Apocalypse, end of times or whatever you want to call it is the same story across many faiths. It’s the same story as Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and many other popular films. Evil rules unchecked until there’s nothing left to lose. Then there’s a battle of the ages between good and evil. When all hope seems lost, the good guys pull off the victory with a last-second move.
The twelfth chapter of the Bhagavata Purana contains a list of predictions about the dark times of the Kali Yuga era(1). These were written 5,000 years ago by the Sage Vedavyasa.
They tell of the story of a cruel era that eventually crumbles into dust. The exact timing of this unfolding is up for debate.
According to Sadhguru(2), it takes the planet 72 years to pass through one degree of the “Hindu Zodiac” and 25,920 years to complete one full circle of 360 degrees. One half of that journey takes 12,960 years and covers the four yugas, which are:
- Satya Yuga (5,184 years): a pure golden age. Beings are self-realized, in sync with nature and live for 100,000 years.
- Treta Yuga (3,888 years): a silver age that sees the rise of deity worship and social organization into classes.
- Dvapara Yuga (2,592 years): a bronze age with increased deity worship and temple societies. Average lifespan down to 1,000 years.
- Kali Yuga (1,296 years): an iron age of hypocrisy and quarrel. God-consciousness is reduced. Life expectancy is less than 100 years. At the end of the yuga people are expected to live for only 20 years and their only food will be meat.
Kali Yuga Predictions
She is a goddess of death: the death of the physical body and of the illusory self-centered view of a decayed social reality. Kali in Hinduism is a manifestation of the Divine Mother, the female principle.
Widely known as a Goddess of destruction, she destroys to allow creation by bringing about the fall of sin, ignorance, and decay.
Kali is the consort of the god Shiva. It is believed that Shiva who actually brings about the destruction – Kali is the power with which he acts.
Read through for 10 predictions from the Kali Yuga, and learn how living outside crumbling societies can benefit the individual.
Prediction 1: Quality of Life Declines
Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will diminish day by day.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.1
sri-suka uvaca
tatas canu-dinam dharmah
satyam saucam ksama daya
kalena balina rajan
nanksyaty ayur balam smrtih
View from abroad: living as an outsider in Asia, there is more flexibility to be yourself. Free from pressure to conform and without an established local identity, every day can become an adventure of self-discovery — or full-blown decadence.
With low expenses and few rules, many expats settle into comfortable old habits of decadence and debauchery.
However, the opportunity to get past inertia is there for those who want it. Expat life done right comes with lots of time off, a low cost of living and lots of time for healthy self development.
Prediction 2: Power Corrupts
Wealth alone will determine social standing. Law and justice will be applied on the basis of one’s power.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.2
vittam eva kalau nṝṇāḿ
janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ
dharma-nyāya-vyavasthāyāḿ
kāraṇaḿ balam eva hi
View from abroad: those who recognize that the game is rigged can choose to stop playing. Living overseas, you are largely free to do as you wish within your expat bubble. Lay low, develop a local identity, save half of your cash and make great use of your flex time.
Prediction 3: Superficiality Sets In
A person’s spiritual position will be ascertained according to external symbols. A person’s propriety will be questioned if he does not earn a good living. One who is very clever at juggling words will be considered a learned scholar. Success in business will depend on deceit.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.4
lińgaḿ evāśrama-khyātāv
anyonyāpatti-kāraṇam
avṛttyā nyāya-daurbalyaḿ
pāṇḍitye cāpalaḿ vacaḥ
View from abroad: an amazing thing happens when you move abroad. In Asia, immediately off the plane, you become immune to ads — because you won’t understand them!
After around six months, you will begin to notice how severe the bombardment of ‘perception shaping’ is inflicted on western consumer populations. Ad jingles will stop playing in your head. Your favorite TV shows will lose importance. You’ll no longer rely on advertisements to decide where to eat.
Prediction 4: Hypocritical Liars Rule
A person will be judged unholy if he does not have money, and hypocrisy will be accepted as a virtue. Slovenliness will be accepted as normal.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.5
anāḍhyataivāsādhutve
sādhutve dambha eva tu
svīkāra eva codvāhe
snānam eva prasādhanam
View from abroad: imagine a life where ‘government’ is just a story. In Asia, the only person the expat needs to answer to is the one that pays their salary.
Free from pressure to adhere to local norms, savvy expats have opportunities across several countries. If life ever sours, they are free to move on and try their luck somewhere else in the region.
Prediction 5: Superficial Gluttony
Beauty will be thought to depend on superficial appearance. Filling the belly will become the goal of life, and one who is audacious will be accepted as truthful.
