"Kali" verses in Mahabharata explained (Supplement to Mahabharata date series:10)

 Previous

Next

Recap:

·         Kali Maha Yuga is computational, based on planetary revolutions.

·         All the planets except Rahu congregated at the beginning of Aries on a Thursday 5122 years ago (22^nd January 3101 BCE)

·         The next day was the first day of Kali Maha Yuga that continues to be in use till date.

·         The incontrovertible nature of the Kali Yuga begin date was mathematically proved by the specific sequence of week day of every Mesha Samkramana of this Yuga.

Further on we will establish that this time is historically important as the time of Krishna leaving his mortal coils and the Pandavas relinquishing the throne thereafter.

In this part we will analyse the"Kali" references to know whether they are about Kali Maha Yuga or just the popping up of Kali Dharma now and then. 

The congregation of the planets appears in Mahabharata cloaked in two observations in Mausala Parva, (1) that the stars were repeatedly attacked by the planets and (2) none among the Yadavas could obtain a sight of the star of his birth.[1] This implies that the planets were crossing the same stars one after the other, which means that the planets were congregating together at some location of the zodiac. Seeing this kind of planetary congregation and the other odd sightings on the earth and the atmosphere, Krishna thought that the Time has come. At the moment he left, the Yuga of Kali started.

This is computational Kali Yuga that has been in use through all these millennia in all walks of life - civil, social and religious – until the Indian Independence. The imprudent approach by the governments of Independent India to the traditional Kali Yuga calendar system had caused heavy damage. The damage is such that the Astronomical Almanac released every year refers to the Indian calendar from Shalivahana Shaka – a sub period of Kali Yuga  - that started on 78 CE and not the main Era of Kali that started 3179 years before 78 CE. When Indians themselves undermine their long standing Time scale, how to expect a foreign agency to recognize the continuing long Era of Kali?  Figure below is from page 15 of Astronomical Phenomena for the Year 2020, prepared by The Nautical Almanac Office of the US Naval Observatory and the UK Hydrographic Office.

The Indian past running into thousands of years with a definite computational beginning of the current Era of Kali from 3101 BCE, it is an irony of sorts that only the current sub-period of Kali Maha Yuga (Shalivahana Shaka) is projected as the beginning of our time. Needless to say this was the achievement of the West-influenced Indians, who were ignorant of the Indic systems. Scholars who were expected to be guardians of this Time scale succumbed to the western influence in undermining this Time scale and vitiated the Knowledge system with their own pet theories –as did Prof Srinivasa Raghavan who invented a non-existent Astronomical Kali Yuga and a Ritualistic Kali Yuga. Now in the current Era of Astronomy simulators that can never simulate the Kali Yuga beginning, our dating experts have done their best to reject the Kali date by floating their own versions of Kali Yuga thereby making the very concept of Kali Yuga a doubtful one. 

Fortunately Kali Yuga computation continues to thrive thanks to the religious Hindus and astrologers, particularly in Tamilnadu and in temples and Pancangas of South India. The users being a minority today, this Time system is at the verge of destruction by the ignorant majority. The pace of destruction is getting faster with a plethora of dating researches on Mahabharata. With too much mis-interpretation and mis-information on Kali Yuga doing rounds, I want to enable the readers to get a clarity on how to differentiate the verses on Kali on whether they are about Dharma or the Time scale since Krishna’s exit.

Identifying the Dharma of a Yuga

It was already discussed in Part 7 of the Supplement the decline in dharma of a Yuga in its Sandhi and Sandhyamsa. These two appear at the end of a Yuga identified in Dharmic scale. The Dharma of a Yuga will be only one-fourth in its Sandhi. One- fourth of the Sandhi Dharma will be seen in the Sandhyamsa of the Yuga. When that continues for some time it evolves into the next Yuga with this reduced Dharma. Such transition to Kali Dharma Yuga occurred only in 2526 Kali Years (Yudhishthira Shaka), or in 575 BCE when the Nanda Dynasty was ruling. However the Kali Maha Yuga in computational measures started in 3101 BCE when Krishna left. These intricacies were explained in the 7^th part.

