"In the Kali Yuga, there will be numerous rulers vying with each other. They will have no character. Violence, falsehood and wickedness will be the order of the day. Piety and good nature will dwindle slowly... Passion and lust will be the only attraction between the sexes. Women will be the objects of sensual pleasure. Dishonest will be the bottom line of subsistence. Learned people will be ridiculed and put to shame; the word of the wealthy person will be the only law."
An alternative view of the yuga cycle and timescale was taught by the 19th-century Indian yogi <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga> Swami <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami> Sri Yukteswar Giri <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Yukteswar_Giri> , guru of Paramahansa Yogananda <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramahansa_Yogananda> . In his book, The Holy Science <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holy_Science> , Sri Yukteswar explains that the descending phase of Satya Yuga lasts 4800 years, Treta Yuga 3600 years, Dwapara Yuga 2400 years, and Kali Yuga 1200 years. The ascending phase of Kali Yuga then begins, also lasting 1200 years; and so on. The ascending phase of Kali Yuga began in September of 499 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/499> CE. Since September 1699 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1699> , we have been in the ascending phase of Dwapara Yuga, according to Sri Yukteswar. Evidence exists to support Sri Yukteswar's theory. For example, the average life span is getting longer (see above). In The Holy Science <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holy_Science> , Sri Yukteswar writes that the traditional view is based on a misunderstanding. He says that at the end of the last descending Dwapara Yuga (about 700 BC <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/700_BC> ) "Maharaja Yudhisthira <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yudhisthira> , noticing the appearance of the dark Kali Yuga, made over his throne to his grandson [and]...together with all of his wise men...retired to the Himalaya Mountains...Thus there was none in the court...who could understand the principle of correctly accounting the ages of the several Yugas." According to Sri Yukteswar, nobody wanted to announce the bad news of the beginning of the ascending Kali Yuga, so they just kept adding years to the Dwapara date (at that time 2400 Dwapara). As the Kali began to ascend again, scholars of the time recognized that there was a mistake in the date (then being called 3600+ Kali, although their texts said Kali had only 1200 years). "By way of reconciliation, they fancied that 1200 years, the real age of Kali, were not the ordinary years of our earth, but were so many daiva (or deva) years ("years of the gods"), consisting of 12 daiva months of 30 daiva days each, with each daiva day being equal to one ordinary solar year of our earth. Hence according to these men 1200 years of Kali Yuga must be equal to 432,000 years of our earth." Sri Yukteswar also writes that our sun has a 'star for its dual', with an orbit around this star. As our sun moves through this orbit it takes the whole solar system closer to and then further from the "grand center" of our solar system called 'Vishnunabhi', which is the seat of the creative power, 'Brahma', [which]...regulates...the mental virtue of the internal world." He states that the proximity to this grand center determimes which yuga it is. Satya Yuga The Satya Yuga, also called Sat Yuga, Krta Yuga and Krita Yuga in Hinduism, is the "Yuga (Age or Era) of Truth", when humankind is governed by gods, and every manifestation or work is close to the purest ideal and mankind will allow intrinsic goodness to rule supreme. It is sometimes referred to as the "Golden Age." Amongst the four eras, the Satya Yuga is the first and the most significant one. This era extends up to 1,728,000 years. Knowledge, meditation, and penance hold special importance in this era. All the pillars of religion are present in totality. The average life expectancy of a human being in Satya Yuga is believed to be over 4,000 years. During Satya Yuga, all people engage only in good, sublime deeds. Ashrams become devoid of wickedness and deceit. Natyam (such as Bharatanatyam), according to Natya Shatra, did not exist in the Satya Yuga "because it was the time when all people were happy". Treta Yuga The Treta Yuga is the second out of four yugas, or ages of man, in the religion of Hinduism, following