Kalki is the only avatar of Vishnu that is yet to be born which is mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam, Vishnu Purana, Mahabharata, Matsya Purana, and Kalki Purana. He will end all evil by defeating the demon Kali and starting a new Satyayuga or Kalkiyuga.
Asura Kali is all the negative emotions and elements personified into one. The human-form Kalki is depicted as a horse-riding warrior holding a shining fiery sword.
What will happen at Kali Yuga?
In Kali-yuga, wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man’s good birth, proper behavior, and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only based on one’s power. Men and women will live together merely because of superficial attraction, and success in business will depend on deceit.
Womanliness and manliness will be judged according to one’s expertise in sex, and a man will be known as a brahmana just by his wearing a thread. A person’s spiritual position will be ascertained merely according to external symbols, and on that same basis, people will change from one spiritual order to the next.
A person’s propriety will be seriously questioned if he does not earn a good living and one who is very clever at juggling words will be considered a learned scholar. A person will be judged unholy if he does not have money, and hypocrisy will be accepted as a virtue.
Marriage will be arranged simply by verbal agreement, and a person will think he is fit to appear in public if he has merely taken a bath. A sacred place will be taken to consist of no more than a reservoir of water located at a distance, and beauty will be thought to depend on one’s hairstyle.
Filling the belly will become the goal of life, and one who is audacious will be accepted as truthful. He who can maintain a family will be regarded as an expert man, and the principles of religion will be observed only for the sake of reputation.
As the earth thus becomes crowded with a corrupt population of atheistic people, whoever among any of the social classes shows himself to be the strongest will gain political power. Harassed by famine and excessive taxes, people will resort to eating leaves, roots, flesh, wild honey, fruits, flowers, and seeds. Struck by drought, they will become completely ruined.
The citizens will suffer greatly from cold, wind, heat, rain, and snow. They will be further tormented by quarrels, hunger, thirst, disease, and severe anxiety. The maximum duration of life for human beings in Kali-yuga will become fifty years.
Know more about Kaliyuga along with Slokas mentioned at Bhagavata Purana: The Symptoms of Kaliyuga – Ancient Hindu Predictions
Kalki Avatar
By the time the age of Kali ends, the bodies of all creatures will be greatly reduced in size, and the religious principles of followers of varnashrama will be ruined. The path of the Vedas will be completely forgotten in human society, and the so-called religion will be mostly atheistic.
The sinful kings will mostly be thieves, the occupations of men will be stealing, lying, and needless violence and all the social classes will be reduced to the lowest level of Sudras. Cows will be like goats, spiritual hermitages will be no different from mundane houses, and family ties will extend no further than the immediate bonds of marriage.
Most plants and herbs will be tiny, and all trees will appear like dwarf Sami trees. Clouds will be full of lightning, homes will be devoid of piety, and all human beings will have become like asses. At that time, the Supreme Personality of the Godhead will appear on earth. Acting with the power of pure spiritual goodness, He will rescue eternal religion.
Lord Vishnu—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the spiritual master of all moving and nonmoving living beings, and the Supreme Soul of all—takes birth to protect the principles of religion and to relieve His saintly devotees from the reactions of material work.
Kalki Avatar in Srimad Bhagavata
The birth prediction for Kalki Avatar is on 21 fortnights from the birth of Shri Krishna or at Margashirsha month, the 8th day after the full moon (Krishna Astami). Here are slokas from Bhagwata Purana on Kalki:
अथासौ युगसन्ध्यायां दस्युप्रायेषु राजसु ।
जनिता विष्णुयशसो नाम्ना कल्किर्जगत्पति: ॥ २५ ॥
S.B 1.3.25
At the conjunction of two yugas, the Lord of the creation will take His birth as the Kalki incarnation and become the son of Viṣṇu Yaśā. At this time almost all the rulers of the earth will have degenerated into plunderers.
शम्भलग्राममुख्यस्य ब्राह्मणस्य महात्मन: ।
भवने विष्णुयशस: कल्कि: प्रादुर्भविष्यति II 18
S.B 12.2.18
Lord Kalki will be born in the home of Shambhala’s most eminent Brahmana, the great soul Vishnuyasha.
We have covered an article on the Kingdom of Shambhala. Know what Dalai Lama has to say about Shambala and its divineness. Mystery of the Kingdom of Shambhala – Birthplace of Kalki Avatar
अश्वमाशुगमारुह्य देवदत्तं जगत्पति: ।
असिनासाधुदमनमष्टैश्वर्यगुणान्वित: ॥
विचरन्नाशुना क्षौण्यां हयेनाप्रतिमद्युति: ।
नृपलिङ्गच्छदो दस्यून्कोटिशो निहनिष्यति ॥
S.B 12.2.19-20
Lord Kalki, the Lord of the universe, will mount His swift horse Devadatta and, sword in hand, travel over the earth exhibiting His eight mystic opulence and eight special qualities of Godhead. Displaying His unequaled effulgence and riding with great speed, He will kill by the millions those thieves who have dared dress as kings.
