Kalyug (Age of Downfall) end sooner?

The Different Ages – A Quick Intro

Growing up I was always fascinated by the whole concept of Yugs (time cycles or ages), especially as mum would tell us epic stories through each timeline. A few weeks ago, while sitting around the dinning table I asked my mum to tell the kids some mythical stories. When we finished, it was something she said that stuck with me. While my thought process and understanding was bound by time itself, in one swoop a statement from my mum changed my perspective

We can end Kalyug sooner if we want

Various beliefs will have their own connotation on the names of these ages, so here’s a simple introduction.
Key note: The interpretation of ‘Yugs’ can be traced back from some of the oldest religions in the world. While I have not studied them all in any detail, the table below is born out of my own research and reading.

Sat-yug	The time of absolute truth and meditation
Treta-yug	The age of activeness, and the establishment of religions
Dwapara-yug	The desire to seek pleasures led to the emergence of disease. People would begin to offer prayers to obtain something in return
Kal-yug	The coming of ignorance, greed, ego, violence, mistrust

Greek Mythology – a quick example for comparison

In Hesiod’s 800-line epic poem called Works and Days, there is a mention of The Five Ages of Man.

The Golden Age	Mortals never felt pain, sorrow or toil. All loved in happiness and death was like falling asleep. They lived like Gods.
The Silver Age	Mortals were now created inferior to the Gods. They had to toil and so became disgruntled.
The Bronze Age	Mortals were carved from tree, and the strong wood made them strong for war. Diet moved from bread to meat. This was the age of preparing for warfare.
The Age of Heroes	Wars began and many perished, but heroes were born and triumphed against tyranny.
The Iron Age	Iron, the hardest metal and forged from fire, was the coming of dark times. Mortals had turned to vengeance, ego, thirst for power with little charity.

Duration of Yugs (time-cycles)

I won’t be plucking out any timelines for you now. However, head over to a fellow blogger’s site for an interesting post on how long each of these cycles lasts.

So how did the statement change my thinking?

Through each of the supposed Yugs, the nature of the mortal changed. Thus, they stepped out of what was a good boundary, and into something a little less nice. History has shown that we have been in Kal–yug/Iron Age for quite some time because of the shit us mortals have been up to.

But is there a ticking clock where the alarm will signal the end for us all in this dark age? Will this be Armageddon, the end of time or the blood of war as high as a horses back?

Maybe not! Surely the end of this dark era rests in our own hands doesn’t it? Disarm our weapons, nurture and promote equality amongst genders, cultures, faiths and beliefs. Help, and I mean genuinely help those in need, drop our obsession with power and greed. Respect our environment, protect our planet and other species around us. If these small changes can be achieved (I say small because they are in our gift) then this last age can end much sooner.

Header image: “Kalyug – The Age of Downfall” YouTube video