Kaliyug and prediction

Symptoms of kaliyug:
In the last canto of the Bhagavata Purana there is a list of predictions and prophecies about the dark times for the present age of Kali Yuga. The following 15 predictions, written 5,000 years ago by sage Vedavyasa, are amazing because they appear so accurate. Despite the negative tone of these prophecies, there is still one bright spot for all of us, which is mentioned at the end.
Prediction 1:
Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will all diminish day by day because of the powerful influence of the age of Kali.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.1
sri-suka uvaca
tatas canu-dinam dharmah
satyam saucam ksama daya
kalena balina rajan
nanksyaty ayur balam smrtih
Prediction 2:
In Kali Yuga, wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man's good birth, proper behaviour and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only 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
Prediction 3:
Men and women will live together merely because of superficial attraction, women will not respect her in laws and men will also be inclined to their in laws and be subservient to wives.success in business will depend on deceit. Womanliness and manliness will be judged according to one's expertise in Physical gratification, and a man will be known as a brahmana just by his wearing a thread.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.3
dāmpatye 'bhirucir hetur
māyaiva vyāvahārike
strītve puḿstve ca hi ratir
vipratve sūtram eva hi
Prediction 4:
A person's spiritual position will be ascertained merely according to external symbols, and on that same basis people will change from one spiritual order to the next. A person's propriety will be seriously questioned if he does not earn a good living. And one who is very clever at juggling words will be considered a learned scholar.
Prediction 5:
A person will be judged unholy if he does not have money, and hypocrisy will be accepted as virtue. Marriage will be arranged simply by verbal agreement, and a person will think he is fit to appear in public if he has merely taken a bath.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.5
anāḍhyataivāsādhutve
sādhutve dambha eva tu
svīkāra eva codvāhe
snānam eva prasādhanam
Prediction 6:
A sacred place will be taken to consist of no more than a reservoir of water located at a distance, and beauty of women will depend on one's hairstyle only.Filling the belly will become the goal of life, and one who is audacious will be accepted as truthful. He who can maintain a family will be regarded as an expert man, and 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
Prediction 7:
As the earth thus becomes crowded with a corrupt population, whoever among any of their social classes shows himself to be the strongest will gain political power.
Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.7
evaḿ prajābhir duṣṭābhir
ākīrṇe kṣiti-maṇḍale
brahma-viṭ-kṣatra-śūdrāṇāḿ
yo balī bhavitā nṛpaḥ
Prediction 8:
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
Prediction 9:
The citizens will suffer greatly from cold, wind, heat, rain and snow. They will be further tormented by quarrels, hunger, thirst, disease and severe anxiety and depression.
The maximum duration of life for human beings in Kali-yuga will become fifty years.
SB 12.2.12-16
ksiyamanesu dehesu
dehinam kali-dosatah
varnasramavatam dharme
naste veda-pathe nrnam
pasanda-pracure dharme
dasyu-prayesu rajasu
cauryanrta-vrtha-himsa-
nana-vrttisu vai nrsu
sudra-prayesu varnesu
cchaga-prayasu dhenusu
grha-prayesv asramesu
yauna-prayesu bandhusu
anu-prayasv osadhisu
sami-prayesu sthasnusu
vidyut-prayesu meghesu
sunya-prayesu sadmasu
ittham kalau gata-praye
janesu khara-dharmisu
dharma-tranaya sattvena
bhagavan avatarisyati
SYNONYMS
ksiyamanesu—having become smaller; dehesu—the bodies; dehinam—of all living entities; kali-dosatah—by the contamination of the age of Kali; varna-asrama-vatam—of the members of varnasrama society; dharme—when their religious principles; naste—have been destroyed; veda-pathe—the path of the Vedas; nrnam—for all men; pasanda-pracure—mostly atheism; dharme—religion; dasyu-prayesu—mostly thieves; rajasu—the kings; caurya—banditry; anrta—lying; vrtha-himsa—useless slaughter; nana—various; vrttisu—their occupations; vai—indeed; nrsu—when men; sudra-prayesu—mostly low-class sudras; varnesu—the so-called social orders; chaga-prayasu—no better than goats; dhenusu—the cows; grha-prayesu—just like materialistic homes; asramesu—the spiritual hermitages; yauna-prayesu—extending no further than marriage; bandhusu—family ties; anu-prayasu—mostly very small; osadhisu—plants and herbs; sami-prayesu—just like sami trees; sthasnusu—all the trees; vidyut-prayesu—always manifesting lightning; meghesu—the clouds; sunya-prayesu—devoid of religious life; sadmasu—the homes; ittham—thus; kalau—when the age of Kali; gata-praye—is almost finished; janesu—the people; khara-dharmisu—when they have assumed the characteristics of asses; dharma-tranaya—for the deliverance of religion; sattvena—in the pure mode of goodness; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; avatarisyati—will descend.
