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 (22nd 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 7th 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 7th 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
