On Hinduism

Yes. It happens when there is decay of dharma (see below) or righteousness in the world. 

In Hinduism there is no finite end of the world – there is only the end of one phase followed by the beginning of the next. The world goes through many cycles of varying degrees of order, chaos, good vs. evil, and eventually all matter dissolves completely followed by a regeneration.  

In Bhagwad Gita, Krishna advises Arjuna in chapter 4 verse 7: 

“yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata

abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛijāmyaham”

“Whenever there is decay of dharma and rise of adharma, then I am born in this world”. 

The current age is called Kali Yuga in Hinduism i.e. the age of darkness. 

In the Hindu scripture the Bhagavatam the following is said in regard to Kali Yuga:

Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.1: 

“Sri-suka uvaca…tatas canu-dinam dharmah…satyam saucam ksama daya…kalena balina rajan…nanksyaty ayur balam smrtih”.

“Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will all diminish day by day because of the powerful influence of the age of Kali..“

Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.2:

“vittam eva kalau nṝṇāḿ…janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ…dharma-nyāya-vyavasthāyāḿ…kāraṇaḿ balam eva hi”.

“In Kali Yuga, wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man’s goodness,  behaviour and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one’s power.“

According to Hindu scriptures God will incarnate in the form of a human named Kalki to save it from destruction and restore order. Keeping in mind this is not the first kaliyuga and will not be the last one.

Dharma

Dharma is one of the most important words in Hinduism and does not have a good English equivalent. A rough meaning is righteousness or virtue, it can also mean “law”  “custom” “one’s duty”. It comes from the Sanskrit root dhri (which means “to support,” or “to maintain”), dharma is described in early Vedic texts as laws that bring order to a universe that would otherwise be in chaos. 

Dharma refers to actions most conducive to maintaining family and society. Dharma starts at the individual level if the individuals are righteous and following good morals, then the family will be stable if the family is stable then the society will thrive. If that is not the case, i.e. if there is adharma, then chaos and destruction will rule.

Important to note that laws, duties, and customs shift and change from person to person, culture to culture, place to place, and time period to time period. Because all people are unique with different inclinations and responsibilities, determining the “right” or “proper” actions a person should perform from moment to moment requires a lot of self reflection. 

Other reading material:

Relevant videos

Contributor: Bijay Nair

Location of this post (12e): https://www.hinduspeakers.org/ufaqs/will-the-world-comes-to-an-end/