TRANSLATION
By the time the age of Kali ends, the bodies of all creatures will be greatly reduced in size, and the religious principles of followers of varnasrama will be ruined. The path of the Vedas will be completely forgotten in human society, and so-called religion will be mostly atheistic. The kings will mostly be thieves, the occupations of men will be stealing, lying and needless violence, and all the social classes will be reduced to the lowest level of sudras. Cows will be like goats, spiritual hermitages will be no different from mundane houses, and family ties will extend no further than the immediate bonds of marriage. Most plants and herbs will be tiny, and all trees will appear like dwarf sami trees. Clouds will be full of lightning, homes will be devoid of piety, and all human beings will have become like asses. At that time, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear on the earth. Acting with the power of pure spiritual goodness, He will rescue eternal religion.
PURPORT
Significantly, these verses point out that most so-called religions in this age will be atheistic (pasanda-pracure dharme). In confirmation of the Bhagavatam’s prediction, the United States Supreme Court has recently ruled that to be considered a religion a system of belief need not recognize a supreme being. Also, many atheistic, voidistic belief systems, often imported from the Orient, have attracted the attention of modern atheistic scientists, who expound on the similarities between Eastern and Western voidism in fashionable, esoteric books.
These verses vividly describe many unsavory symptoms of the age of Kali. Ultimately, at the end of this age, Lord Krsna will descend as Kalki and remove the thoroughly demonic persons from the face of the earth.
SB 12.2.17
caracara-guror visnor
isvarasyakhilatmanah
dharma-tranaya sadhunam
janma karmapanuttaye
SYNONYMS
cara-acara—of all moving and nonmoving living beings; guroh—of the spiritual master; visnoh—the Supreme Lord, Visnu; isvarasya—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; akhila—of all; atmanah—of the Supreme Soul; dharma-tranaya—for the protection of religion; sadhunam—of saintly men; janma—the birth; karma—of their fruitive activities; apanuttaye—for the cessation.
TRANSLATION
Lord Visnu—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the spiritual master of all moving and nonmoving living beings, and the Supreme Soul of all—takes birth to protect the principles of religion and to relieve His saintly devotees from the reactions of material work.
SB 12.2.18
sambhala-grama-mukhyasya
brahmanasya mahatmanah
bhavane visnuyasasah
kalkih pradurbhavisyati
SYNONYMS
sambhala-grama—in the village Sambhala; mukhyasya—of the chief citizen; brahmanasya—of the brahmana; maha-atmanah—the great soul; bhavane—in the home; visnuyasasah—of Visnuyasa; kalkih—Lord Kalki; pradurbhavisyati—will appear.
TRANSLATION
Lord Kalki will appear in the home of the most eminent brahmana of Sambhala village, the great soul Visnuyasa.
SB 12.2.19-20
asvam asu-gam aruhya
devadattam jagat-patih
asinasadhu-damanam
astaisvarya-gunanvitah
vicarann asuna ksaunyam
hayenapratima-dyutih
nrpa-linga-cchado dasyun
kotiso nihanisyati
SYNONYMS
asvam—His horse; asu-gam—swift-traveling; aruhya—mounting; devadattam—named Devadatta; jagat-patih—the Lord of the universe; asina—with His sword; asadhu-damanam—(the horse who) subdues the unholy; asta—with eight; aisvarya—mystic opulences; guna—and transcendental qualities of the Personality of Godhead; anvitah—endowed; vicaran—traveling about; asuna—swift; ksaunyam—upon the earth; hayena—by His horse; apratima—unrivaled; dyutih—whose effulgence; nrpa-linga—with the dress of kings; chadah—disguising themselves; dasyun—thieves; kotisah—by the millions; nihanisyati—He will slaughter.
TRANSLATION
