:Kalki

The name Kalki is derived from Kal, which means "time" (Kali Yuga).{{cite book |first=Klaus K. |last=Klostermaier |year=2006 |title=Mythologies and Philosophies of Salvation in the Theistic Traditions of India |page=75 |publisher=Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-88920-743-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CFQ9DgAAQBAJ |via=Google Books}} The original term may have been Karki (white, from the horse) which morphed into Kalki. This proposal is supported by two versions of Mahabharata manuscripts (e.g. the G3.6 manuscript) that have been found, where the Sanskrit verses name the incarnation to be Karki.{{Vaishnavism}}

Kalki is an avatara of Vishnu. Avatar means "descent", and refers to a descent of the divine into the material realm of human existence. Kalki appears for the first time in the Mahabharata.

The Garuda Purana lists ten incarnations, with Kalki being the final one.{{cite book|title=India through the ages|url=https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada|last=Gopal|first=Madan|year= 1990| page= [https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada/page/73 73]|editor=K.S. Gautam|publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India}} He is described as the incarnation who appears at the end of the Kali Yuga. He ends the darkest, degenerating, and chaotic stage of the Kali Yuga to remove adharma and ushers in the Satya Yuga, while riding a white horse with a fiery sword.{{cite book| author1=Wendy Doniger|author2=Merriam-Webster, Inc|title=Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZP_f9icf2roC&pg=PA629 |year=1999|publisher=Merriam-Webster|isbn=978-0-87779-044-0|page=629}} He restarts a new cycle of time.{{cite book|author=Ludo Rocher|editor=Ralph M. Rosen|title=Time and Temporality in the Ancient World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=It9KMklf4R4C&pg=PA91|date=22 March 2004|publisher=UPenn Museum of Archaeology|isbn=978-1-931707-67-1|pages=91–93}} He is described as a Brahmin warrior in the Puranas. It is mentioned in the Puranas that the immortal Chiranjivis will assist him in various stages of his life.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-26 |title=7 Chiranjeevis: The Immortals Who Will Assist Kalki In Ending Kali Yuga |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/spiritual/7-chiranjeevis-the-immortals-of-hinduism-who-will-assist-kalki-in-ending-kali-yuga-article-111290266 |access-date=2024-06-29 |website=Times Now |language=en}}

File:Kalki_avatar_idol_in_rani_ki_vav_patan.jpg (The Queen's Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat, India]]

A minor text named Kalki Purana is a relatively recent text, likely composed in Bengal. Its dating floruit is the 18th-century.{{sfn|Rocher|1986|p=183 with footnotes}} Wendy Doniger dates the Kalki Mythology containing Kalki Purana to between 1500 and 1700 CE.{{cite book |first=Wendy |last=Doniger |year=1988 |title=Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism |page=5 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-0-7190-1867-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KtZRAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA5}}

In the Kalki Purana, Kalki is born into the family of Vishnuyashas and Sumati, in a village called Shambala,{{Cite book |last=Kirk |first=James A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aUwqAAAAYAAJ |title=Stories of the Hindus: An Introduction Through Texts and Interpretation |date=1972 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-02-563230-1 |pages=239 |language=en}} on the thirteenth day during the fortnight of the waxing moon. At a young age, he is taught the holy scriptures on topics such as dharma, karma, artha, jñāna, and undertakes military training under the care of the Parashurama (the sixth incarnation of Vishnu).{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/the-kalki-purana-english |title=The Kalki Purana— English |pages=28}} Soon, Kalki worships Shiva, who gets pleased by the devotion and provides him in return a divine white horse named Devadatta (a manifestation of Garuda), a powerful sword, whereby its handle is bedecked with jewels, and a parrot named Shuka, who is an all-knower; the past, the present and the future.{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/the-kalki-purana-english |title=The Kalki Purana— English |pages=33–34}} Other accessories are also given by other devas, devis, saints, and righteous kings. He fights an evil army and in many wars, ending evil, but does not end existence. Kalki returns to Shambala, inaugurates a new Yuga for the good, and then goes to Vaikuntha.{{sfn|Rocher|1986|p=183 with footnotes}} In the Kalki Purana, there is a mention of a Buddhist city whose residents don't adhere to dharma (not worshipping the devas, ancestors, and not upholding the varna system), which Kalki fights and conquers.{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/the-kalki-purana-english |title=The Kalki Purana— English |pages=146,172}}

