Kali Purusha- Hindu DemonDemon"Lord of the Kali Yuga"
Also known as: Kali, कलि, and कलि पुरुष
Titles & Epithets
Domains
Symbols
Description
Disguised as a king, Kali was caught by Parikshit beating a one-legged bull — Dharma itself, stripped of three supports. Granted five dwelling places of vice as mercy, he chose gold first and crept into the king's own crown, ushering in the age of strife he was born to rule.
Mythology & Lore
Parikshit and the Bull
The Bhagavata Purana tells how Kali Purusha first entered the world during the reign of Parikshit, grandson of Arjuna. The demon appeared disguised as a king, beating a cow and a bull that stood on a single leg. The cow was the Earth. The bull was Dharma itself, which had once stood on four legs and now, at the end of the ages, retained only one.
Parikshit drew his sword. Kali fell at his feet and begged for mercy. The king, unwilling to kill a suppliant, granted him five dwelling places of vice. Kali chose gold first. He entered Parikshit's own crown, and the king's judgment began to fail. The corruption led to the chain of events that ended with Parikshit's death by the serpent Takshaka's bite.
In the Mahabharata's Vana Parva, the same Kali had entered the dice used by King Nala, warping his mind until Nala gambled away his kingdom and wandered the forests in rags.
The End of Kali
Kali Purusha's reign lasts the length of the Kali Yuga. At its close, Vishnu's tenth avatar Kalki will appear riding a white horse named Devadatta and wielding a blazing sword. The Kalki Purana describes him annihilating the forces of adharma, Kali Purusha among them, and inaugurating a new age.