Vyasa’s statement on the occurrence of the Mahabharata war in the Sandhi of Dvapara and Kali Yuga was in terms of the above mentioned Dharmic scale. It was not about the Sandhi period of Dvapara Maha Yuga, for, one should know that the Dvapara sandhi period is for 86,400 years, i.e. 10% of the entire period of Dvapara Maha Yuga. This duration is unrealistic and untenable in this context, and therefore it must be understood that the war took place in Dvapara sandhi in Dharmic measures.

The Dharmic measure was already pointed out in the 7^th part that Dvapara Dharma has a mix of Rajasa and Tamasa while Kali Yuga dharma is purely of Tamasa.  In Dvapara Sandhi, Rajasa is overcome by Tamasic behavior, but it is not completely Tamasic, for then it would mean Kali Yuga had set in. With Sandhyamsa yet to happen, Tamasa was not in full presence in Dvapara sandhi when the war took place. Rajasa getting overwhelmed by Tamasa was often seen during and before the war and was identified with the arrival of Kali.

In this context it is necessary to know what the text tells about Dvapara and Kali. 

Dvapara and Kali representing dice and wrath

The story of Nala and Damayanti found in Mahabharata offers a better perception of what Dvapara and Kali mean. They are identified as deities governing or associated with certain attributes. In that story Kali wanted to marry Damayanti, but when found that she had already chosen Nala, he became wrathful and sought the help of Dvapara to enter the dice while he (Kali) would haunt Nala. This indicates that Dvapara is associated with the game of dice. Dice was a common game in Treta Yuga when Nala was present, but when played for gains – and not just for the fun of the game - it represents Dvapara. When infused with deceitful intentions, Kali is said manifest there. In the story of Nala, Kali wanted to avenge for losing Damayanti to Nala and sought the help of Dvapara to execute his plan. In this case, there was collusion between Dvapara and Kali and this happened in Treta Yuga!

This nature of Dvapara and Kali in collusion is expressed in the case of Sakuni and Duryodhana too.

Vyasa minces no words in expressing that Sakuni was a manifestation of Dvapara.

 śakunir nāma yas tv āsīd rājā loke mahārathaḥ

     dvāparaṃ viddhi taṃ rājan saṃbhūtam arimardanam [2]

 

And Sakuni was said to have gone back to Dvapara after his death.

āviveśa raviṃ karṇaḥ pitaraṃ puruṣarṣabha

     dvāparaṃ śakuniḥ prāpa dhṛṣṭadyumnas tu pāvakam[3]

 

Upon death Karna went to Surya (loka), Dhrishtadyumna obtained the deity of fire, but Sakuni merged into the world of Dvapara – who was the friend of Kali, or rather, an accomplice of Kali to get Kali’s ways done.

If Sakuni was Dvapara, the role of Kali was filled by Duryodhana. Vyasa tells this in different contexts to Dhritarashtra and also to Gandhari that Duryodhana was born of Kali while Sakuni was of Dvapara and Dussasana was from the Rakshasas!

kaliṃ duryodhanaṃ viddhi śakuniṃ dvāparaṃ tathā

     duḥśāsanādīn viddhi tvaṃ rākṣasāñ śubhadarśane[4]

Collusion between Sakuni and Duryodhana was in effect the merger of Dvapara and Kali with malicious intent.

This combination can exist together or separately in any Yuga.

Presence of Kali Yuga at different times since Treta Yuga

Adharma is Kali and Dharma is Krita – this is the message we get from Valmiki Ramayana in the words of Malyavan to Ravana. When Dharma swallows Adharma, it becomes Krita Yuga; when Adharma swallows Dharma, it stimulates Kali Yuga, says Malyavan who also said that Kali Yuga was seen where Ravana wandered. [5] In other words, Kali Yuga popped up in Treta Yuga.

