The Story of the Kalki Avatar: The 10th Avatar of Lord Vishnu

The Story of the Kalki Avatar:- After deciding to start my writing venture, Vedic Story, I dared to pen down Indian mythology. People feel mythology is limited. Trust me; it is as vast as our infinite universe. When I dip into ancient texts and start to read the seeds of stories, I get overwhelmed with their diversity, unique concepts, wisdom, openness, and whatnot.

Earlier, I had limited knowledge about Sanatan Dharma or Hindu myth. I am escalating the steps now by reading the Shrimad Bhagavatam, Gita, Puranas, and several other Sanskrit texts.

Srimad Bhagavatam introduced me to the enchanting stories of Lord Vishnu. I found the story of the Matsya avatar of Lord Vishnu, the 1st incarnation of the Supreme Godhead, fascinating. Thereafter, I began to write about his other avatars, such as Kurma, Narasimha, Vamana, Parshurama, Rama, Buddha, and Krishna. Finally, I am writing about the Kalki avatar, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu of Dashavatar.

Who is Kalki Avatar, the 10th Avatar of Lord Vishnu?

As per the Srimad Bhagavatam, Vishnu Purana, Mahabharata, Matsya Purana, and Kalki Purana, Kalki is the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is the final incarnation of Vishnu. He would take birth on Earth in Kali Yuga, part of the four Yugas, Satya, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali, which are 432,000 years old.

After the great epic Mahabharata ended in Dwapara Yuga, the first phase of Kali Yuga started in 3102 BC. It means 3102+2023=5125 years of the Golden KaliYuga have passed, and 426875 years have remained since the birth of the Kalki avatar of Lord Vishnu.

In the era of Kali Yuga, Dharma would reach the Nadir Point, the pinpoint of the celestial sphere. It may slowly go to the zenith from the observer’s perspective, which means Dharma would reach its lowest point. Therefore, to restore righteousness in the world, the Kalki avatar of Lord Vishnu would take birth as the savior of the Goddess Earth and the people who dwell on it. Kalki avatar is depicted on a white horse named Devdutta with a blazing sword in his right hand and a chakra.

Also Read:

• Matsya Avatar: First Lord Vishnu Took the Fish Incarnation
• Kurma Avatar: Second Incarnation of Lord Vishnu
• Varaha Avatar: Third Incarnation of Lord Vishnu
• Samudra Manthan: Why Did Lakshmi Leave Vaikund?

Kali Yuga Prediction: Signs of Adharma?

After the Battle of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna informed the Pandavas that the era of Kali would begin. Therefore, they should fulfill all their responsibilities and duties as Kshatriyas towards the subject.

However, Krishna remained on Earth for about 36 years after the Mahabharata. Krishna’s departure indicated to the Pandavas that the era of Kali was about to begin. King Yudhishthir handed over his reign to Parikshit, a son of Abhimanyu, grandson of Arjun, and left for the Himalayas. The Mahabharata narrates the dream of Yudhishthir about the adharma of Kali Yuga and how he would destroy people.

Here are the signs that Yudhishthir has in his dream:

• The religion, purity, kindness, humility, and tolerance of the people in Kali Yuga would decrease with time.
• Humans would practice hypocrisy and call it virtue.
• Kali Yuga people would suffer from a lack of physical strength, a weak memory, and a short life span.
• People in Kali Yuga would live for only fifty years.
• In the era of Kali, wealth would be considered a sign of noble birth, decent behavior, and one’s quality as a human being.
• One’s wealth and power would determine the law and justice. Poor people would suffer from power-possessed people.
• Men and women would live together only for physical needs, and the institution of marriage would be reduced.
• By the end of Kali Yuga, there would be no family extension other than the immediate bindings of the couple in marriage.
• Businesses would thrive on deception.
• Manliness and womanliness would decide on expertise in intercourse activities.
• Clothing would define a person’s spirituality.
• Wealth may define a person’s status in society.
• People who juggle with words would be considered scholars.
• The hairstyles of people would define their beauty.
• Filling the belly would be the only goal for most people.
• Religion would be considered holy only for the sake of reputation in society.
• Wherever a pool of water is, it may be considered a holy place.
• With the growing population of wicked people, they may control politics and run society as per their needs and power.
• People may lose their property and wives to these wicked politicians, and the citizens may flee to forests and the Himalayas.
• Food shortages and taxes may force people to eat leaves, seeds, roots, flesh, flowers, honey, etc.
• By the end of the Kali Yuga, people would be the size of a thumb, and trees would be the size of a hand.
• Varnashrama of religious principles would destroy them completely.
• Humans would forget the Vedas and ancient texts and become animalistic and atheistic.
• Deception, lying, and violence would become men’s daily jobs as they would lose their thinking power of righteousness.