The Agni Purana describes Kalki's role:{{Cite book |last=Parmeshwaranand |first=Swami |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6F0ZIBIL2ZAC&pg=PA138 |title=Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Puranas |date=2001 |publisher=Sarup & Sons |isbn=978-81-7625-226-3 |pages=138 |language=en}}

{{Blockquote|text=Kalki, as the son of Viṣṇuyaśas, (and having) Yājñavalkya as the priest would destroy the non-Aryans, holding the astra and having a weapon. He would establish moral law in four-fold varṇas in the suitable manner. The people (would be) in the path of righteousness in all the stages of life.|title=Agni Purana|source=Chapter 16, Verses 8 - 9}}

The Devi Bhagavata Purana features the devas hailing Vishnu, invoking his Kalki avatara:{{Cite book |last=Basu |first=Baman Das |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=12kSkNpBx-sC&pg=PA1029 |title=The Srimad Devi Bhagwatam (vols.2 Set) |date=2007 |publisher=Cosmo Publications |isbn=978-81-307-0559-0 |pages=1029 |language=en}}

{{Blockquote|text=When almost all the persons in this world will turn out in future as Mleccas and when the wicked Kings will oppress them, right and left, Thou wilt then incarnate Thyself again as Kalki and redress all the grievances! We bow down to Thy Kalki Form! O Deva!|title=Devi Bhagavata Purana|source=Chapter 5}}

File:The 25 kings of Shambhala.jpg, a meditation deity. The 25 seated figures represent the 25 Kings Of Shambhala. The middle figure in the top row represents Tsongkhapa, who is in the top two middle rows. This comes from the scriptures that is part of the Indo-Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist Tradition.]]

In the Buddhist Text Kalachakra Tantra, the righteous kings are called Kalki (Kalkin, lit. chieftain) living in Sammu. There are many Kalki in this text, each fighting barbarism, persecution and chaos. The last Kalki is called "Rudra Cakrin" and is predicted to end the chaos and degeneration by assembling a large army to eradicate a barbarian army.{{Cite web|title=Urban Hammar. - Studies in The Kalacakra Tantra - A History of The Kalacakra in Tibet and A Study of The Concept of Adibuddha, The Fourth Body of The Buddha and The Supreme Un-Changing PDF {{!}} PDF {{!}} Tibetan Buddhism {{!}} Vajrayana|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/456921039/Urban-Hammar-Studies-in-the-Kalacakra-Tantra-A-History-of-the-Kalacakra-in-Tibet-and-a-Study-of-the-Concept-of-Adibuddha-the-Fourth-Body-of-the|access-date=2021-10-06|website=Scribd|language=en}} A great war, which will include an army of both Hindus and Buddhists, will destroy the barbaric forces, states the text.[a] {{cite book|author=Björn Dahla|title=Exercising Power: The Role of Religions in Concord and Conflict|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i_rWAAAAMAAJ|year=2006|publisher=Donner Institute for Research in Religious and Cultural History|isbn=978-952-12-1811-8|pages=90–91}}, Quote: "(...) the Shambala-bodhisattva-king [Cakravartin Kalkin] and his army will defeat and destroy the enemy army, the barbarian Muslim army and their religion, in a kind of Buddhist Armadgeddon. Thereafter Buddhism will prevail.";
[b] {{cite book|author=David Burton|title=Buddhism: A Contemporary Philosophical Investigation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phddDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT193 |year=2017|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-351-83859-7|page=193}}
[c] {{cite book|author=Johan Elverskog |editor=Anna Akasoy|display-editors=etal|title=Islam and Tibet: Interactions Along the Musk Routes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZfWXIfbynwYC&pg=PA293 |year=2011|publisher=Ashgate Publishing |isbn=978-0-7546-6956-2|pages=293–310}} This is most likely borrowed from Hinduism to Buddhism due to the arrival of Islamic kingdoms from the west to the east, mainly settled in West Tibet, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent.{{Cite book|last=Newman|first=John|date=2015|title=Buddhism in Practice|series=Princeton readings in religions |url=https://library.villanova.edu/Find/Record/554047/TOC|page=203|publisher=Princeton Univ. Press |edition=Abridged}}{{Cite web|last=Sopa|first=Lhundub|title=The Wheel of Time: Kalachakra in Context|url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258363.The_Wheel_of_Time|pages=83 to 84, with note 4}} According to Donald Lopez – a professor of Buddhist Studies, Kalki is predicted to start the new cycle of perfect era where "Buddhism will flourish, people will live long, happy lives and righteousness will reign supreme". The text is significant in establishing the chronology of the Kalki idea to be from post-7th century, probably the 9th or 10th century.{{cite book|author=Yijiu JIN|title=Islam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q-PzDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA49|year=2017|publisher=BRILL Academic|isbn=978-90-474-2800-8|pages=49–52}} Lopez states that the Buddhist text likely borrowed it from Hindu vedic texts.{{cite book|author=Donald S. Lopez Jr.|title=Buddhism in Practice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zaC4CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA202 |year=2015|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-8007-2|pages=202–204}}{{cite book|author=Perry Schmidt-Leukel|title=Religious Pluralism and Interreligious Theology: The Gifford Lectures |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ir3zDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT221 |year=2017|publisher=Orbis|isbn=978-1-60833-695-1|pages=220–222}} Other scholars, such as Yijiu Jin, state that the text originated in Central Asia in the 10th-century, and Tibetan literature picked up a version of it in India around 1027 CE.