the Satya Yuga of perfect morality and preceding the Dvapara Yuga. The most famous events in this yuga were Lord Vishnu's fifth, sixth and seventh incarnations as Vamana, Parashurama and Ramachandra respectively. The Dharma bull, which symbolises morality, stood on three legs during this period. It had all four in the Satya Yuga and two in the later Dvapara Yuga. Currently, in the immoral age of Kali, it stands on one leg. Avatars of Vishnu during Treta Yuga Vamana Vishnu incarnated as the dwarf son of Aditi to stop King Mahabali of the Asura race, the grandson of Prahlada, from completing a sacrifice which would allow him to overshadow Devendra in power and splendour. The jealous and worried Devas persuaded Vishnu to send Bali, a bhakta of his, to Patala, the underworld. Vishnu did so by taking advantage of the King's kindness and refusal to go back on his word, but allowed him a luxurious dwelling and sovereignty in one of the lower worlds. He also gave him the boon of being able to visit his subjects once every year. Parashurama Vishnu incarnated as the Brahmana Parashurama in this era because there were too many warlike kshatriyas plaguing the Earth, and he therefore had to wipe out most of the world's warriors. However, some of the Kshatriyas survived or more were created, and their population grew again. Eventually, the avatara of Vishnu in Parashurama ended, though it is said that he continued to live on as a mighty warrior-hermit. He confronted Ramachandra angrily years later, before acknowledging the latter's supremacy and retiring. He lived on in the Dvapara Yuga, having a great duel with Bhishma for Amba's sake (and losing), and he taught Karna how to use the Brahmastra and cursed him when he found out that he was a kshatriya. He is said to be still alive today, meditating in the mountains or deep in a forest. Ramachandra The hallmark of this era was the rise of evil in the form of the demon king Ravana. He conquered the three worlds namely, earth, heavens and the netherworlds (patala) and terrorised everyone. Even the Devas were subordinate to him - his son Meghanada had earned the name of Indrajit by defeating Indra, the King of heaven, in battle; and even the Sun had to obey the rakshasa king. In this scenario, Lord Vishnu incarnated himself as the son of King Dasaratha of the Solar or Ikshvaku dynasty and was named Lord Rama, and this avatara was not aware of his own divine nature. Due to a stepmother's jealousy, Lord Rama was sent away to the forest in exile for 14 years, during which time he confronted and killed Ravana for having kidnapped his wife, and thus restored peace on earth. He is said to have afterwards ruled the Kingdom of Kosala from Ayodhya for an eleven-thousand year golden age known as the Rama-rajya or Rama's Kingdom, before eventually returning to his Mahavishnu form with his three half-brothers- Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna- who were "minor" incarnations of Vishnu or the great serpent-god Shesha. Dvapara Yuga Dvapara Yuga is the third out of four yugas, or ages, in the religion of Hinduism. This yuga comes after Treta Yuga and is followed by Kali Yuga. During this yuga, as Lord Krishna and the yuga ends with his death. There are only two pillars left of religion in the Dvapara Yuga. Bhagwan Vishnu assumes the color yellow and the Vedas are categorized into four parts that is Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva. During these times the Brahmins are knowledgeable of two, sometimes three Vedas, but rarely have studied all the four Vedas thoroughly. Accordingly, because of this categorization, different actions and activities come into existence. The Roles of the Castes All people in the Dvapara Yuga are zealous, valiant, courageous and competitive by nature and are engaged only in penance and charity. They are kingly and pleasure-seeking. In this era, the divine intellect ceases to exist, and it is therefore seldom that anyone is wholly truthful. As a result of this life of deceit, people are plagued by ailments, diseases and various types of desires. After suffering from these ailments, people realize their misdeeds and perform penance. Some also organize Yagya for material benefits as well as for divinity. The Role of the Brahmin In this Yuga, the Brahmins are involved in Yagya, self-study, donation and teaching activities. They attain celestial bliss by engaging in penance, religion, control of senses and restraint. The Role of the Kshatriya The duties of Kshatriyas are the protection of their subjects. In this era, they are humble