RISA Archives
A "White Paper" on Kalki Bhagavan
Dr. Vasudha Narayanan,
University of Florida, Gainesville
This account on Kalki Bhagavan (with the exception of the paragraph on Kali Yuga) is
based primarily on information given by devotees of Kalki Bhagavan. I first heard about
Kalki Bhagavan around 1989 when my parents' neighbor in Madras became a devotee. Later,
some of my south Indian friends began to tell me about friends in Maryland and New Jersey
who had started to do yajnas (rites of offering) for Kalki. Sri Kumar from Tampa and
others have been kind enough to talk about some of their spiritual experiences. These
devotees have been very generous with their time and information and have told me about
miracles they have seen and the peace of mind they have achieved. While there have been
controversial articles on Kalki Bhagavan in the Indian press, this report is simply based
on devotees' experiences.
About 15 million people around the world think of Kalki Bhagavan as the Supreme Being
who will usher in a new age. This golden age was inaugurated on September 25, 1995, and
will be fully realized in the year 2012.
The Vishnu Purana and several other sacred texts consider Kalki to be the last
incarnation/ avatara of Lord Vishnu. He has descended nine times already (23 times in an
unedited version) and the last one for this cycle will be at the end of Kali Yuga, the
present degenerate age. Some Hindu thinkers put the beginning of Kali Yuga around 3102
BCE, and since it is supposed to last 432,000 years (according to one reckoning), many
Hindus are not expecting Kalki anytime soon. Nevertheless, some individuals have been
identified as Kalki by their devotees. Apart from the Kalki Bhagavan who is the focus of
this short paper, "Amma" or Bangaru Adigalar in Mel Maruvatur (Tamilnadu) has
also been identified by his followers as Kalki.
Kalki Bhagavan is in his late forties and is married to Srimati Padmavati. Born as
Vijay Kumar on March 7, 1950 or -51 (?) he went to school in Madras (now Chennai). He
worked until 1987. Around 1988, Paramacharya Sankara Bhagavatpada (also known as Guruji)
joined him. Sankara Bhagavatpada had done his doctoral work in nuclear engineering in
Germany. After becoming Kalki Bhagavan's disciple, he decided to work full time in
spreading the message of his Lord. Disciples recognized Bhagavan as Kalki in the early
'90s. The Foundation for World Awakening was founded in 1991 in Madras. Kalki Bhagavan now
lives in Satyaloka, about 75 miles from Bangalore, on the Bangalore-Madras highway.
Disciples of Kalki Bhagavan do not think that he will be the cause of the physical
destruction of the world; rather, his sword of knowledge will destroy ignorance and lead
to a transformation of human beings. The "end" is considered to be the end of
the present dharmic cycle.
The disciples of Kalki Bhagavan recite the following primary (mula) mantra: aum sat
chit ananda parabrahma purushottama paramatma; sri bhagavati padmavati sameta sri kalki
bhagavate namah. Para brahma is that aspect of the Supreme that is beyond space and time;
in this form it is pure chit or consciousness. He takes a form and manifests it as
creation; this is the reality that we call sat. However, it also takes human form. This is
the form as Purushottama (the supreme Man) and he lives in the seventh heaven (satyaloka).
He lives here with those who have realized Him. The supreme being is also immanent and
lives in all beings. Bhagavati is the female aspect and power (shakti) of God.
Transformation of the being involves "unlearning", that is the giving up of
attachments. The unlearning process involves our liberation from past traumas and
memories. Some of our memories are said to carry emotional charges; these charges affect
the present. To really experience the present, we must extricate ourselves from the
bondage of these charges.
Unlearning, therefore, means not that one has to forget one's parents or friends nor
losing memories; just losing attachments. Freedom from these seems to relieve current
physical and psychological ailments as well. Devotees may recall traumas that occurred
when they were infants or young children and then be freed from the stress they have
caused over the years.
Lord Kalki helps seekers get mystical experiences to get started on their spiritual
journeys. The seeker then gets to a state when s/he is receptive to more transcendental
experiences. Kalki Bhagavan has four men and three women as primary disciples. Monks/nuns
and bhaktas ("devotees," this is an special status and does not refer to generic
devotees) conduct yajnas and retreats. The anugraha or grace yajna will awaken the heart
and the root cause of suffering will be revealed to one. There are also more advanced
yajnas and the most intense 21 day ones are held only in Satyaloka. These yajnas are free
of cost. There are about 200 monks and nuns, 200 bhaktas, and millions of other devotees.
The headquarters of this movement is in Satyaloka, Jeevashram Campus, Rajupetta (via)
Ramakuppam, Chitoor Dt., Andhra Pradesh 517401. There is a temple at the back of a
devotee's house in Pittsburgh. The devotees who built the temple are Srimati Mohana and
Sri A.T. Santhanam. Sri Santhanam did his graduate work at the University of Florida,
lived in Chicago, and now works in Pittsburgh. Sri Kumar from Tampa has been a devotee of
Kalki Bhagavan from 1994. He recently attended a parinama (transformation) yajna which
lasted six weeks. This was in Satyaloka. Retreats and yajnas are also held regularly in
this country.
Devotees recite and meditate on the mula mantra for an hour or more in the mornings and
evenings. They also meditate for an hour or so after midnight on full moon nights. Several
audio cassettes praising Kalki Bhagavan have been released in the last few years. Sudha
Raghunathan's Hare Kalki, Hare Kalki is particularly popular. CDS which promote meditation
and inner transformation are also sold.
Devotees have been generous in sharing information. You may contact some of them
through the addresses in the web sites.
The main web site for Kalki Bhagavan is that of the Foundation for World Awakening at:
http://www.concentric.net/~Kalki/World/index.htm
Revised: September 29, 2002
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