The Kalki incarnation appears in the historic Sikh Texts, most notably in Dasam Granth, a text that is traditionally attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.{{cite book |first=Robin |last=Rinehart |year=2011 |title=Debating the Dasam Granth |pages=29–30 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-975506-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=58AVDAAAQBAJ}}{{cite book |first=W.H. |last=McLeod |year=2003 |title=Sikhs of the Khalsa: A history of the Khalsa Rahit |pages=149–150 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-565916-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HIrXAAAAMAAJ}} The Chaubis Avatar (24 incarnations) section mentions Sage Matsyanra describing the appearance of Vishnu incarnations to fight evil, greed, violence and ignorance. It includes Kalki as the twenty-fourth incarnation to lead the war between the forces of righteousness and unrighteousness.{{cite book|author=Purnima Dhavan|title=When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-7HJ5idB8_QC |year=2011|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|isbn=978-0-19-975655-1|pages=1 55–157, 186 note 32}}

While there is no mention of Kalki in the Vedic literature,{{cite book|title=Tattvadīpaḥ: Journal of Academy of Sanskrit Research, Volume 5|page=81|publisher=The Academy|year=2001|quote=Kalki, as an incarnation of Visnu, is not found in the Vedic literature. But some of the features of that concept, viz., the fearful elements, the epithet Kalmallkinam (brilliant, remover of darkness) of Rudra, prompt us to admit him as the forerunner of Kalki.}}{{cite book|author=Rabiprasad Mishra|title=Theory of Incarnation: Its Origin and Development in the Light of Vedic and Purāṇic References|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3XvXAAAAMAAJ |year=2000|publisher=Pratibha |isbn=978-81-7702-021-2|page=146}}, Quote: "Kalki as an incarnation of Visnu is not mentioned in the Vedic literature." the epithet "Kalmallkinam", meaning "Brilliant Remover Of Darkness", is found in the Vedic Literature for Rudra (later Shiva), has been interpreted to be "Forerunner Of Kalki".

Kalki appears for the first time in the great war epic Mahabharata.{{cite book|author=Alf Hiltebeitel|title=Reading the Fifth Veda: Studies on the Mahābhārata - Essays by Alf Hiltebeitel|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=lLfHSOWKB-sC&pg=PA531|year=2011|publisher=BRILL Academic|isbn=978-90-04-18566-1|pages=89–110, 530–531}} The mention of Kalki in the Mahabharata occurs only once, over the verses 3.188.85–3.189.6. The Kalki incarnation is found in the Maha Puranas such as Vishnu Purana,{{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Horace |authorlink=Horace Hayman Wilson |title=Vishnu Purana |year=2001 |publisher=Ganesha Publishing |isbn=1-86210-016-0 |page=72}} Matsya Purana, and the Bhagavata Purana.{{cite book|title=Theory of Avatāra and Divinity of Chaitanya|first=Janmajit|last=Roy|page=39 |publisher = Atlantic Publishers}}{{cite book|title=The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism from the Princeton Bollingen Series|first=Alain|last=Daniélou|page=181|publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co}} However, the details relating the Kalki mythologies are divergent between the epic and the Puranas, as well as within the Puranas.{{cite book|author=John E. Mitchiner|title=Traditions Of The Seven Rsis|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=phGzVwTTp_gC|year= 2000|publisher= Motilal Banarsidass |isbn= 978-81-208-1324-3|pages= 68–69 with footnotes}}