अथ तेषां भविष्यन्ति मनांसि विशदानि वै ।
वासुदेवाङ्गरागातिपुण्यगन्धानिलस्पृशाम् ।
पौरजानपदानां वै हतेष्वखिलदस्युषु ॥
S.B 12.2.21
After all the impostor kings have been killed, the residents of the cities and towns will feel the breezes carrying the most sacred fragrance of the sandalwood paste and other decorations of Lord Vāsudeva, and their minds will thereby become transcendentally pure.
तेषां प्रजाविसर्गश्च स्थविष्ठ: सम्भविष्यति ।
वासुदेवे भगवति सत्त्वमूर्तौ हृदि स्थिते ॥
S.B. 12.2.22
When Lord Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appears in their hearts in His transcendental form of goodness, the remaining citizens will abundantly repopulate the earth.
Kalki Avatar as mentioned on Kalki Purana
The Kalki Purana is a Upapurana that originated in Bengal, mentioning the greatness of the Kalki Avatar. It begins with the lineage of Kali, tracing it back to Brahma, his great-great-grandfather, and ending with the birth of his children’s children. Unlike other Hindu texts that describe Kali as being born from the poison of the churning ocean of milk, Kali is portrayed as the product of a long line of incestuous monsters born from Brahma’s back.
Kali is the great-great-grandson of Brahma, born from Krodha (Anger) and his sister-turned-wife Himsa (Violence). He is the grandson of Dambha (Vanity) and his sister Maya (Illusion), the great-grandson of Adharma (Impropriety), and his wife, Mithya (Falsehood). Adharma was originally created from Brahma’s back as a dark and deadly sinful object.
Kali and his family were created by Brahma to hasten the dissolution of the cosmos after the pralaya period was over. When they take birth on Earth as a human, they further corrupt the hearts and minds of mankind, bringing about the end of the Dvapara Yuga and the beginning of the Kali Yuga.
During the first stage of the Kali Yuga, societal norms break down and worship of deities is forsaken. As time passes, mankind forgets the name of God and no longer offers offerings to the devas. Brahma and the Devas approached Vishnu for protection from the evils of the Kali Yuga.
After hearing accounts of violence and injustice in the universe, Vishnu promises to be born as Kalki in the family of Sumati and Vishnuyasha, in a village called Shambala, on the twelfth day of the waxing moon.
At a young age, Kalki is taught about dharma, karma, Artha, and jnana, and receives social and military training from the immortal Parashurama. Kalki worships Shiva, who is pleased by his devotion, and grants him gifts including a divine white horse named Devadatta, a powerful sword adorned with jewels, and a parrot named Shuka who possesses knowledge of the past, present, and future. Other devas, devis, saints, and righteous kings also bestow gifts upon Kalki, including armor, knowledge, and powers.
Kalki then marries Princess Padmavati, an incarnation of Lakshmi, as well as Princess Rama, the daughter of King Shashidhvaja and Queen Sushanta. He fights in many wars, putting an end to evil, including Kali and his entire family bloodline, with the help of his generals. However, Kalki perishes from wounds inflicted by Dharma and Satya Yuga personified, while simultaneously battling and defeating the asura’s most powerful generals, Koka and Vikoka.
Kalki returns to Shambhala, his homeland, to rule and inaugurate a new Yuga for the good. He divides the earth among his generals and his parents, Sumati and Vishnuyasha, who travel to the holy place of Badrikashrama to live. Finally, Kalki leaves the earth to go to Vaikuntha, as his duty is fulfilled.
Will all end after Kalki Avatar?
यदावतीर्णो भगवान् कल्किर्धर्मपतिर्हरि: ।
कृतं भविष्यति तदा प्रजासूतिश्च सात्त्विकी ॥
S.B. 12.2.23
When the Supreme Lord has appeared on earth as Kalki, the maintainer of religion, Satya-yuga will begin, and human society will bring forth progeny in the mode of goodness.
दा चन्द्रश्च सूर्यश्च तथा तिष्यबृहस्पती ।
एकराशौ समेष्यन्ति भविष्यति तदा कृतम् ॥
S.B 12.2.24
When the moon, the sun, and Bṛhaspatī are together in the constellation Karkaṭa, and all three enter simultaneously into the lunar mansion Pusya — at that exact moment the age of Satya Yuga, or Krta, will begin.
Thus, the cycle of existence once again begins. The age of rishis, the war for rights, and battles for justice will reoccur. There will be new Ramayana, new Mahabharata, and perhaps new names for religion.
One thing that won’t change is our creator will always look after us, and guide us through the hurdles of Yugas. If there come demons that humankind won’t be able to penetrate, Lord Vishnu will always be born as Avatar to protect his children. ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ।।