and performe their duties by controlling their senses. The Kshatriyas honestly execute all policies of law and order without being angry or cruel. They are devoid of greed and consequently attain bliss. The king avails the advice of the learned scholars and accordingly maintains law and order in his empire. The king who is addicted to vices will definitely end up defeated. One or two or all from Sa-ma, Da-na, Danda, Bheda and Upeksha is/are brought into use and help attain the desired. Kings are diligent in maintaining public decorum and order. A few of the kings, however, surreptitiously plan a conspiracy along with the scholars. Strong people execute work where execution of policies is involved. The king appoints priests, etc. to perform religious activities, economists and ministers to perform monetary activities, impotents to take care of women and cruel men to execute heinous activities. The Role of the Vaishya The duties of Vaishyas are trade, poultry-culture and agriculture. Vaishyas attain higher planes through charity and hospitality. The Role of the Shudra The duty of Shudras is to perform tasks that demand highly physical work and to serve the three upper classes. Although lower than the other three castes, the Shudras are not discriminated against. All other three sections namely Brahmana, Kshatriya and Vaisya protected Shudras and contributed for their safety and happiness. Krishna, eighth avatar of Vishnu was brought up in a Vaishya family though he was a born Kshatriya. The Decline of Life The living and moral standard of the people overall in the Dvapara Yuga drops immensely from the Treta Yuga. The average life expectancy of humans begins to fall to only 2,000 years in this era because of neglect of the Varnashram, Vedas and Yagyas. The Vedas especially become less active. Kali Yuga "In the Kali Yuga, there will be numerous rulers vying with each other. They will have no character. Violence, falsehood and wickedness will be the order of the day. Piety and good nature will dwindle slowly... Passion and lust will be the only attraction between the sexes. Women will be the objects of sensual pleasure. Dishonest will be the bottom line of subsistence. Learned people will be ridiculed and put to shame; the word of the wealthy person will be the only law." Kali Yuga (Devna-gari: ????) (lit. Age of Kali, also known as Iron Age), is one of the four stages of development that the world goes through as part of the cycle of Yugas, as described in Hindu scriptures. The other Yugas are Dwapara Yuga, Treta Yuga, and Satya Yuga. According to the Surya Siddhanta, an astronomical treatise that forms the basis of all Hindu and Buddhist calendars, Kali Yuga began at midnight (00:00) on 18 February 3102 BC, which is also considered by many Hindus to be the time that Krishna left his body (Hindus don't consider avatars to die). Most interpretations of Hindu scriptures believe that earth is currently in Kali Yuga. However, other interpretations of the same scriptures believe that earth is now at the beginning of Dwapara Yuga. Throughout the Kali Yuga, Hindus believe that human civilization degenerates spiritually. Kali Yuga is sometimes referred to as the Dark age (Iron Age), mainly because people are the furthest possible from god. Hindus generally consider moralilty to be compareable to a bull. In the Satya Yuga the bull had four legs, and in each age morality reduced by a quarter. By the age of Kali, morality will be reduced to only a quarter to that of the golden age. Thus, the bull will only have one leg. Morality will wait on men. Kali Yuga should not be confused with the goddess Kali, as they are unrelated words in the Sanskrit language. The "kali" of Kali Yuga means "terrible," whereas the goddess "Kali" is the feminine form of "Kala," which means "time." Though, it is believed that Kali is the one that governs the this age. In relation to rulers Rulers will become unreasonable, they will levy taxes unfairly. Rulers will no longer see it their duty to promote spirituality or to protect their subjects. Instead, they will become a danger to the world. People will start migrating seeking countries where wheat and Barley form the staple food source In relation to people's relationships Avarice and wrath is common, men will openly display animosities towards one another. Ignorance of Dharma will occur. Lust will be viewed as the being socially acceptable. People will have thoughts of muder for no justification, and they will see nothing wrong with their mindset. People will no longer follow the science of reason