God-given.) In these images, Kalki is brandishing a sword in his right hand and is intent on eradicating the corrupt destitution and debauchery of Kali Yuga. On his return, it is prophesied that he will vanquish the demon Kali, reconcile opposites, and renew the process of virtuous dharma and creation, thus establishing the rebirth of righteousness and virtue.

According to the Kalki Purana, Kalki will be mentored by Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu. Parashurama himself performed a penance thousands of years ago for Shiva, who in acknowledgment gave to him control over celestial weaponry with which to cleanse the Earth of Kshatriya corruption. Parashurama will teach Kalki how to perform similar penance to follow in his footsteps and achieve celestial abilities.

[edit] Origins of the Kalki prophecy

One of the earliest mentions of Kalki is in the Vishnu Purana, which is dated generally to be after the Gupta Empire around the 7th century A.D.[3] In the Hindu Trimurti, Vishnu is the preserver and sustainer of life, balancing the processes of creation and destruction. Kalki is also mentioned in another of the 18 major Puranas, the Agni Purana. Agni is the god of fire in the Hindu pantheon, and symbolically represents the spiritual fire of life and the processes of transformation. It is one of the earliest works declaring Gautama Buddha to have been a manifestation of Vishnu, and seems to draw upon the Vishnu Purana in its mention of Kalki. A later work, the Kalki Purana, a minor Purana, is an extensive exposition of expectations and predictions of when, where, and why it is said he will come, and what he is expected to do. It has a militant perspective, and celebrates the defeat of traditions that are deemed heretical for not adhering closely enough to the traditions of the Vedas, such as Buddhism and Jainism[citation needed]. A few other minor Purana also mention him.

Followers of Tibetan Buddhism have preserved the Kalachakra Tantra in which "Kalkin" is a title of 25 rulers of the mystical realm of Shambhala. The aims and actions of some of these are prophesied in portions of the work. The 25th Kalkin as an emanation of Manjushri is said to brings about world-wide spiritual change.

“ At that time, all the families of men on the earth shall be fulfilled with dharma, pleasure and wealth. Grain shall grow in the wild and the trees shall bow with fruit - these things will occur. [4] ”

[edit] Modern interpretations of the Kalki prophecy

Stone plaque of Kalki from the 18th century.
Stone plaque of Kalki from the 18th century.
  • Pandit Ved Prakash Upaddhay has argued in his book Kalki Autar aur Muhammad Saheb that Muhammad completed all the prophecies of the Kalki avatar. Muslim scholars have argued that Muhammad is the seal of the final maha avatar of Vishnu[citation needed]. They claim Muhammad has completed the 13 conditions when an avatar is born, the 11 conditions when the final avatar should appear, the 14 characteristics of the final avatar, and was born in an appropriate time and place of social and religious decline. The book Muhammad in the Hindu Scriptures had been researched from all Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads to claim that Muhammad was the last and final messenger.[5]
  • Before the arrival of their spiritual guru, Aga Khan, in the 1800s, Ismaili Khojas, believed in the 10 incarnations of Vishnu. According to their tradition Imam Ali, the son-in-law of prophet Muhamad was Kalki.
  • In the last few decades several leaders of relatively small religious movements in India, and a few outside of it, including some women, have at times claimed to be the Kalki Avatar of Hinduism, or their followers have declared them to be Kalki.[citation needed]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kalki-Avatar
  2. ^ Kalachakra history
  3. ^ p. lxxii, Vishnu Purana by H.H. Wilson, 2001, Ganesha Publishing, ISBN 1-86210-016-0
  4. ^ The Outer Wheel of Time; Vajrayana Buddhist cosmology in the Kalacakra tantra, by John Ronald Newman, Univ. of Wisconsin 1987
  5. ^ Dr. Ved Prakash Upaddhay, Muhammad in the Hindu Scriptures, Islamic Book Trust, pg 43 - 71
  6. ^ Momen, Moojan (1990). "Hindu Prophecies", Hinduism and the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-299-6. 
  7. ^ The Baha'i Faith in India: A Developmental Stage Approach by William Garlington, Occasional Papers in Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Studies, No. 2 (June, 1997)
  8. ^ Nicholas Goodrich-Clark, Hitler's Preistess, Savitri Devi, the Hindu-Aryan Myth, and Neo-Nazism, New York University Press, 1998, pp.124-5; 218, 221
  9. ^ Koenraad Elst, Savitri Devi

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