The Signs Before Kalki's Coming

Dadi: "Guddu, do you know what happens when the world gets really bad?"

Guddu: "What happens, Dadi?"

Dadi: "According to our scriptures, when dharma - righteousness - has almost completely disappeared, God comes to restore it. The final avatar is called Kalki."

Guddu: "I've heard of Kalki! He comes on a white horse, right?"

Dadi: "Yes, at the end of Kali Yuga - the age of darkness. But tonight I want to tell you about the signs that come before his arrival."

Guddu: "Signs? Like warnings?"

Dadi: "The scriptures describe them as symptoms of a sick world. When these things happen, it means the time is approaching."

Guddu: "What are the signs?"

Dadi: "When spiritual teachings are nearly forgotten. When people build temples for show but their hearts are empty. When rulers exploit their people instead of protecting them."

Guddu: "That sounds bad."

Dadi: "When a person's worth is measured only by their wealth, not their wisdom or kindness. When marriages become temporary agreements without sacred bonds. When people abandon their elderly parents."

Guddu: "That's terrible!"

Dadi: "When sacred rivers are polluted. When weather becomes strange and unpredictable. When new diseases appear that nobody knows how to cure. When violence increases everywhere and nobody trusts each other."

Guddu: "*looking worried* Dadi, some of these things are happening now..."

Dadi: "*nodding gently* These patterns appear in every age, beta. But the scriptures give us this knowledge not to frighten us - they give us hope."

Guddu: "Hope? How is all that bad stuff hopeful?"

Dadi: "Because they also say: "Just as the darkest hour precedes dawn, these conditions create the necessity for divine help." When things get dark enough, light must come."

Guddu: "So it's like... things have to get worse before they get better?"

Dadi: "Sometimes, yes. But here's the important part - for people living in dark times, the scriptures give specific advice."

Guddu: "What advice?"

Dadi: ""Chant the names of the Lord." In Kali Yuga, this simple practice accomplishes what huge rituals and sacrifices achieved in earlier ages. God makes the remedy simpler when the disease is worse."

Guddu: "That's kind of God."

Dadi: "The scriptures say: "The Lord, seeing His children drowning, makes the raft easier to reach." In easier times, people had to do elaborate practices. In hard times, simple devotion is enough."

Guddu: "Will Kalki punish everyone?"

Dadi: "Kalki comes not to punish the faithful, but to save them. Those who remained true to goodness even when everyone around them was doing wrong - for them, his coming is liberation, not judgment."

Guddu: "How will people recognize Kalki when he comes?"

Dadi: "The true devotees will know instantly. Their hearts will recognize him. Just like when you love someone, you can spot them in a crowd - the pure-hearted will see him clearly."

Guddu: "Dadi, this story is a bit scary but also comforting."

Dadi: "That's exactly how it should feel, beta. Scary because darkness is real. Comforting because light always wins in the end. The universe isn't random - it's watched over by divine intelligence."

Guddu: "So I shouldn't worry about all the bad things in the world?"

Dadi: "Concern is good - it makes us act. Worry is harmful - it paralyzes us. The scriptures tell us these signs so we can be prepared, not afraid. Keep your heart pure, chant God's names, be kind to others. That's all you need to do."

Guddu: "And if I do that, I'll be on the right side when Kalki comes?"

Dadi: "You'll be on the right side right now, beta. That's what matters. We don't live for a future judgment - we live well today. The future takes care of itself when the present is lived with devotion."

Guddu: "I'll try to be good, Dadi. Even when others aren't."

Dadi: "*kissing his forehead* That's exactly what the scriptures ask of us. Be a small light in the darkness, and trust that the great Light is coming. Sweet dreams, mera bachcha."