Lord Kalki, the Lord of the universe, will mount His swift horse Devadatta and, sword in hand, travel over the earth exhibiting His eight mystic opulences and eight special qualities of Godhead. Displaying His unequaled effulgence and riding with great speed, He will kill by the millions those thieves who have dared dress as kings.
PURPORT
These verses describe the thrilling pastimes of Lord Kalki. Anyone would be attracted by the sight of a powerful, beautiful man riding on a wonderful horse at lightning speed, chastising and devastating cruel, demonic people with the sword in His hand.
Of course, fanatical materialists may argue that this picture of Lord Kalki is a mere anthropomorphic creation of the human mind—a mythological deity created by people who need to believe in some superior being. But this argument is not logical, nor does it prove anything. It is merely the opinion of certain people. We need water, but that does not mean man creates water. We also need food, oxygen and many other things that we do not create. Since our general experience is that our needs correspond to available objects existing in the external world, that we appear to need a Supreme Lord would tend to indicate that in fact there is a Supreme Lord. In other words, nature endows us with a sense of need for things that actually exist and that are in fact necessary for our well-being. Similarly, we experience a need for God because we are in fact part of God and cannot live without Him. At the end of Kali-yuga this same God will appear as the mighty Kalki avatara and beat the pollution out of the demons.
SB 12.2.21
atha tesam bhavisyanti
manamsi visadani vai
vasudevanga-ragati-
punya-gandhanila-sprsam
paura-janapadanam vai
hatesv akhila-dasyusu
SYNONYMS
atha—then; tesam—of them; bhavisyanti—will become; manamsi—the minds; visadani—clear; vai—indeed; vasudeva—of Lord Vasudeva; anga—of the body; raga—from the cosmetic decorations; ati-punya—most sacred; gandha—having the fragrance; anila—by the wind; sprsam—of those who have been touched; paura—of the city-dwellers; jana-padanam—and the residents of the smaller towns and villages; vai—indeed; hatesu—when they have been killed; akhila—all; dasyusu—the rascal kings.
TRANSLATION
After all the impostor kings have been killed, the residents of the cities and towns will feel the breezes carrying the most sacred fragrance of the sandalwood paste and other decorations of Lord Vasudeva, and their minds will thereby become transcendentally pure.
PURPORT
Nothing can surpass the sublime experience of being dramatically rescued by a great hero who happens to be the Supreme Lord. The death of the demons at the end of Kali-yuga is accompanied by fragrant spiritual breezes, and thus the atmosphere becomes most enchanting.
SB 12.2.22
tesam praja-visargas ca
sthavisthah sambhavisyati
vasudeve bhagavati
sattva-murtau hrdi sthite
SYNONYMS
tesam—of them; praja—of progeny; visargah—the creation; ca—and; sthavisthah—abundant; sambhavisyati—will be; vasudeve—Lord Vasudeva; bhagavati—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sattva-murtau—in His transcendental form of pure goodness; hrdi—in their hearts; sthite—when He is situated.
TRANSLATION
When Lord Vasudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appears in their hearts in His transcendental form of goodness, the remaining citizens will abundantly repopulate the earth.
SB 12.2.23
yadavatirno bhagavan
kalkir dharma-patir harih
krtam bhavisyati tada
praja-sutis ca sattviki
SYNONYMS
yada—when; avatirnah—incarnates; bhagavan—the Supreme Lord; kalkih—Kalki; dharma-patih—the master of religion; harih—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; krtam—Satya-yuga; bhavisyati—will begin; tada—then; praja-sutih—the creation of progeny; ca—and; sattviki—in the mode of goodness.
TRANSLATION
When the Supreme Lord has appeared on earth as Kalki, the maintainer of religion, Satya-yuga will begin, and human society will bring forth progeny in the mode of goodness.
SB 12.2.24
yada candras ca suryas ca
tatha tisya-brhaspati
eka-rasau samesyanti
bhavisyati tada krtam
SYNONYMS
yada—when; candrah—the moon; ca—and; suryah—the sun; ca—and; tatha—also; tisya—the asterism Tisya (more commonly known as Pusya, extending from 3° 20´ to 16° 40´ Cancer); brhaspati—and the planet Jupiter; eka-rasau—in the same constellation (Cancer); samesyanti—will enter simultaneously; bhavisyati—will be; tada—then; krtam—Satya-yuga.
TRANSLATION
When the moon, the sun and Brhaspati are together in the constellation Karkata, and all three enter simultaneously into the lunar mansion Pusya—at that exact moment the age of Satya, or Krta, will begin.