However Krita Yuga was running in the kingdom of Janaka of Ramayana in the same Yuga.[6]

Kali Yuga appeared in the Treta Yuga in the period of sage Chyavana when he secretly looked at Sukanya without her knowledge through the holes in the anthill covering him.[7] So the measure of Tamasa decides the presence or arrival of Kali in a particular period.

Verses on Kali in Mahabharata

Reference to Kali Yuga appears in Mahabharata, but they are about the adharma witnessed now and then. There is a prime verse (Pradhana) stating that the war occurred in Dvapara – Kali Sandhi period. [8]  The Sandhi period would be followed by Sandhyamsa period. Only after that Kali Yuga in terms of Dharma could appear. Without equipping oneself with this basic information, one cannot attempt to decipher the verses nor the date of Mahabharata. 

Kali Yuga arrived at time of the dice game?

The Tamasic nature was on the rise in Dvapara as the war was nearing. Unable to bear the prosperity of the Pandavas witnessed at the Rajasuya yajna, when Sakuni and Duryodhana planned to trap them in a dice game, Vidura understood that Kali Yuga had arrived.

tac chrutvā viduro dhīmān kalidvāram upasthitam[9]

I am giving below the meaning of Upashitam as it appears in Srimad Bhagavatam

upasthitam       appearance (SB 1.13.13)

upasthitam       arrived by chance (SB 9.21.2)

upasthitam       situated before him (SB 7.3.24)

Shall we say that Kali Yuga started even before the dice game started?

Practically it didn’t, for Mahabharata war was yet to take place in the sandhi of Dvapara and Kali. So what is indicated here is the increase in Tamasa – the nature of Kali –while Dvapara (dice / Sakuni) colluded with Kali as it happened in the time of Nala.

Kali Yuga arrived when Bhima met Hanuman?

Once the dice game was over and the Pandavas were exiled, a dialogue appeared between Hanuman and Bhima in which Hanuman explained the nature of the four Yugas including the upcoming Kali Yuga. Here again one should not disregard the reference to the occurrence of the war in Dvapara sandhi when Kali Yuga had not yet begun. The war yet to happen in Dvapara Sandhi, after the exile had ended, there is no way to interpret that Hanuman referred to the arrival of Kali Yuga at the time of the talk.

Hanuman said,

etat kaliyugaṃ nāma acirād yat pravartate.[10]

While describing the yugas one after the other, Hanuman said that Kali Yuga shall begin, and not that Kali Yuga had already begun or began just then. This is similar to the verse in Srimad Bhagavatam on the arrival of the second half of Brahma’s life that,

pūrvaḥ parārdho ’pakrānto

hy aparo ’dya pravartate

wherein ‘pravartate’ means ‘shall begin’ at the expiry of former half.[11]

With the war yet to take place in Dvapara – Kali Sandhi, it is inappropriate to appropriate this verse to mean that Kali had arrived. Only word-searchers would do such an interpretation, not researchers!

Kali resides in the battlefield.

The next occasion we come across a reference to Kali in Mahabharata was in a dialogue between Yudhishthira and Krishna after Sanjaya’s mission failed and before Krishna left Upaplavya to Hastinapura for buying peace.

The motivational feature for this mission is noticed in Yudhishthira’s version detesting his birth (and those of his clan) in Kshatriya order that lived by slaughter of life! In that context Yudhishthira said that Kali lives forever in the battle field!

“yuddhe kṛṣṇa kalir nityaṃ prāṇāḥ sīdanti saṃyuge”[12]

It means, “O Krishna, Kali is ever present in battle-fields; lives are lost all around.” (Ganguli)

War is Tamasic and killing someone with whom there is no direct enmity is more Tamasic. So Kali resides in the battlefield, in the act of killing one another in a war. There is no wonder Kali appears in the context of war.