In the Mahabharata, according to Hiltebeitel, Kalki is an extension of the Parashurama incarnation legend, where a Brahmin warrior destroys Kshatriyas who were abusing their power to spread chaos, evil, and the persecution of the powerless. The epic character of Kalki restores dharma, restores justice in the world, but does not end the cycle of existence.{{cite book|author=Alf Hiltebeitel|title=Dharma: Its Early History in Law, Religion, and Narrative|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U4NF8pYxdvIC |year=2011|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-539423-8|pages=288–292}} The Kalkin section in the Mahabharata is present in the Markandeya section. There, states Luis Reimann, can "hardly be any doubt that the Markandeya section is a late addition to the epic. Making Yudhishthira ask a question about conditions at the end of Kali and the beginning of Krta — something far removed from his own situation — is merely a device for justifying the inclusion of this subject matter in the epic."{{cite book|author=Luis González Reimann|title=The Mahābhārata and the Yugas: India's Great Epic Poem and the Hindu System of World Ages|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=nXrXAAAAMAAJ|year =2002|publisher= Peter Lang|isbn= 978-0-8204-5530-3|pages= 89–99, quote is on page 97}}

According to Cornelia Dimmitt, the "clear and tidy" systematization of Kalki and the remaining nine incarnations of Vishnu is not found in any of the Maha Puranas. The coverage of Kalki in these Hindu texts is scant, in contrast to the legends of Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Vamana, Narasimha, and Krishna, all of whom are repeatedly and extensively described. According to Dimmitt, this was likely because just like the concept of the Buddha as a Vishnu Incarnation, the concept of Kalki was "somewhat in flux" when the major Puranas were being compiled.{{harvnb|Dimmitt|van Buitenen|2012|pp=63–64}}

This Kalki concept may have further developed in the Hindu texts both as a reaction to the invasions of the Indian subcontinent by various armies over the centuries from its northwest, and in reaction to the mythologies these invaders brought with them.{{cite book |first=Wendy |last=Doniger |year=2004 |title=Hindu Myths: A sourcebook translated from the Sanskrit |pages=235–237 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-044990-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQ4IMQAACAAJ}} Similarly, the Buddhist Literature dated to the late 1st millennium, a future Buddha Maitreya is depicted as Kalki.{{cite book |last1=Powell |first1=Robert |last2=Isaacson |first2=Estelle |language=en |title=Gautama Buddha's Successor |date=2013 |publisher=SteinerBooks |isbn=978-1-58420-162-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vGhAAwAAQBAJ&q=Maitreya+Kalki&pg=PT32 |access-date=17 May 2020}}; {{cite book |last=Roerich |first=Elena Ivanovna |year=1987 |title=Letters, 1929-1938 |publisher=Agni Yoga Society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-6zwAAAAIAAJ&q=Maitreya+Kalki |access-date=17 May 2020 |language=en}}{{cite book|last1=Plott |first1=John C. |last2=Dolin |first2=James Michael |last3=Hatton |first3=Russell E. |year=1977 |title=Global History of Philosophy: The period of scholasticism |language=en |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publisher |isbn=978-0-89581-678-8 |page=358 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ErMRGiNcxJIC&q=Maitreya+Kalki&pg=PA358 |access-date=17 May 2020}}{{cite book |last=Lawrence |first=Troy |year=1990 |title=New Age Messiah identified: Who is Lord Maitreya? Tara Center's "mystery man" alive and living in London |language=en |publisher=Huntington House Publishers |isbn=978-0-910311-17-5 |page=62 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RJo4wL49kugC&q=Maitreya+Kalki |access-date=17 May 2020}}; {{cite book |last=Stutley |first=Margaret |year=1985 |title=Hinduism: The Eternal Law: An introduction to the literature, cosmology, and cults of the Hindu religion |language=en |publisher=Aquarian Press |isbn=978-0-85030-348-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OPsXAAAAIAAJ&q=Maitreya+Kalki |access-date=17 May 2020}} According to John Mitchiner, the Kalki concept owes "in some measure" to Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian and other concepts.{{cite book|author=John E. Mitchiner|title=Traditions Of The Seven Rsis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phGzVwTTp_gC |year=2000|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-1324-3|pages=75–76}} Mitchiner states that some Puranas such as the Yuga Purana do not mention Kalki and offer a different cosmology than the other Puranas. The Yuga Purana mythologizes in greater details the post-Maurya era Indo-Greek and Saka era, while the Manvantara theme containing the Kalki idea is mythologized greater in other Puranas.{{cite book|author=John E. Mitchiner|title=Traditions Of The Seven Rsis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phGzVwTTp_gC |year=2000|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-1324-3|pages=69–76}} Luis Gonzales-Reimann concurs with Mitchiner, stating that the Yuga Purana does not mention Kalki.{{cite book|author=Luis González-Reimann|title=The Mahābhārata and the Yugas: India's Great Epic Poem and the Hindu System of World Ages|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nXrXAAAAMAAJ|year=2002|publisher=Peter Lang|isbn=978-0-8204-5530-3|pages=95–99 }} In other texts such as the sections 2.36 and 2.37 of the Vayu Purana, states Reimann, it is not Kalkin who ends the Kali Yuga, but a different character named Pramiti.{{cite book|author=Luis González Reimann|title=The Mahābhārata and the Yugas: India's Great Epic Poem and the Hindu System of World Ages|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=nXrXAAAAMAAJ|year=2002|publisher=Peter Lang|isbn=978-0-8204-5530-3|pages=112–113 note 39}}; Note: Reimann mentions some attempts to "identify both Pramiti and Kalkin with historical rulers". Most historians, states Arvind Sharma, link the development of Kalki mythology in Hinduism to the suffering caused by foreign invasions.{{cite book|author=Arvind Sharma|title=Religious Studies and Comparative Methodology: The Case for Reciprocal Illumination|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CfZ9y5-FGPgC |year=2012|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0-7914-8325-1|pages=244–245}} Unlike other messianic concepts, Kalki's purpose is to destroy the invaders and heretics in order to reverse the current age Kali Yuga, the age of evil."Hindu Myths", p. 236, Penguin Books, 1994

