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JULY, 1917 ]
IDENTIFICATION OF KALKI
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The Conquests. The conquests also tally: the conquests from the Lauhitya (Brahmaputra) river to the Mahendra mountain and from the Himalayas near the Ganges to the Western Ocean, of Vishğu-Yasodharman, agree with the conquests of Kalkî as detailed above. Both have the subjugation of the Hûnas to their credit.
The Date. The dates in both cases also agree. Vishņu-Yasodharman defeated Mihirakula who would come after Toramâna and Tora mâna's date is shortly after Budhagupta, 484-85 A.D (F. GI. p. 159). Mihirakula was defeated by Yasodharman in Kashmir (see App. B). The defeat of Mihirakula would be at least 15 years after 484 A.D., as his father's (Toramâna's) time is about 484. Thus or shortly after 499 A.D. the defeat of Mihirakula could be possible. It is definite from the Mandasor Inscription of 533-34 A.D. that the victory was attained some years before 533 A.D. When the undated column inscription was engraved, the conqueror had not assumed the lofty title of Vishnu-Vardhana as in the latter. The latter bears evidence of a peaceful administration which had already lasted for sometime, as the victory is said to have ended Kali by his good government. The undated inscription mentions Mihirakula's defeat. Therefore the date of Mihirakula's defeat in Kashmir would be more than a few years before 533 A.D.51
Lineage. Vishņu-Yasodharman is declared in the inscriptions to have had no lineage. Likewise Vishņu-Yaśas is the son of an ordinary man. Both are said to have built empires.63
The points of identity are so striking that the conclusion seems to be nearly irresistible that Vishņu-Yaśas is no other than Vishņu-Yaśodharman.
Value of the reclamation of Vishnu-Yasas' history. The identification, if correct, explains and confirms the inscriptions of Vishnu-Yaśodharman. But the establishment of the historical existence of Kalki, apart from the question of his identification, reclaims a lost chapter of Indian History, which is as important as that on Chandragupta Maurya, Pushyamitra or Sankaracharya. The social and religious effects on Hindu Society produced by the movement of Kalki must be admitted to have been tremendous, in view of the joint testimony of the Jaina and Brahmanic records.
APPENDIX A.
The Two Jalna Chronologies. The old Gathas given in the Jaina documents54 give 470 years from the death of the Maha-vîra to the end of Saka and the birth of Vikrama, and 488 years down to the coronation of Vikralua (or 58 B.C.). The reckoning given by the Digambara author Jinasen a gives a somewhat different order of chronology. But a comparison between the two show's that although the two are based on independent traditions, they come to the same conclusion as to the length of time.
51 If we accept the date given by Gunabhadra, Kalki's career would fall between 503-543 A.C.
52 No ancestry is given in the inscriptions. Notice "ery arteriar," etc., in the column inscription and the proud expression HOT: (lines 5-6) in the stone inscription "who is his own lineage."
53 The above inscriptions say that he wasumed the title of Samra!, Rajadhiraja and Paramé suara.
54 Ante, Vol. II, p. 363; ante, Vol. XX, p. 347; also in the Svetämbara books Titha-guliya.Payanna and Tirthoddhara: Prakirna (oited by Vasu in his Hindi Visvakosha, II, 350.)