KALI YUG

Kali Yuga Timeline : Started on 24 January 3102 BCE at 02:27:30

The present Epoch (Kali Yuga), as per Hindu calendar in Surya Siddhanta started at sunrise on 24th January 3102 BCE, according to proleptic Gregorian calendar.
Bhagavata Purana clearly mentions that after Lord Sri Krishna’s exit from earth, effect of Kali Yuga started.

Sri Krishna’s death time and date :

Sri Krishna was shot by an arrow of a hunter on his feet on the thursday evening of 23rd January 3102 BCE.
He left his physical body on 24th January 3102 BCE at 02 hours 27 minutes 30 seconds.
The next sunrise was on Friday, with moon in Aswini Nakshatra, tithi (lunar day) being Suddha Padyami (sukla pratipad or first day of lunar month) of Chaitra Maasam (lunar month) in Pramādi named year.
This date is 18 February 3102 BCE according to Julian Calendar.
After exit of Krishna, his race, Yadavas fought among themselves and everyone died except Krishna’s grandson Vajranabha.
The date is confirmed in Sripada Sri Vallabha Charitra (life history of one of the Avatars (incarnations) of the deity Sri Dattatreya in kaliyuga during 14th century AD).

Mahabharata War and the decimation of Yadavas thus happened at the Yuga-Sandhi, the point of transition from one yuga to another. The scriptures mention Sage Narada to have momentarily intercepted the demon Kali on his way to the Earth when Duryodhana was about to be born in order to make him an embodiment of ‘arishadvargas‘ (6 bad qualities of human) and adharma in preparation of the era of decay in values and the consequent havoc.

Kali Yuga Timeline- The Age of Demon:

Linga Purana describes the following symptoms of the Kali Yuga.

Thieves will become kings, and kings will be the thieves.

Rulers will confiscate property and use it badly. They will cease to protect the people.

Base men who have gained a certain amount of learning (without having the virtues necessary for its use) will be esteemed as sages.
There will be many displaced persons, wandering from one country to another.

Predatory animals will be more violent.

Fetuses will be killed in the wombs of their mothers.

People will prefer to choose false ideas.

No one will be able to trust anyone else.
People will be envious.

There will be many children born whose life expectancy is no more than 16 years.

People suffering from hunger and fear will take refuge in underground shelters.

Young girls will do trade in their virginity.

The god of clouds will be inconsistent in the distribution of the rains.
Shopkeepers will run dishonest businesses.

There will be many beggars and unemployed people.

Everyone will use hard and vulgar language.

Men will devote themselves to earning money; the richest will hold power.

The state leaders will no longer protect the people but, through taxes, will appropriate all wealth.

Water will be lacking.

Pre-cooked food will be readily available.

This Kali Yuga spans for a long time period of 432,000 years, although multiple other durations have been proposed by many.
Human civilization degenerates spiritually during the Kali Yuga,which is referred to as the Dark Age because in it people are as far away as possible from God.

Ancient Vedic religion often symbolically represents dharma as a bull.

In Satya Yuga, the first stage of development, the bull has four legs, but in each age dharma is reduced by one quarter.
By the age of Kali, dharma is reduced to only a quarter of that of the golden age, so that the bull of Dharma has only one leg now.

Major differences of Karma and Dharma in each Yuga:

In Satya Yuga, if one person commits sin or crime, entire world has to share its burden.
In Treta Yuga, it was limited to kingdom.
In Dwapara Yuga, it was limited to family.
In Kali Yuga, karma and its consequences are limited to each individual.

Also, in Satya Yuga, one could please god(s) only by doing severe penance or meditation.
In Treta Yuga, one had to do Yagnas, sacrifices and donations.
In Dwapara Yuga, one had to recite mantras and generate energy. Also Astras (weapons) worked.
In Kali Yuga, only tantra and recitation(chanting) of name will work.

King Parikshit (Grandson of Arjuna) allowed Kali to enter into his kingdom based on the condition : In Kali Yuga, if one thinks of committing a sin, he will not be punished. He will bear punishment only after committing the act physically.
But, when someone even thinks of doing a good deed wholeheartedly, they will get the benefit of actually doing it.
So, this Kali Yuga is more powerful as our positive thoughts are good enough to overcome all negativity around us.

10,000 year “Golden Age” within Kali Yuga

Brahma Vaivarta Purana (in 4.129) (related to Rathantara kalpa) mentions a ten thousand year period, starting from the traditional dating of the Kali Yuga epoch (January 24 at 2:27 AM, 3102 BCE), during which bhakti yogis will be present.
Lord SriKrishna foretold that this Kali Yuga will be full of extreme hardships for people with ideals and values.

kaler daSa-sahasraaNi
madbhaktaaH saMti bhu-tale
ekavarNaa bhaviSyaMti
madbhakteSu gateSu ca

Translation : For 10,000 years of Kali such devotees of Mine will be present on earth. After the departure of My devotees there will be only one varna, Outcaste !

Found in 4.90.32–33 (Brahma Vaivarta Purana), where Krishna talks to Ganga about upcoming Kali Yuga:

kalau dasa-sahasrAni
haris tiSThati medinI
devAnAM pratimA pUjyA
sAstrANi ca purANakam

Translation : Sri Krisna said: Lord Hari will stay on this earth for the first ten-thousand years of Kali-yuga. Till then gods will be worshipped and the Puranas and scriptures will also be present.

5116 years have elapsed as of 2014 AD taking into account the start date of kaliyuga.
So, the Golden Period ends in 6898 AD and after that all religions and beliefs will vanish.