Hindu eschatology is linked to the figure of Kalki, or the tenth and last avatar of Vishnu before the age draws to a close, and Harihara simultaneously dissolves and regenerates the universe.
The current period is believed by Hindus to be the Kali Yuga, the last of four Yuga that make up the current age. It started when Krishna left the Earth in 3102 BC or 5127 years from 2025. Each period has seen a progressive decline in morality, to the point that in Kali Yuga quarrel and hypocrisy are norm. In Hinduism, time is cyclic, consisting of cycles or "kalpas". Each kalpa lasts for 4.32 billion years and is followed by a pralaya (dissolution) of equal length, which together make a period of one full day and night of Brahma's 100 (360-day) year lifespan, who lives for 311,040,000,000,000 (311 trillion, 40 billion) such years. The cycle of birth, growth, decay, and renewal at the individual level finds its echo in the cosmic order, yet is affected by the vagaries of divine intervention in Vaishnavism. Some Shaivites hold the view that he is incessantly destroying and creating the world.
The Four Yugas
Within the current Kalpa (aeon) are 1,000 cycles of a Chatur Yuga (epoch), each with four yugas (ages). These ages encompass a beginning of complete purity to a descent into total decay, a devolution of dharmic principles.
A Chatur Yuga lasts for 4.32 million years:
- Satya Yuga lasts for 1.728 million years.
- Treta Yuga lasts for 1.296 million years.
- Dvapara Yuga lasts for 864,000 years.
- Kali Yuga lasts for 432,000 years.
Early references
The Rigveda and Atharvaveda reflect a deep concern with the nature of existence beyond death. Several key terms, such as asu (vital force), prana (breath), manas (mind), jiva (life principle), and atman (self), appear throughout these texts.
The Upanishads introduced three key ideas to Hindu eschatology: the doctrine of samsara (the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth), a redefined concept of karma that encompasses all actions influencing rebirth or liberation (moksha or nirvana), and three distinct destinies based on knowledge and actions.
The fourth age is ruled over by Kali, not the goddess Kāli but the demon Kali.|head1=Sanskrit|head2=English
Aditi is the mother of the twelve Adityas or solar deities. At the end of creation these eight suns will shine together in the skies. Kalki will amass an army to "establish righteousness upon the earth" and leave "the minds of the people as pure as crystal." Those left, transformed by virtue, will be the new seeds for a higher form of humanity, and humanity will begin again.
Kalagnanam
Sri Potuluri Virabrahmendra Swami, wrote 400 years ago in his Divya Maha Kala Gnana, or 'Divine Knowledge of the Time,' that Kalki would arrive when the moon, sun, Venus and Jupiter entered the same sign. This is not a rare occurrence and last happened in early 2012, passing without event.
Pralaya
According to Madeleine Biardeau, pralaya is a three-phase process. Initially, there is a devastating drought leading to the earth's desiccation. This is followed by what she terms the "double pralaya". During this process, Kalagnirudra, or Shiva, absorbs the three worlds (loka) through yogic fire. This is followed by a second absorption where Narayana, or Vishnu, reabsorbs the remains and all beings in floodwaters while resting in yogic sleep, subsequently recreating the worlds through Brahma.
In daily life
On a day-to-day basis, karma is implicitly weighed and taken into consideration by practitioners of Hinduism. In fact, this perspective on the long run consequences of daily actions has been shown to drastically impact consumer expectations in India. Empirical results support that "those who believe more strongly in karma are less influenced by disconfirmation sensitivity and therefore have higher expectations," noted by Praveen Kopalle, a professor at the Tuck School of Business. Although the advent of mass consumerism took India by storm at the turn of the century, research is showing that even in urban populations, consumer expectations are generally invariant to artificial lowering of expectations in order to increase short-term pleasure. This uniquely characterizes religions that practice long-term orientation or similar framing of action.
In Hindu eschatology, karma is the central determinant in how one's soul progresses through the cyclical stages of life, death, and rebirth, as every consequence is perceived as having non-trivial weight. As a result, actions broader than the individual scope are also taken into consideration. For example, the prevalent link between Indian party politics and Hinduism has additionally led to religious-based explanations for issues the country faces. One instance of this is present in an academic journal detailing a perspective on the cause behind COVID, which states “the COVID-19 pandemic is also the cause-effect of karmic activity that caused and appeared as a novel and severe viral infectious disease. The karmic action identified as the cause of the epidemic is … a neoliberal capitalist order driven by endless greed, desire, delusion in today’s aggressive and competitive world.” In accordance with Hindu eschatology, the current epoch of humanity is the kali yuga. As a cycle characterized by widespread suffering, hypocrisy, and the progressive degradation of morality, the pandemic arrived as a calamity of biblical proportions.
See also
- Hindu units of time
- Kalki
- Kali
- Eschatology
- Ages of Man