Kalki Jayanti

Kalki sits on a black horse with a sword on his hand, slaying a man, which could represent evil, who is laying on the floor with his legs spread out in an uncomfortable position. The evil man holds a club and wears tiger skin as clothing.
An murti of Kalki defeating a man, who could be a representation of evil at the Sakhibata temple, Kendrapara,Odisha, India.

Kalki Jayanti (Sanskrit: कल्किजयन्ती, romanized: Kalkijayantī) is a Hindu festival that celebrates the prophesied birth of Kalki, the final avatar of Vishnu, who is set to be born near the end of the Kali Yuga to eradicate vices, slay the asura Kali and restore dharma, turning the Wheel of Time to the Satya Yuga.[1][2][3] Kalki's birth ceremony is observed on the dwadashi of the Shuklapaksha of the Bhadrapada month as per the traditional Hindu calendar, while in the Gregorian calendar it is the twelfth day of the waxing phase of the moon.[4][5]

Significance

The Puranas state that Kalki would be born in the village of Shambala, to a Brahmin family, whose parents would be named Vishnuyasha and Sumati.[6][7] This event commences near the end of Kali Yuga, which is described that when Kalki grows up and becomes a trained warrior, he will ride on a divine white horse named Devadatta with a blazing sword, accompanied by a talking parrot, Shuka, who knows everything; the past, present, and future.[8][9] He then goes around the world to fight evil kingdoms and Kali, who is a demon that has the powers of a yogi to control beings and make them commit adharma. He then restores dharma and returns to his kingdom, and finally to Vaikuntha.[10][11][12]

Celebration

During the festival, the devotees wake up early in the morning and take a bath before sunrise[13] The performance of the puja (worship) starts with the bijamantra. After the chanting, an offering of a seat (asana) to Kalki takes place. The idol is then washed with panchamrita as abhisheka, with the offerings of flowers, diya, and incense.

Kalki in his murti (physical, "idol" form) is worshiped in two forms, whereby in the first, he is with a sword while on top of a horse, sometimes trampling over an evil assailant. This form is commonly depicted in North India. The other form depicts him standing upright with a face of a horse, which is common in South India.

During this period, the recitation of the Hari Stotra, Vishnu Sahasranama, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, and other mantras are carried out 108 times.[14][15] The worshippers would then perform dana.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Jr, Donald S. Lopez (2015-11-24). Buddhism in Practice: Abridged Edition. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-8007-2.
  2. ^ Lewis, James (2004). The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. Oxford University Press. p. 488. ISBN 9780199892167.
  3. ^ "Destroyer and deliverer: The true meaning of Vishnu's Kalki avatar-Ideas News , Firstpost". Firstpost. 2011-10-16. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  4. ^ "Kalki's birthday". Feast-guide. Unknown. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Lord Kalki, God Kalki, Hindu God Kalki, Incarnation of Lord Vishnu ,Kalki Avatar". www.astroved.com. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  6. ^ Coulter, Charles Russell (2013). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. Routledge. ISBN 9781135963972.
  7. ^ Hudson, D.Dennis (2008). The Body of God: An emperor's palace for Krishna in eighth century Kanchipuram. Oxford University Press. pp. 333–340. ISBN 978-0-19-536922-9.
  8. ^ Dalal, Rosen (2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical guide. Penguin. ISBN 978-8184752779.
  9. ^ Chaturvedi, B.K. (2004). Kalki Purana. New Delhi: Diamond Pocket Books. ISBN 81-288-0588-6.
  10. ^ "Description of Kalki". astrojyoti.
  11. ^ Rocher, Ludo (1986). The Puranas. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3447025225.
  12. ^ Bassuk, Daniel E. (1987), Bassuk, Daniel E. (ed.), "Epilogue: Criteria for Avatarhood Based on Mythemes", Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity: The Myth of the God-Man, London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 97–102, doi:10.1007/978-1-349-08642-9_4, ISBN 978-1-349-08642-9, retrieved 2022-10-31
  13. ^ "Kalki Jayanti 2021: Check out shubh muhurat, puja vidhi and significance of this day". Jagran English. 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  14. ^ "Kalki Avatar Jayanti 2021 Rituals, Significance & Puja Muhurat". mPanchang. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  15. ^ "Kalki Jayanti 2022: Know about 10th Avtar of Lord Vishnu". The Times of India. 2022-08-03. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  16. ^ "Kalki Dwadashi". feast-guide.com. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
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