according to hindus, kali (devanāgari: , iast: ', with both vowels short; from a root ', "suffer, hurt, startle, confuse") is the reigning lord of the kali yuga and archenemy of kalki, the 10th and final avatar of the hindu god vishnu. in the kalki purana, he is portrayed as a male mortal demon and he is the source of all evil. in the mahabharata, he was a gandharva. in the mahabharat, he created the war between the pandavas and the kauravas in a game of chaupar.