File:Kalki1790s.jpg

In the Cyclic Concept Of Time (Puranic Kalpa), Kali Yuga is estimated to last 432,000 years. In some Vaishnava texts, Kalki is foretold to appear on a white horse on the day of pralaya to end Kali Yuga, to end the evil and wickedness, and to recreate the world anew along with A New Cycle Of Time (Yuga).{{cite book |first1=Charles Russell |last1=Coulter |first2=Patricia |last2=Turner |year=2013 |title=Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781135963972 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VWxekbhM1yEC}}{{cite book|title=The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements, Volume 2|author1=James R. Lewis|author2=Inga B. Tollefsen|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=488}}

Kalki's description varies with manuscripts. Some state Kalki will be born to Awejsirdenee and Bishenjun, others in the family of Sumati and Vishnuyasha.{{sfn|Rocher|1986|p=183}} In Buddhist manuscripts, Vishnuyasha is stated to be a prominent headman of the village called Shambhala. He will become the king, a "Turner Of The Wheel", and one who triumphs. He will eliminate all barbarians and robbers, end adharma, restart dharma, and save the good people.{{cite book |first=J.A.B. |last=van Buitenen |year=1987 |title=The Mahabharata |at=Volume 2, Book 2, pages 597–598 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=9780226223681 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GfhJCgAAQBAJ}} After that, humanity will be transformed and the golden age will begin state the Hindu manuscripts.

In the Kanchipuram temple, two relief Puranic panels depict Kalki, one relating to lunar (moon-based) dynasty as mother of Kalki and another to solar (sun-based) dynasty as father of Kalki. In these panels, states D.D. Hudson, the story depicted is in terms of Kalki fighting and defeating asura Kali. He rides a white horse called Devadatta, ends evil, purifies everyone's minds and consciousness, and heralds the start of Satya Yuga.{{cite book |first=D. Dennis |last=Hudson |year=2008 |title=The Body of God: An emperor's palace for Krishna in eighth century Kanchipuram |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bodygodemperorsp00huds_609/page/n359 333]–340 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-536922-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/bodygodemperorsp00huds_609 |url-access=registration}}

File:Dasavatar, 19th century.jpg painting (from left): Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki.]]

• Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya movement, claimed to be the Kalki Avatar, as well as the Mahdi.{{cite book |last=Juergensmeyer |first=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lQMurMhRtfIC&pg=PA520 |title=Oxford Handbook of Global Religions |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-19-513798-9 |location=Oxford |page=520 |id=ISBN (Ten digit): 0195137981}}
• In the Baháʼí Faith, Baháʼu'lláh is identified as Kalki as well as the prophesied redeeming messenger of God at the end of the world, as claimed in the Bábí religion, Judaism (Mashiach), Christianity (Messiah), Islam (Masih and Mahdi), Buddhism (Maitreya), Zoroastrianism (Shah Bahram), and other religions.{{cite book |last1=Effendi |first1=Shoghi |title=God Passes By |publisher=Baha'i Publishing Trust |page=94}}{{cite book |last=Bassuk |first=Daniel E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3iwCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA146 |title=Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity: The Myth of the God-Man |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=1987 |isbn=978-1-349-08642-9 |pages=146–147}}{{cite book |last=Robertson |first=John M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fTiZY_5wlJ4C&pg=PA62 |title=Tough Guys and True Believers: Managing authoritarian men in the psychotherapy room |publisher=Routledge |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-136-81774-8 |pages=62–63}}
• Kalki Bhagawan, born Vijaykumar Naidu, born on 7 March 1949, founder of Oneness University.{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=James R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KisRDAAAQBAJ |title=The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements |last2=Tollefsen |first2=Inga B. |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 |isbn=9780190611521 |volume=2 |page=409}}
• Samael Aun Weor, founder of the Universal Christian Gnostic Movement.{{cite web |title=Who is Samael Aun Weor? |url=http://www.samael.org/idiomas/ingles/paginas/1_quien_samael/quien_samael.htm |access-date=25 December 2017 |website=Samael.org |archive-date=3 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703123634/http://samael.org/idiomas/ingles/paginas/1_quien_samael/quien_samael.htm |url-status=dead }}
• Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi of Kalki Avatar Foundation.{{cite book |last=Sikand |first=Yoginder |title=Pseudo-messianic movements in contemporary Muslim South Asia |publisher=Global Media Publications |year=2008 |page=100}}

{{columns-list|

• Dashavatara
• Eschatology
• Kali
• Kalki (novel)
• Koka and Vikoka
• Lord of Light
• Mahabharata
• Mahdi
• Maitreya
• Paraclete
• Ramayana
• Second Coming
• Suchandra

}}

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{{refbegin|25em}}

• {{cite book

| last=Bryant |first=Edwin Francis

| year=2007

| title=Krishna: A sourcebook

| publisher=Oxford University Press

| isbn=978-0-19-803400-1

| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0z02cZe8PU8C

}}

• {{cite book

| last1 = Dimmitt | first1 = Cornelia

| first2 = J. A. B. |last2 = van Buitenen

| orig-year=1977 | year = 2012

| title = Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas

| publisher = Temple University Press

| isbn =978-1-4399-0464-0

| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=re7CR2jKn3QC

}}

• {{cite book

|first = Rosen |last= Dalal

|year= 2014

|title= Hinduism: An aAlphabetical guide

| publisher= Penguin

|isbn= 978-8184752779

| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC

}}

• {{cite book

|last=Flood |first=Gavin

|year=1996

|title=An Introduction to Hinduism

|publisher=Cambridge University Press

|location=Cambridge, UK

|isbn= 0-521-43878-0

|url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontohi0000floo |url-access=registration

}}

• {{cite book

|first=Ariel |last=Glucklich

| year=2008

| title=The Strides of Vishnu: Hindu culture in historical perspective: Hindu culture in historical perspective

| publisher=Oxford University Press

| isbn=978-0-19-971825-2

| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KtLScrjrWiAC

}}

• {{cite book

| last=Johnson |first=W.J.

| year = 2009

| title = A Dictionary of Hinduism

| publisher = Oxford University Press

| isbn = 978-0-19-861025-0

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Rao | first = Velcheru Narayana

| title = Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts

| chapter = Purana as Brahminic Ideology

| isbn = 0-7914-1381-0

| editor-last = Doniger | editor-first = Wendy

| year = 1993

| publisher = State University of New York Press

| location = Albany

}}

• {{Cite book

| first=Ludo |last=Rocher | author-link= Ludo Rocher

| year= 1986

| title= The Puranas

| publisher= Otto Harrassowitz Verlag

| isbn= 978-3447025225

}}

{{refend}}

• {{Commons and category inline|Kalki|Kalki}}
• {{Wikiquote-inline}}
• {{Wiktionary-inline|नराशंस|Narasangsa}}

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