Birth of the Kalki Avatar of Lord Vishnu: Prediction

As per the Srimad Bhagavata, an ancient Sanskrit textbook, the birth of the Kalki avatar of Lord Vishnu would take place on the 21st day of Margashirsha month, the 8th day after Krishna Astami.

Bhagavata Purana narrates slokas on Kalki avatar:

अथासौ युगसन्ध्यायां दस्युप्रायेषु राजसु ।

जनिता विष्णुयशसो नाम्ना कल्किर्जगत्पति: ॥ २५ ॥

Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Book 1, Chapter 3, and Shloka 2

Translation of Shloka 25

At the end of the Kali Yuga, before the beginning of the Satya Yuga, Lord Vishnu would take birth as the son of Viṣṇu Yaśā and would be known as Kalki. All the rulers of the earth would have corrupted into looters.

शम्भलग्राममुख्यस्य ब्राह्मणस्य महात्मन: ।

भवने विष्णुयशस: कल्कि: प्रादुर्भविष्यति II 18

Srimad Bhagavata Purana, 12.2.18

Translation of Shloka 18

Kalki avatar, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu, would be born in Shambhala at the most prominent Brahmana, Vishnuyasha.

अश्वमाशुगमारुह्य देवदत्तं जगत्पति: ।

असिनासाधुदमनमष्टैश्वर्यगुणान्वित: ॥

विचरन्नाशुना क्षौण्यां हयेनाप्रतिमद्युति: ।

नृपलिङ्गच्छदो दस्यून्कोटिशो निहनिष्यति ॥

Shrimad Bhagavata Purana 12.2.19-20

Translation of the Shloka (19-20)

Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Godhead, would be known as Kalki and mount a pearly white horse named Devadatta. He would carry a sharp sword in his right hand. He would travel over the earth with all his eight mystic qualities. Lord Kalki would display his unequal effulgence and kill millions of thieves dressed as kings.

अथ तेषां भविष्यन्ति मनांसि विशदानि वै ।

वासुदेवाङ्गरागातिपुण्यगन्धानिलस्पृशाम् ।

पौरजानपदानां वै हतेष्वखिलदस्युषु ॥

Shrimad Bhagavata Purana 12.2.21

Translation of Shloka 21

Lord Kalki, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu, would kill the dubious kings. Thereafter, the people of the cities and towns would feel the breezes carrying the aroma of sandalwood paste and other scents of Lord Krishna. The fragrance would make the minds of people transcendentally pure.

तेषां प्रजाविसर्गश्च स्थविष्ठ: सम्भविष्यति ।

वासुदेवे भगवति सत्त्वमूर्तौ हृदि स्थिते ॥

Shrimad Bhagavata Purana 12.2.22

Translation of Shloka 22

Lord Krishna would appear in hearts with his transcendental form of goodness. He would ask people to repopulate the Earth.

Family of Kalki Avatar of Lord Vishnu

Kalki, the avatar of Lord Vishnu, would be born at Sumati and Viṣṇu Yaśā. He would have three brothers: Kavi, Prajna, and Sumantra. The Lord of the Universe would be married to Padmavati and Ramaa. Padmavati is an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, daughter of Kaumudi, and Brihadratha, king of Simhala. The second wife of Lord Kalki, Ramaa, is the daughter of King Shashidvaja and Sushanta.

With their marriage, Kalki, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, the final incarnation, would have four children. Jaya and Vijaya from Padmavati; Goddess Lakshmi and Meghamaala; and Balaahaka from Ramaa.

The Mission of Kalki Avatar: The 10th Incarnation of Dashavatar

According to the Kalki Purana, the Kalki avatar, the 10th Incarnation of Lord Vishnu of Dashavatar, would kill the Kali and establish Dharma and Satya Yuga. He would conquer the whole world and kill all the sinful kings.

Kalki Avatar Education and Training for the Last Battle

Kalki Purana narrates that Lord Kalki would attain education and training from Lord Parashurama, one of the Chiranjeevis and the 6th avatar of Lord Vishnu. He would give Kalki spiritual knowledge and training in warfare. Kalki would gain 64 arts of knowledge and be proficient in Vedic texts.

Lord Shiva Gives Weapons for the Battle to Kalki Avatar

After completing the warfare training and education, the Kalki avatar of Lord Vishnu would go to Lord Shiva to worship and praise him. The Lord of Kailash would offer him the Devdatta horse, an avatar of Garuda, Vishnu’s vehicle. Devdatta would be able to take many forms so that he could go anywhere and help Lord Kalki. Umapati would also give him a parrot, Shuka, who knows the past, present, and future. Mahadeva would also give him a divine sword for the war with Kali.

