Kalki Jayanti 2024: The Significance, Story and Rituals of Kalki’s Birthday

Kalki Jayanti is one of the most auspicious days for all Hindus as it symbolizes the birthday of Lord Vishnu in the form of Kalki in the future. Kalki will be the tenth and last incarnation of Lord Vishnu. According to Hindu beliefs, Lord Vishnu will take birth on Earth at the end of Kalyug in order to eradicate evil and to bring back Satyug. Devotees celebrate this day every year on the Shashti Tithi of Sawan, which comes in the fifth month of the Hindu calendar. This festival celebrates the happiness and hope of the arrival of the deity.

The name ‘Kalki’ has been derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Kalka’, which means the one who eradicates all kinds of wickedness and evil from this universe. It is believed that Lord Vishnu will appear in the form of Kalki and cleanse the entire universe, in order to bring back Dharma and peace.

When is Kalki Jayanti in the year 2024

Significance of Kalki Jayanti

In the Srimad Bhagavatam, Kalki is considered as the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu who would take birth in order to put an end to the ongoing era of Kalyug and bring back the time of Satyug. Devotees take this time to worship Lord Vishnu and get his blessings and also ask for forgiveness for all their bad deeds or sins.

In order to have no sorrows and have a peaceful and painless death, people fast on this day. Kalki is considered to be one of the most ferocious and aggressive incarnations of Lord Vishnu who symbolizes the complete elimination of evil and the new beginning of mankind. The devotees worship and fast on this day so that they attain salvation as they feel that the end of the world is near and hence it is the right opportunity to ask for mercy for their sins before the end. Kalki symbolizes the 8 supreme qualities of Lord Vishnu with the aim of eradicating evil and making a better world. This is because Kalyug is considered to be “the age of darkness” where religions and beliefs are let go by people who get carried away by materialistic things and get greedy. It is also called the age of downfall where the world comes into a state of moral decay.

Kalki Jayanti Rituals

Devotees fast with full devotion on the auspicious day of Kalki Jayanti. However, there are a lot of other rituals that need to be followed to get the blessing of Lord Vishnu on this auspicious day.

In order to get the blessings of Lord Vishnu, the devotees chant mantras like Narayan Mantra, Vishnu Sahasranama, and other mantras 108 times as 108 is the number of the wholeness of existence.

The devotees begin with the fast while chanting the Beej Mantra which is followed by the Puja.

Then comes the part of the ritual where the idols of the deities are washed with water and Panchamrit while chanting the names of Lord Vishnu.

It is necessary to offer food to the Brahmins on the day of Kalki Jayanti as it is considered to be a sacred gesture.

This is the reason why this festival holds so much importance in the Hindu religion and in their culture.

Kalki Jayanti 2024: Worship Method

Now that we know about the rituals of the day, let us take a look at how one should worship the Gods on the day of the Kalki Jayanti.
Make sure that you wake up early in the morning and shower.
Once you are done with the shower, wear clean and tidy clothes.
Now after washing the idol of Vishnu with Ganga Jal i.e. sacred water, one should provide offerings of clean clothes and flowers to the Lord and do the Tilak at the end.
Start chanting mantras like Narayan Mantra, Vishnu Sahasranama, and other mantras 108 times as it fills your surroundings with positive energy.
Also offer Panchamitra, fruits, sweets, etc as Bhog to the Lord.
After all these steps are done, end the Puja by performing the Vishnu Aarti.
It is said that donating food or other kinds of donations to the Brahmins is very auspicious on this day.

Kalki Avatar of Lord Vishnu

As per the Hindu scriptures, Kalki Avatar is going to be the last incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who will eradicate evil and unrighteousness in the world and bring back Satyug. According to the Hindu religion, there are a total of four eras called Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dwapara Yuga, and Kal Yuga. Kal Yuga is believed to be the time of annihilation, where humankind will collapse. In Satya Yuga, people had the most peaceful and happy life because they were free from all kinds of greed, hypocrisy, and negativity. Then at the time of Treta Yuga, people started becoming greedy and having negative thoughts and desires for one another. By the time Dwapara Yuga arrived, it was found that almost half of mankind had already become corrupted and committed many wrongdoings such as killing people, conquering kingdoms, and crossing all the limits to get what they want. And now in Kal Yuga, people are mentally disturbed and dissatisfied with several problems. There is hardly any human in Kal Yuga who is completely free from any kind of sins. It is clear that the sins of the people are at their peak and the end is near.
But the biggest question is when will Lord Kalki come on earth and how will people be freed from all kinds of problems and sins? In Mahabharata, Lord Krishna, who was another incarnation of Lord Vishnu, said that he would again come to earth and end the evil. In Hinduism, it is said that Lord Vishnu will take an unimaginable human form to protect morality and righteousness. He will appear as a human who will be dark in complexion, born in a south Indian brahmin family. According to Shrimad Bhagwat, Lord Kalki will appear in the house of Vishnu Yash.
Hindu scholars believe that the four cycles that are Sat Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dwapara Yuga, and Kal Yuga work in the same way as our common monthly calendar. The present era that we are living in is Kali Yuga which will last for 432000 years. Ever since the battle of Kurukshetra, 5000 years have already passed which means there are still 427000 years left for Kalyug to end and Lord Kalki to appear.

Conclusion

Kalki Jayanti is one of the most sacred days of the year because it marks the birth of Lord Vishnu’s 10th avatar who shall be the end of humanity and the introduction of a new world. Therefore, as it is believed that the end is close, people worship and observe a fast in the name of Lord Vishnu on this day in order to free themselves from all sins and attain salvation.