and instead be lead by their emotions instead of their minds. Family murders will also occur. People will see those who are helpless as as easy targets and remove everything from them. Many other unwanted changes will occur. The right hand will deceive the left and the left the right. Men with false reputation of learning will teach the Truth and the old will betray the senselessness of the young, and the young will betray the dotage of the old. Cowards will have the reputation of bravery and the brave will be cheerless like cowards. People will not trust a single person in the world, not even their immediate family. Even Husband and wife will find contempt in each other. It should be noted that in the Kali yuga there will be teenage pregnancies. It is believed that sin will increase exponentially, whilst virtue will fade and cease to flourish. People will take vows only to break them shortly after. Alongside death and famine being everywhere, men will have lustful thoughts and so will women. People will, without reason destroy trees and gardens. As previously mentioned men will murder. There will be no respect for animals, and also meat eating will start. People will become addicted to intoxicating drinks. Men will find their jobs stressful and will go to retreats to escape their work. Gurus will no longer be respected and their students will attempted to injure them. Throughout the age, humans become shorter in height and weaker physically as well as mentally and spiritually. Weather and nature conditions in the Kali Yuga when flowers will be begot within flowers, and fruits within fruits, then will the Yuga come to an end. And the clouds will pour rain unseasonably when the end of the Yuga approaches. End of this Kali Yuga At the end of this Kali Yuga, an Avatar will arrive on earth known as Kalki, who will be a direct personification of Krishna, and ride on a white horse. And in turn will start a new age, the age of Satya. Other interpretations of Kali Yuga and the yuga cycle Other interpretations of the Hindu scriptures, most notably by David Frawley and Sri Yukteswar Giri, hold a different view of the Yuga cycle. Based on historical and scriptural evidence, they state that the Yugas change in a cycle much like the four seasons, where the planet moves repeatedly and gradually from one Yuga to the next, without a sudden jump from Kali into Satya Yuga. Further, they both state that historical evidence shows that Kali Yuga ended around 1700 CE, changing at that time to Dwapara Yuga. Also supporting their view is the fact that that humans are becoming taller in height, more intelligent, and are living longer. This is contrary to some of the only objective criteria for defining Kali Yuga, according to Sri Yukteswar. Vamadeva David Frawley Frawley, a widely respected Jyotish astrologer and author of many books on Vedic traditions, points out that Manu, in his Manhu Samhita, posits a much shorter Yuga cycle of 24,000 years. Manu¹s Yuga cycle happens to correspond roughly to the same length of time that astronomers attribute to the Precession of the Equinoxes. Based on Frawley¹s interpretation of scripture, we are currently near the beginning of a Dwapara Yuga cycle that will last a total of 2,400 years. He further points out that that the traditional 432,000 year cycle is questionable, based on Vedic and Puranic historical records. He explains this interpretation in more depth in his book The Astrology of the Seers. [1] Sri Yukteswar Giri According to Sri Yukteswar Giri, we are currently in Dwapara Yuga. In his book The Holy Science, he explains that "the astronomers and astrologers who calculate the almanacs have been guided by wrong annotations of certain Sanskrit scholars (such as Kullu Bhatta) of the dark age of Kali Yuga, and now maintain that the length of Kali Yuga is 432,000 years, of which 4994 have (in A D. 1894) passed away, leaving 427,006 years still remaining. A dark prospect! And fortunately one not true." The Holy Science includes his astronomical explanation for a shorter Yuga Cycle, in which Kali Yuga lasts only 2,400 years (1,200x2, one descending Kali Yuga cycle, followed by an ascending cycle). [2] Sri Aurobindo According to Sri Aurobindo, Kali Yuga lasts far less than 432,000 years. The followers of the Purna Yoga believe that the Mother successfully solicited the early termination of the Kali Yuga in 1969, and the abolition of pralaya (normal process of destruction of the universe at the end of a kalpa Cosmic Cycle of Creation-Destruction). 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