Padmavati Gets a Boon to Marry Kalki, Avatar of Lord Vishnu

Indian myths and ancient texts narrate that Lord Shiva and Parvati gave a boon to Padmavati, an avatar of Goddess Lakshmi, who would get married to the Kalki avatar of Lord Vishnu. If a person or anyone else looks at her with lust, he may turn into a woman. However, Padmavati and her father, King Brihadratha, would arrange a swayamvara after waiting for several years for Kalki.

Many emperors and princes would come to the swayamvara, where Padmavati would choose her husband. However, when they would look at her in amazement and lust, they would transform into women. Kalki’s avatar, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu, would come and marry her.

Grand Welcome to Padmavati and Kalki to Shambhala

After marrying Padmavati, Lord Kalki may return to his home at Shambhala with Padmavati. Lord Indra would ask Vishwakarma to decorate and arrange the palaces with adornments and amenities for the grand welcome.

Mission to Conquer the World to Restore Righteousness

Lord Kalki would spend some quality time with Padmavati and then set out for his first conquest with the army. He would conquer Kikarapura, a kingdom of Buddhists who would not adhere to the path of Dharma. Kikarapura would have a king, Jina.

Jina left the battle due to fear but would soon return because of the harsh taunts by Kalki. Jina would injure Devdatta and the house and make Kalki unconscious with an attack of arrows. The king of Kikarapura would try to capture Kalki but would fail. Jina would flee from the battlefield. However, after regaining consciousness, Kalki would kill him and end the Buddhist reign.

Birth of Kali, Demon Kali, or Kali Yuga

• First Legend

Kalki Purana, which originated in Bengal, is an Upapurana. It narrates the greatness of the Kalki avatar of Lord Vishnu. Kalki Purana narrates how the lineage of Demon Kali began with the Lord of Creation, Brahma.

At the beginning of the universe, Lord Brahma was creating the worlds, and he worked for seven days and took a break. At that time, Adharma took birth on Brahma’s back as a deadly and sinful object.

Kali, the incestuous monster, is the great-great-grandson of Brahma. Demon Kali is the great-grandson of Adharma (impropriety) and Mithya (falsehood). He is the grandson of Dambha (Vanity) and Maya (Illusion) and the son of Krodha (Anger) and his sister-turned-wife, Hinsa (Violence).

• Second Legend

The birth of Kali Yuga is connected to Samudra Manthan. He was born 5000 years ago as the son of Anger and was invisible from Samudra Manthan until Dwapara Yuga.

At the time of the churning of the ocean, or Samudra Manthan, a huge poison came out. Vayu Dev rubbed the poison to reduce its size and strength. Thereafter, Lord Shiva swallowed the poison. Some of its parts were dropped so Kali could take the demon’s body.

• Third Legend

Devotees of Lord Vishnu believe that Sage Bhrigu once cursed him.

Once demons arrived at the ashram of Sage Bhrigu to take shelter, Indra and the other gods knew about the demons staying at the ashram of Bhrigu. They tried to attack the demons. Kavyamata, the wife of Bhrigu, saved them using her divine power. Devas approached Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu beheaded Kavya Mata and assured the gods of the attack.

Sage Bhrigu would learn about his wife’s death. Bhrigu cursed Lord Vishnu, saying that he had to suffer the pain of losing his loved ones. Therefore, Vishnu needed to take on avatars to eliminate demons. As a result, he took several incarnations, and the final avatar is Kalki, which he would take.

How Did Demon Kali Enter the Earth? 

After the Kurukshetra war, Yuthishthir crowned Parikshit, the grandson of Arjun, as the king of Hastinapur. One day, Parikshit came across a Sudra. He was dressed as a king and beat a cow and an ox with his club. Parikshit led his chariot over the scene, angrily stopped the sudra, and asked why he was abusing the sacred cow and her mate. Sudra was not an ordinary one. He was the demon Kali. The cow was the goddess Earth, and the ox was Dharma. Emperor Parikshit noticed an ox standing on one leg; the other three legs were broken by Kali.

• Ox as Dharma

Dharma narrated that his four legs represented austerity, cleanliness, mercy, and truthfulness. Kali wanted to break Dharma’s legs and expand his dark reign on Earth.

• Cow as Goddess Earth

Goddess Earth witnessed the arrival of Kali and cried after the ascension of Lord Krishna to heaven. She was now forsaken and feared evil kings who would continue to ruin her prosperity.

