What are the sins that will lead to the downfall of Kali Yuga?
According to the calculation of the four yugas, Kali Yuga has a potential duration of 432,000 years. However, the numerous sins committed by humans will accelerate the end of the yuga, reduce its lifespan and eventually bring out its end sooner than expected. According to the Bhaviṣya Mālikā, the age of Kali Yuga will be diminished due to the thirty-five categories of sins as mentioned below:
- Patricide (killing of one’s father)
- Matricide (killing of one’s mother)
- Uxoricide (killing of one’s wife)
- Infanticide (killing of children)
- Cow slaughter
- Brahmahatyā (killing of Brahmins)
- Feticide (destruction or abortion of a fetus)
- Abduction of one’s own mother
- Abduction of one’s own sister
- Abduction of one’s own daughter
- Abduction of the bride of one’s own brother
- Abduction of the widow
- Abduction of another person’s wife
- Abduction of women
- Abduction of pregnant women
- Abduction of young girls
- Abduction of animals
- Land grabbing
- Usurping other peoples’ wealth
- Adopting the immodest clothing of foreigners
- Eating forbidden food
- Journeying into inaccessible places
- Being severely depressed
- Detached from one’s own family
- Cheating one’s friend
- Betrayal
- Making love with a person from a lower caste
- Bathing naked
- Sleeping naked
- False speech
- Condemning the scriptures
- Illegal possession of land meant for Cow grazing and crematorium
- Not worshiping Maa Tulsi (& holy Basil plant)
- Not worshiping the idol of Lord Maha-Vishnu
- Not worshiping one’s own father and mother
Due to the listed sins, the age of Kali Yuga will be reduced to 5,000 years. Mahapurush Achyutananda has detailed these nuances in his book ‘Uddhav Bhakti Pradayini’. In this treatise, Mahapurush has captured the conversation between Uddhava and Shree Krishna and the response that Lord Shree Krisha gives to Uddhava’s question related to the end of Kali Yuga, which clarifies that:
“chari lakh ate batis sahasra ayush e Kali Yuga
papa badhibaru aayu katijiba alapa hoiba bhoga”
(Source: Uddhav Bhakti Pradayini, Achyutananda Das)
Purport:
The age of Kali Yuga will be reduced to only 5,000 years from the prescribed age of 432,000 years. In the Dwapara Yuga, there is a dialogue between Lord Shree Krishna and his best friend Arjuna, and at that time, Arjuna questions Mahaprabhu Shree Krishna about the end of Kali Yuga, the establishment of Dharma and the incarnation of Lord Kalki. Then, Lord Shree Krishna narrates many pastimes (leelas) to Arjuna, which Mahapurush Achyutananda has described in his various books like ‘Chaushathi Patal,’ ‘Neel Sundar Gita‘ etc.
Arjuna had asked Mahaprabhu Shree Krishna that if the age of Kali Yuga was destined to be 432,000 years and due to the transgressions, Kali Yuga’s lifespan was to be reduced to only 5,000 years, then, “O Lord, kindly tell us by which sinful deeds and by how much will the age of Kali Yuga be diminished.“
Then Lord Shree Krishna describes the major sins and the number of years by which the lifespan of Kali Yuga will be reduced due to each misdeed, as follows:
- Due to lying: 5000 years
- Due to bathing naked in the Ganges: 12000 years
- Due to love making of a Brahmin with people of another caste: 30000 years
- From the sin of betraying a friend: 6000 years
- Due to not worshiping the idol of Lord Maha-Vishnu: 17000 years
- Due to not worshiping Maa Tulsi (& holy Tulsi plant): 5000 years
- Due to not serving the guest: 6000 years
- Due to the sin of betraying one’s brother: 40,000 years
- Due to consumption of forbidden foods (meat etc.): 8000 years
- Due to usurping others’ wealth: 10000 years
- From the sin of cow slaughter: 100000 years
- By misusing charity: 14000 years
- By doing wrongs to widows: 24000 years
- From the sin of killing creatures: 11000 years
- By making love, disobeying the rules of caste, religion, and creed: 12000 years
- From the sin of feticide: 7000 years
- From the sin of killing women: 32000 years
- Due to illegally possessing the land meant for cow grazing and crematorium: 40000 years
- From the sin of abducting one’s mother: 5000 years
- From the sin of betraying others: 40000 years
- Due to patricide, matricide, and other sins: 3000 Years
In this way, 427,000 years will be deducted from Kali Yuga’s 432,000 years; thus, the age of Kali Yuga will be reduced to just 5,000 years.
In line with the above reasoning, we find evidence from various Shastras, Puranas, and Malika scriptures that due to the many sinful deeds, the age of a yuga is reduced, and the age of this Kali Yuga will also be reduced in the same way and will last only for 5,000 years. Also, as per the calculations described in the Shastras, the current year of Kali Yuga is 5,125th year, which means that this Yuga had already ended.