Kali Yuga
The fourth and present age of the world — the dark age of strife
The Kali Yuga is the fourth and last of the four ages of the world — the age in which we now live. Lasting 432,000 years, it is the age in which dharma — the bull — stands on only one of its four legs, just one quarter of righteousness remaining. It began about 3102 BCE with the departure of Sri Krishna, at the close of the Dvapara Yuga. It is an age of strife, materialism and short memory; yet the scriptures call it, in one way, the best of ages — for in the Kali Yuga the simple chanting of the holy name of God grants what meditation and sacrifice gave in the ages before. At its end, Vishnu will descend as Kalki to renew the world.
Interesting Facts
- ✦The Kali Yuga lasts 432,000 years — the shortest of the four ages — and is the age we live in now.
- ✦It began around 3102 BCE, at the moment Sri Krishna departed the earth, ending the Dvapara Yuga.
- ✦Dharma, the bull, stands on a single leg — only one quarter of virtue remains, and that too declines.
- ✦The prescribed dharma of the age is nama-sankirtana — the chanting of God's holy names, especially the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
- ✦At the end of the Kali Yuga, Vishnu will appear as Kalki, the tenth avatar, on a white horse to end adharma and begin a new Satya Yuga.
- ✦Human lifespan is said to fall to about 100 years and to keep shortening as the age advances.
The age in which we live
The Kali Yuga is the fourth and final age of the great cycle of time, and the one now turning. It is the shortest of the four, lasting 432,000 human years, and the darkest. Its name is linked with strife and quarrel (kali), and in it the bull of dharma stands on only one of its four legs — just one quarter of righteousness remains, and even that slowly wanes.
The scriptures describe the Kali Yuga as an age of materialism, short life and shorter memory, where wealth is mistaken for worth and outward show for virtue. Truth, austerity, cleanliness and compassion — the four legs of dharma — have nearly all fallen away, leaving truth alone, and that frail. Yet within this very darkness the tradition sees a hidden mercy.
The hidden mercy: the power of the holy name
What took ages of meditation in the Satya Yuga, vast sacrifices in the Treta Yuga, and elaborate temple worship in the Dvapara Yuga, can be attained in the Kali Yuga by the simplest means of all — the chanting of the holy names of God. This is the special grace of the age, declared in the Puranas: "Kalau keshava-kirtanat" — in the Kali Yuga, liberation comes through singing the names of Keshava.
For this reason the saints say that, hard as it is, the Kali Yuga is in one way the most fortunate of ages, for it asks so little and gives so much. The Hare Krishna Mahamantra, the names of Rama, the Vishnu Sahasranama and simple devotion are the path. Where the earlier ages demanded great discipline, this age asks only sincere remembrance — and so the door to God stands open to all, of every birth and station.
Kalki and the renewal of the world
The scriptures foretell that as the Kali Yuga draws toward its distant end, dharma will dwindle almost to nothing. When unrighteousness has reached its fullness, Lord Vishnu will descend a final time as Kalki, the tenth avatar — a radiant figure upon a white horse, sword in hand — to destroy what has grown wholly corrupt and to lift up the few who remain faithful.
With the coming of Kalki, the Kali Yuga will end, and the wheel of the ages will turn once more to a new Satya Yuga, the golden age reborn. Thus the four yugas are not a final fall but an endless cycle: light, decline, darkness and renewal, again and again, without beginning and without end. To live well in the Kali Yuga, the sages say, is simply to keep the name of God upon the lips and the love of God within the heart.
Related Mantras & Stotras
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Kali Yuga begin and how long will it last?
The Kali Yuga began around 3102 BCE, at the moment Sri Krishna departed the earth and the Dvapara Yuga ended. It lasts 432,000 years in all, so by traditional reckoning we are only a little over 5,000 years into it.
Why is the Kali Yuga called the dark age?
Because dharma stands on only one of its four legs — just a quarter of righteousness remains. It is an age of strife, materialism, short life and weak memory, in which truth, austerity, purity and compassion have largely declined.
What is the best spiritual practice for the Kali Yuga?
The scriptures say the dharma of the Kali Yuga is nama-sankirtana — chanting the holy names of God. What took meditation in the Satya Yuga and sacrifice in the Treta Yuga is gained now by simply and sincerely singing the names of the Lord, such as the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and the name of Rama.
Who is the avatar of the Kali Yuga?
Kalki, the tenth and final avatar of Vishnu, will appear at the very end of the Kali Yuga — riding a white horse with a blazing sword — to end adharma and usher in a new Satya Yuga, beginning the cycle of the ages afresh.