Witnessing Kali’s heinous act, Parikshit raised his sword to kill him. Kali started to strip his royal garments and dropped at the feet of Parikshit. Kali requested that he spare his life and asked for a place to live within his empire. Parikshit allowed him to live in gambling houses, taverns, or pubs, the unchaste lives of women and men, slaughtering places, and gold.

During the reign of Parikshit, Kali stayed within the five places. However, after the death of Parikshit, Kali spread heinous acts into the wild and slowly into the whole world.

Kalki Kills the Demoness Kuthodari

After defeating Jina, Kalki would return to his kingdom, Shambhala. Rishis would tell him about the havoc caused by Demoness Kuthodari. She would be living in the Himalayas and would be gigantic. To kill Kuthodari, the Kalki avatar, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu, would leave Shambhala for the Himalayas.

There, Kalki and his great army would confront Kuthodari. She would consume Lord Kalki, his army, and elephants. In the dark belly of the Kuthodari, Kalki would light the fire with his arrows to blaze up using clothes, wood, and other materials. After the fire blazed up, Kalki would use his powerful sword to tear the right side of Kuthodari’s ribcage. Once Kalki and his soldiers are free from Kuthodari’s stomach, they may attack her with arrows until she dies.

Due to the death of Kuthodari, her five-year-old son, Vikanja, would start to torment soldiers. Seeing the destruction, Kalki would invoke Brahmastra and behead Vikanja.

Kalki Goes to Defeat the Demon, Kali

After that, Kalki would wander in search of Kali in his favorite places with the army. When Kali hears about Kalki’s conquest, the demon may leave his kingdom, Vrikshasana. However, the military of Kalki, consisting of his brothers, nephews, and other kings, would stop Kali. After that, the fierce battle between Kali and Kalki would begin. In the conquest, the Kalki avatar, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu, would kill the demons Koka and Vikoka.

Seeing Dharma and Satya Yuga coming, Kali would get injured. He would return to his capital on his donkey. Kalki’s army would defeat him. Dharma and Satya Yuga would enter Kali’s kingdom and set fire to his city. Kali would also be lit in the fire, but his wife and children would die. He would be distressed by the deaths of his family and leave his kingdom to travel to another country.

Lord Kalki Travels to Bhallatanagara

Kalki would reach Bhallatanagar. He would be attacked by King Shashidhvaja, and a battle would start. They would fight and exhaust all their weapons. King Shashidhvaja would then knock out Kalki, and he would fall unconscious. Shashidhvaja would bring Kalki into his kingdom, along with Dharma and Satya Yuga.

Sushanta, the wife of Shashi Dhvaja, would see Lord Vishnu in front of her. She would get mesmerized and start singing praises to him. Kalki avatar, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu, would be satisfied by Sushanta and her prayers and come from his unconscious state.

Seeing Lord Kalki, King Shashidhvaja and Sushanta would tell him they would be devotees of him. They would also offer daughter Ramaa marriage with the Kalki avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Kalki Meets Vishkanya Sulochna

Kalki would return to Shambhala with Princess Ramaa. Thereafter, he would travel to Kanchannagar with his army. Kalki would kill the serpents to enter the fort. However, Kalki, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu, would not find any human beings there. He would hear a celestial voice that would guide him and tell him that if his army entered the city, they would die. Kalki should enter the city with his parrot to find the Vishkanya, Sulochana. Sulochana would not harm Kalki with her poison and would be free from the curse. She would leave Kanchannagar for Gandharva Loka and meet her husband.

Kalki Appoints Kings for Different Kingdoms

After returning from Kanchana Nagara to Shambhala, Kalki would appoint his colleagues, relatives, and kings to rule the different kingdoms that he would win. Kalki would spend a beautiful and memorable time with his wives on Earth. Satya Yuga would commence. Gods from heaven would resume moving freely, and the world would be free from disasters, diseases, cheating, stealing, duplicity, and lies.

Death of Kalki’s Parents

Sage Narada would come to meet Visnuyasa and advise him to perform severe austerities to leave the material body. Visnuyasa would suggest his son, Kalki, perform the sacrifice. Kalki’s mother, Sumati, would also be Sati.

Kalki Returns to Vaikuntha

After defeating Kali, Kalki, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu, would rule Shambhala for 1000 years. After his reign at Shambhala, the gods from heaven—Ghandhrvas, Apsaras, and others—would come and tell him about his mission on Earth.

Lord Kalki would inform the deities that he wanted to return to Vaikuntha with Padmavati and Ramaa. Kalki avatar, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu, would hand over the rule of Shambhala to his four sons and then go into the forests with his wives. He would then go to the Himalayas for meditation and disappear in the blaze of thousands of suns with Padma and Ramaa.