No Krita, no Treta, no Dvapara but only Kali in the war-field

That only Kali resides in a war field is expressed by Krishna to Karna before he took leave of him on his return to Upaplavya. On coming to know that the war was certain, Krishna reminded Karna of the horrible eventualities expected in the war, by punctuating each with a statement that there would be no Krita, no Treta and no Dvapara then, implying that there would be ONLY Kali! When the five Pandavas attacked the Kaurava army that included Drona, Bhishma, Kripa, Duryodhana, Karna and Jayadratha among others and when Bhima would drink the blood of Dussasana, Krita, Treta and Dvapara would disappear, said Krishna. The repetition of this by Krishna for five times implies that there would only be Kali – a display of Tamasa and enmity of the bitterest kind in the war.[13]

However this doesn’t mean that Kali Yuga had begun. It is an expression of the Tamasa overriding every other human sensibilities.

Kali Yuga started when Duryodhana was hit on his thighs?

Another pet theory of Kali Yuga centers on a statement “prāptaṃ kaliyugaṃ viddhi”.[14]

This verse is quoted out of context to push an idea that Kali Yuga started at the time of the slaying of Duryodhana! Kali Maha Yuga had not started then, nor had the Kali Yuga in Dharma scale.

Let us see the context. Bhima gave a deadly blow to Duryodhana on his thigh which was in contravention to the rules of the mace-fight. Enraged by this Balarama rushed towards Bhima to hit him with his plough. At that time Krishna restrained him physically by encircling him with his hands and started speaking about morality of accomplishing one’s vows. Krishna reminded Balarama of Bhima’s vow made in the open assembly to kill Duryodhana by hitting at his thighs. Krishna also reminded him of the curse of sage Maitreya that Duryodhana would be killed by Bhima by breaking his thighs. In consequent of this Krishna stated that he did not find anything wrong with Bhima’s action. Since there was personal Dharma in  Adharma of the blow, Kali was not manifest then. 

By this it is revealed that the Tamasic Kali Dharma was not yet manifest. However Balarama refused to be pacified by this and continued to object to Bhima’s blow. In reply to this Krishna said,

prāptaṃ kaliyugaṃ viddhi pratijñāṃ prāṇḍavasya ca

     ānṛṇyaṃ yātu vairasya pratijñāyāś ca pāṇḍavaḥ

“Know that the age of Kali is at hand. Remember also the vow made by the son of Pandu! Let, therefore, the son of Pandu be regarded to have paid off the debt he owed to his hostility and to have fulfilled his vow!” (Ganguli)

Tamasa being the nature of Kali, adharmic war is an identity of Kali. Though Bhima hit Duryodhana in Adharmic way, he could not be faulted with, for that was his vow he needed to fulfill. In that sense the Tamasic Kali didn’t emanate though one cannot see Krita, Treta or Dvapara in a war. With Bhima’s act receiving the sanction of morality for having fulfilled a vow there is no scope to say that Krishna meant the arrival of Kali at that act of Bhima. He had only said that such trespasses did indicate Kali Dharma but the cause of that act is within the code of Dharma.

As long as Krishna was around, such trespasses were sparingly popping up and could not stay on. It was only after he left, the Age of Kali set in. The counting of Kali Maha Yuga started with the once-in- 4,32,000 year conjunction having occurred at the time of his leaving this earth.

This is being repeatedly told in the scriptures – foremost among them being Mahabharata!

Vyasa had written in Mahabharata that the new Yuga started at the moment Krishna left the world.

(To be continued)

---

[1] Mahabharata: 16-3-14

parasparaṃ ca nākṣatraṃ hanyamānaṃ punaḥ punaḥ

     grahair apaśyan sārve te nātmānas tu kathaṃ cana

[2] Mahabharata: 1-61-72

[3] Mahabharata: 18-5-18

[4] Mahabharata: 15-39-10

[5] Valmiki Ramayana : 6-35-14 and 15

[6] Mahabharata: 12-308

[7] Mahabharata: 3-121

[8] Mahabharata: 1-2-9

[9] Mahabharata: 2-48-50

[10] Mahabharata: 3-148-37

[11] Srimad Bhagavatam: 3.11.34

[12] Mahabharata: 5-70-49

[13] Mahabharata: 5-140- 7 to 15

[14] Mahabharata: 9-59- 21