Kali or Prakarti (Last of Dasha Avatar’s) Vs Darwin’s Theory of Evolution: Relevance Today

In Indian Vedic mythology, the legend of the Avatar (incarnation) is an important myth. It believes in the Hindu trinity, which includes Vishnu (preserver), Brahma (creator) and Mahesh or Shiva (destroyer). Vishnu is considered to an embodiment of goodness and mercy and periodically intervenes in terrestrial evolution by descending to earth in a human incarnation as the Avatar. The primary role of the Avatar is to re-establish stability and order on the earth and to introduce a new evolutionary impulse which will uplift mankind into a greater and more unified consciousness. These incarnations manifest themselves at particular points in the cosmic cycle corresponds to the earth's passage through the evolutionary ages.

In Gita, the 8th Avatar Krishna reveals this cosmic process,

"Whenever the world will decline in virtue and righteousness; and vice and injustice mount the throne, then I, the Lord will come and revisit my world in visible form, and mingle amongst you as a man with men, and by my influence and teachings do I will destroy the evil and injustice. I will then reestablish virtue and righteousness. Many times have I thus appeared, and many times hereafter shall I come again?"

Dasha Avatar’s of Vishnu are noted in “Garud Puran”. They are as follows;

Sat Yug:
1. Matsya (fish)
2. Kurma (tortoise)
3. Varaha (boar)
4. Narasimha (half-man/half-lion)

Treta Yug:
5. Vamana (dwarf)
6. Parashurama (Saint Ram)
7. Ram (Sri Ram Chandra of Ayodhya)

Dwapar Yug:
8. Krishna (dark coloured) along with his brother Balram*.

*According to the Bhagavat Purana Balram as a descent of Anant Shesh-Nag. He is also counted as an avatar of Vishnu by the majority of Vaishnav movements and is included as the 9th of 10 incarnations in some versions of the list which contain no reference to Buddha.
*The ninth incarnation is under great debate. Some say it was Buddha and others say before the Krishna avatar came that of Balram, the elder brother of Krishna.

Kal Yug:
9. Gautama Buddha or Siddharth (enlightened one').
10. Kali ("Eternity", or "time", “Prakarti” or "The Destroyer of evil"), is expected to appear at the end of Kal Yuga, the time period in which we currently exist. This will end in the year 428899 CE.

Although the legends of incarnations like all myths, appear prophetic. It appears to incarnations as conscious evolutionary force. This conscious evolutionary force take form of living being (incarnation or Avatar) on the earth at a precise moments in order to help us to steer us from our ordinary mortal state to a more enlightened consciousness of that time.

All Dasha Avatar’s in the ten incarnations bear a strange similarity to steps The Darwin's theory of evolution.

Darwin says; from the invertebrates came fish, from fishes evolved Amphibians and from Amphibians evolved Reptiles. Reptiles in turn developed into two separate classes the Aves (or the birds) and lastly the Mammals. Man is until now the most evolved mammal and is the final step in evolution. This theory was based on the principle of the survival of the fittest.

If we look carefully, the ten manifestations of Lord Vishnu (known as Dasha Avatars), theory of evolution follows these Dasha Avatar’s in a very subtle manner.

1. The life started in water from, the earliest known life on the earth. From there the progress was made to “The Fish” (Matsya, the 1st avatar).
2. Then came a life sustaining not only in water but progressed to some extent on land (as an amphibian), Tortoise (Kurma, the 2nd avatar).
3. Amphibians then evolved into animals, the Boar (Varaha, the 3rd avatar).
4. The animal progressed to half-human in the shape of Half lion + half-human (Nara-Simha, the 4th avatar)
5. Evolution progressed further from half human to full human shape. The next avatar was that of a Dwarf (Vamana, the 5th avatar).
6. It is but natural that Dwarf will progress to a full human, a man without control, with a wavering mind, and acting without reasons (Parasuram, the 6th avatar).
7. Gradually the man became more and more perfect. Always giving importance to the penance than the pleasure ever respecting the gurus and the elders and remaining dutiful to others wherever he was (Sri Ram, the 7th avatar).
8. Finally a perfect human form emerged with cleverness and ability to think and win. A person of great intelligence, who will take decisions to suit the situation, ready to fight, ready to mediate, and ready to love and ready to be loved, when required (Krishna, the 8th avatar).
9. Tranquility, submission, passion for peace is the next step from practicality to perfection (Gautam Buddha, the 9th avatar).
10. If there is a cycle it has to end at some time, so that it can start again. Kali, they say will come to destroy the world. So that evolution can take place again. (The 10th avatar)

Thus it appears that Darwin’s theory (published as a book "Origin of Species" in 1859) is indeed the modern interpretation of the Indian myth of “Dasha Avatar”. It is remarkable that Vishnu's 10 incarnations were written thousands of years before Darwin's theory of evolution, and even before modern scientific processes were evolved.

Similarities between Dasha Avatars’ and Darwin's theory of evolution:

According to the evolution theory of Darwin, some 4 billion years ago some microorganisms took the shape of amoeba (microscopic unicellular protozoa). Some 600 million years ago all the plants, trees, worms and animals were evolved. Indian mythological scriptures say, life form (1st Avatar) came in the form of Fish (Matsya) this suggests that the Earth was probably filled completely with water at some time of its creation, and we know today, that it was the case. Presence of water is also the first thing that we are look for in other planets to find any life in our solar system.

The fundamental basis of Darwin’s theory is evolution: Fish or aquatic animals, when developed a need to breathe outside water, they developed a lung-like structure and became frogs (an amphibian). From amphibians developed reptiles like lizards, snakes and crocodiles. The Reptiles in turn gave rise to two separate classes the Aves (or the birds) and the Mammals. And mammals are the final step in evolution. This theory was based on the principle of the survival of the fittest.

The evolution of man is described in several steps. First man was short, and then he evolved into something like the Stone Age man (intelligent but imperfect in the form of Rawan and asur). It then reached perfection in the form of Sri Ram, who also destroyed imperfect Rawan and asur and established the rule of brotherhood and law. The degradation of majority (100 Kaurav’s vs. 5 Pandav’s) minority started in Treta Yug. Krishna with Balram incarnated (evolved) to tame the forces of the evil. Krishna once again reminded the mankind, the laws of life for the future generations in the form of “Gita”.

Evolutionary steps described by Darwin and those found in Indian mythological scriptures bear striking similarities undoubtedly validate Darwin's theory. The half man half lion can be considered an intermediate step in the evolution suggesting the need for the human brain. What we have seen in the past we are seeing today, righteousness is a virtue that carries little meaning in the present world. We are in the beginning of the Kal Yug (Period between the 9th and 10th incarnations-Buddha and Kali).

Now the last incarnation will be, the Kali “the Prakarti” or Mother Nature with which we are playing childishly (green house effect due to emissions, soil erosion, and destruction of forests and extinctions of animals) will one day destroy everything. This we are already beginning to see. The Ice caps are melting; water level in the seas is rising. Islands are submerging. Floods, droughts, typhoons and hurricanes is now an everyday story.

Today, the way we are playing with nature and the way it has already started to behave is a clear indication of what is going to be in the end. Man is the most powerful of all evolutionary creations and therefore God will not take another animal form. For the Kali “Prakarti” to reestablish in order in the end (dharma over the evil forces), Mother Nature or Kali has to himself assume a formidable form in the form of the tenth or Kali avatar, yet to be born.