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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JULY, 1917
(Then follows a description of his conqueste). "Time having passed that king (or god, dēva) disappeared” (47-255).
The referenoes in the past tense prove that the writers of the Puranic data knew these details as facts of the past, although in accordance with the system of the Purâņas they sought to desoribe the event by future verbs.10
It would be absurd to suppose that all the details of the conquest, birth-place and family of Kalks given in the Purânas are mere figments of imagination. We accept the historical position of Ajátasatru, Udâyin, Chandragupta, Chanakya, etc., when their actions and details in the Puranas are put in the future tense. There is no reason why we should not accept that of Kalki also, and especially so when all the earlier Puranas clearly employ past tense about him, though only oocasionally. His claim to be an historical personage is, therefore, stronger than that of others.
Kalki and Kali. The data about Kalki are comparatively late ; they appear for the first time in the Puranas which are works posterior to 498 A.D. 11 The Yuga-Purana of the Garga-Samhita, which ends Kali with the Yavanas (cir. 188 B.C.), 12 does not mention Kalki. In the Puranic Chronicles, after mentioning the rise of Kalki and the end of the foreign houses, 13 a description of the condition of the people at the close of Kali (Sandhya-period) is given in almost the same terms as in the Yuga-Purana, 14 New history up to the post-Andhra period was interposed and the two data were mixed up and read together when the details of Kalki in the Incarnation Chapter were prepared, and he was placed in the end of Kali, while according to the old chronology of the Puranas he ought to have been placed in the Kțita Yuga. This dating in the end of Kali might be due to the confusion suggested above or to a belief that the con quests of Kalki brought about a new era. Kali according to the old calculation of the Puranas ended in 188 B.C.15 But as the 3rd, 4th and 5th centuries were very bad times, owing to political conditions, Kali was supposed to be still running. Kalki's rise gave new hopes. But the hoped for good days were not permanent. After Kalki (aatsgata heat the Purâņas record again bad days16 and Kali was regarded as continuing and an indefinite period of duration was given to it. It is evident that the position once taken up by the Purâņas as to the age of Kalki with reference to Kali was soon given up.
The chapter dealing with the Chronicles places him at the end of the post-Andhra rulers, and makes him the very last historical person of the Puranic record. And as it gives 498 A.D. as the last date for the post-Andhra period and 512-612 A.D. 17 as the century ending that period, Kalki's rise has to be dated about 498/512 A.D.
Confirmation of Puranic data of Kalki by Jain data. Since writing the above a new datum has been kindly brought to my notice by my friend Mr. Nagendranatha Vasu, which confirms beyond the shadow of a doubt
10 For explanation of the Future Kings of the Puranas see my separate paper on the Bțihadrathas to be published shortly in J. B.O.R.S.
11 Tho reference in M. Bk, is avowedly borrowed from the Vayu. 12 See my paper on Chronological Summary (J. B.O.R.S., 1917).
13 Matsya, 272. 20-27; 27-32. The Vdyu interposes as a footnote a number of minor and local dynasties and dynasts between these foreign houses and Kalki. This is apparently later, as the local dynasties are unknown to the Matsya.
11 I havo published this chapter in my Brahmin Empire. » Soe my paper on the Chronological Summary. 16 Vayu, Ch. 36, v. 117; Brahmanda, Ch. 73, V. 118.
11 See Chronological Summary.