Anyone who maintains a family will be regarded as experts. The principles of religion will be observed only for the sake of reputation.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.6
dūre vāry-ayanaḿ tīrthaḿ
lāvaṇyaḿ keśa-dhāraṇam
udaraḿ-bharatā svārthaḥ
satyatve dhārṣṭyam eva hi
dākṣyaḿ kuṭumba-bharaṇaḿ
yaśo ‘rthe dharma-sevanam
View from abroad: feminism in Asia differs from the hard-core western model. In Asia, slim, sexy ideals of beauty remain intact. Traditional female roles (supporter, nurturer) are also intact.
A good Asian girlfriend will make herself sexy for you, cook for you, and do her best to help you succeed — but only for those who qualify. In exchange, a good western boyfriend must play the traditional male role of provider.
Prediction 6: Resource Shortages
Harassed by famine and excessive taxes, people will resort to eating leaves, roots, flesh, wild honey, fruits, flowers and seeds. Struck by drought, they will become completely ruined.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.9
śāka-mūlāmiṣa-kṣaudra-
phala-puṣpāṣṭi-bhojanāḥ
anāvṛṣṭyā vinańkṣyanti
durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ
View from abroad: expat life is freedom from reliance on government: an impossible feat when living inside the machine.
Prediction 7: Infrastructure Breakdown
Citizens will suffer greatly from cold, wind, heat, rain and snow. They will be further tormented by quarrels, hunger, thirst, disease, and severe anxiety.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.10
śīta-vātātapa-prāvṛḍ-
himair anyonyataḥ prajāḥ
kṣut-tṛḍbhyāḿ vyādhibhiś caiva
santapsyante ca cintayā
View from abroad: when societies collapse, urban centers are the worst places to be. Expats with funds in Asia have more options to find safety and shelter than they would back home. There are plenty of places to hide here.
Prediction 8: Scarcity Riots
Men will develop hatred for each other over a few coins. Giving up all friendly relations, they will be ready to lose their own lives and even kill their own relatives.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.41
kalau kakinike ‘py arthe
vigrihya tyakta-sauhridah
tyakshyanti ca priyan pranan
hanishyanti svakan api
View from abroad: once you know that the game is rigged stop playing it. Even a simple gig teaching English in a third-tier Chinese town will yield a better quality of life on all levels (socially, financially, emotionally). As people fight for dwindling scraps in western urban centers, consider an expat life in Asia as a very viable alternative.
Prediction 9: Death And Abandonment
Decay will set in. Servants will abandon a master who has lost his wealth. Masters will abandon incapacitated servants. Cows will be abandoned or killed when they stop giving milk.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.36
patim tyakshyanti nirdravyam
bhritya apy akhilottamam
bhrityam vipannam patayah
kaulam gas capayasvinih
View from abroad: scarcity is a global problem. Deal with it while locked in a fixed western life, or else stick-and-move as an expat in Asia, going with the flow and following the money.
Prediction 10: Moral Collapse
Cities will become warzones. The populace is completely cut off from spirituality. Political leaders consume their citizens. Priests and intellectuals will fall into gluttony and sexual perversion.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.32
dasyutkrishta janapada
vedah pashanda-dushitah
rajanas ca praja-bhakshah
sisnodara-para dvijah
View from abroad: western culture is individualistic and focused on non-spiritual trappings like fame, fortune, and conquest. People are disconnected. Life is stressful. Asian culture is the opposite: it has a rich history, is steeped in spirituality, and is collective: everyone is welcome. In very general terms, Asians are born and bred with an appreciation for peace, privacy, freedom, safety, and respect.
Conclusion: Protection Spell For These Times
According to Kali Yuga prophecy, the purpose of life is to transcend into a higher plane of existence, beyond the body.
During the Kali Yuga, Hindu scriptures say that the only way to ascension is verbal: by chanting the names of Krishna, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.51
kaler dosha-nidhe rajann
asti hy eko maha gunah
kirtanad eva krishnasya
mukta-sangah param vrajet
View from abroad: reciting mantras bring thought into reality using sound vibrations. Each repetition is beneficial, but the cumulative effect is most beneficial. If the effects of the Kali Yuga are bringing you down, watch the video and recite the mantra:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rama,
Rama Rama, Hare Hare
Footnotes
- Wisdom Library. ‘The Bhagavata Purana (free to read online)’, 1950 edition. https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-bhagavata-purana, (accessed 2 July, 2023).
- Sadhguru. ‘Cycles in the Sky and in the Human Body’. June 7, 2020, https://isha.sadhguru.org/sg/en/wisdom/article/kali-yuga-end-lies-ahead, (accessed 2 July, 2023).