Kali (demon)

Kali (Devanāgari: कलि, IAST: Kali, with both vowels short; from a root kad, 'suffer, hurt, startle, confuse') is the personification of sin which presides over the Kaliyuga, the present era characterized by moral decline and disorder in Hinduism. His origins and role in the cosmic cycle are detailed in various ancient texts, including the Mahābhārata and Bhāgavata Purāṇa.

According to the Mahābhārata, Kali is a sinister deva-gandharva, born as the fifteenth son of the proginator sage Kashyapa and Muni. As the lord of the Kaliyuga, Kali exerts his influence by promoting sinful acts, confined by King Parikshit to five domains: gambling, drinking, prostitution, murder, and gold. His narrative intertwines with figures like Nala, whom he possessed and tormented, and Duryodhana, considered his incarnation in the Mahābhārata.

Later Puranic texts reinterpret his origins, making him more fearsome and powerful, as well as associating him with personifications of malevolent forces such as Adharma (unrighteousness), Krodha (anger), Himsa (violence), Mithya (falsehood), Durukti (slander), and Alakshmi (misfortune). The Kalki Purāṇa focus on his role as the nemesis of Kalki, the tenth and final avatar of the Hindu preserver deity, Vishnu. At the close of the Kaliyuga, he is prophesied to face Kalki in a climactic battle that will end his reign and restore righteousness, restarting the cycle of four yugas.