Society in decay: This is Kali yuga after all

As allegations of sexual assault against spiritual gurus and corruption against politicians continue to make news, we often hear people say: This is Kali yuga, after all.

Let's take quick look at why such utterances find traction.

What is Kali yuga?

Hinduism believes that time is divided into four stages or yugas. Kali yuga is the last and fourth of these. Kali reportedly stands for strife and discord; this is an age marked by moral decay.

The other three stages are Satya yuga (or Krita yuga), Treta yuga and Dwapar yuga. It is believed that as we progress from one age to the next, society's moral fabric only deteriorates. These stages are cyclical and not linear.

So dharma, imagined to be the figure of a bull, stands steady on four feet in Satya yuga. In Treta yuga he loses one leg and society, a little morality. Dwapar yuga sees dharma balance on two feet, and finally in Kali yuga it has to make do with only one.

What time does it span?

Kali yuga is largely said to have begun around 3102 BC. It is supposed to span 4,32, 000 years.

Largely, we are believed to be living in the Kali Yuga at present.

Features

• Truthfulness, tolerance, mercy are all said to diminish day by day in Kali yuga. Longevity and physical strength are also said to be on the decline
• Hypocrisy is considered a virtue in this age
• Wealth becomes a measure of a person's position in society
• In this age, those who rule are mostly believed to be thieves
• Kali yuga is also a time when making a living becomes the primary goal of life and a person who does not make a good living is looked down upon
• In this age, people are said to abandon their family, occupy high pulpits and preach religion