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| KALKI - THE HORSEMAN |
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| KALKI - THE HORSEMAN |
Prediction about the future events or happenings has always
been a favorite endeavor of all the religious faiths. Whether it is the Resurrection or Rapture or the
Kalki incarnation, each faith has imagined the onset of better time in its own
way. This occurrence is the natural corollary to the concept that the noble values
decay with the passage of time The Hindu mind is basically rooted to the fact
that the world always decays after its inception. Hence the First Age, the SATYA
YUGA, was the best period when the Dharma, represented by the holy bull, stood
on its all the four legs. Then came the TRETA YUGA in which the moral and spiritual
conditions deteriorated a bit and the Dharma lost its one leg. By the time the
third age, DWAPARA YUGA surfaced the Dharma lost its two legs. In the same sequence,
the worst age is supposed to be KALI YUGA or the present age when the Dharma-bull
will be standing only on one leg. In each of these ages the imbalance created
by the adverse conditions was to be set right by various incarnation of the Lord
Almighty (believed to be Lord Vishnu) in variety of mortal forms.
'BHAGWAT GITA' says that the Lord incarnates Himself whenever
there is decline of the noble values and wickedness takes an upper hand. These incarnations come
in the mortal forms choosing their manner of entry into the world according to
the demand of times. Just after the Deluge he incarnated in the Fish and later
in the Tortoise and Boar forms. Since Hiranyakashipu, the tyrant demon and father
of Prahalad, was to be slain by a half-man half-beast existence, he came in the
Narasimha form. Ravana was to be slain by a man so Lord Rama incarnated himself
as a human being.
It is expected the worse the period the more powerful would be these incarnations.
That is, each passing age would demand a more potent incarnation to redeem the
world. It is for this reason the preceding incarnation, like that of Lord Rama
in TRETA, was potentially less powerful than that of Lord Krishna in DWAPARA
because of the progressively growing adverse conditions. It is said that in the
present age, KALI YUGA, the moral conditions shall be touching their nadir and
they would require the most potent incarnation to restore order in the world.
That incarnation is believed to be KALKI-AVTARA or Kalki Incarnation.
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| KALKI - THE YET TO COME
AVATAR OF VISHNU |
This incarnation has been described in various ways by the sacred texts. As the
future incarnation, Kalki will come at the end of the present Kaliyuga when moral
excellence no longer exists, the rule of law has disappeared and all is darkness.
In some text he is described as holding a flaming sword, and in some as four-armed
holding a sword, conch shell, wheel and an arrow, and in some others as a human
having the head of a horse and holding attributes as above but with a club (gada)
instead of an arrow.
The Mahabharata is more specific in its description of the
Kalki-Avatar. On being
asked by Yuddhistira, the sage, Markandeya, describes the Kalki Incarnation.
He says that inspired by the Supreme Spirit, in a certain
village called Shambal, a son will be born in the house of a Brahman named VISHNUYASHA
and this boy's name shall be Kalki Vishnuyasha. This Brahman boy shall be an extremely powerful,
intelligent and valiant personage. He shall get all weapons, armies, etc., at
will. Collecting a huge army of Brahman warriors he shall go about setting order
of righteousness in the world. He shall not only re-establish the rule of dharma
but shall also herald the advent of the Golden Age or the Satyayuga of the next
cycle of time. |
