Hindu units of time

Hindu texts describe units of Kala measurements, from microseconds to Trillions of years.[1] According to these texts, time is cyclic, which repeats itself forever.[2]

Time units

Hindu measurements in logarithmic scale.

Various fragments of time are used in Hindu Scriptures like Vedas, Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Puran, Mahabharata, Suryasidhanta etc. A summary of the Hindu metrics of time (kāla vyavahāra) follows.

Sidereal metrics

UnitDefinitionRelation to SI units
Trutiत्रुटि Base unit≈ 0.031 µs
Renuरेणु 60 Truti≈ 1.86 µs
Lavaलव 60 Renu≈ 0.11 ms
Līkṣakaलीक्षक 60 Lava≈ 6.696 ms
Liptaलिप्ता 60 Leekshaka≈ 0.401 s
Vipalaविपल
Palaपल 60 Lipta≈ 24.1056 s
Vighaṭiविघटि
Vinādīविनाडी
Ghaṭiघटि 60 Vighaṭi≈ 24 min
Nādīनाडी
Dandaदण्ड
Muhūrtaमुहूर्त 2 Ghaṭi≈ 48 min
Nakṣatra Ahorātram (Sidereal Day)नक्षत्र अहोरात्रम्60 Ghaṭī≈ 24 h
30 Muhūrta≈ 24 h
Alternate system
UnitDefinitionRelation to SI units
Truti Base unit≈ 35.5 µs
Tatpara 100 Truti≈ 3.55 ms
Nimesha 30 Tatpara≈ 106.7 ms
Kāṣṭhā 30 Nimesha≈ 3.2 s
Kalā 30 Kāṣṭhā≈ 1.6 min
Muhūrta 30 Kalā≈ 48 min
Nakṣatra Ahorātram (Sidereal Day) 30 Muhūrta≈ 24 h

Small units of time used in the Vedas

UnitDefinitionRelation to SI units
ParamāṇuBase unit≈ 26.3 µs
Aṇu2 Paramāṇu≈ 52.67 µs
Trasareṇu3 Aṇu≈ 158 µs
Truṭi3 Trasareṇu≈ 474 µs
Vedha100 Truṭi≈ 47.4 ms
Lava3 Vedha≈ 0.14 s
Nimeṣa3 Lava≈ 0.43 s
Kṣaṇa3 Nimesha≈ 1.00 s
Kāṣṭhā5 Kṣaṇa≈ 6.4 s
Laghu15 Kāṣṭhā≈ 1.6 min
Danda15 Laghu≈ 24 min
Muhūrta2 Danda≈ 48 min
Ahorātram (Day)30 Muhūrta≈ 24 h
Masa (Month)30 Ahorātram≈ 30 days
Ritu (Season)2 Masa≈ 2 months
Ayana3 Ritu≈ 6 months
Samvatsara (Year) 2 Ayana≈ 365 days[3]
Ahorātram of Deva

Lunar metrics

Tropical metrics

  • A Yāma = 1/4 of a day (light) or night = 7½ Ghatis (घटि) = 3¾ Muhurtas = 3 Horas (होरा)tely 26 hours.[6]
  • Eight Yāmas make half of the day (either day or night)[6]
  • An Ahorātra is a tropical day (Note: A day is considered to begin and end at sunrise, not midnight.)[6]
NameDefinitionEquivalence
Yamaयाम¼th of a day (light) or night≈ 3 hours
Sāvana Ahorātramसावन अहोरात्रम्8 Yamas1 Solar day

Reckoning of time among other entities

Among the Pitṛs (forefathers)

  • 1 day of pitras = 1 solar masa (month) [6]
  • 30 days of pitras = 1 month of pitras[6]
  • 12 months of pitras = 1 year of pitras[6]

The Lifespan of the pitras is 100 years of pitras (3,000 Solar years).[6]

Among the Devas

The life span of any Hindu deva spans nearly (or more than) 4.5 million years. Statistically, we can also look it as:

  • 12000 Deva Years = Life Span of Devas = 1 Mahā-Yuga.[7]

The Viṣṇu Purāṇa Time measurement section of the Viṣṇu Purāṇa Book I Chapter III explains the above as follows:

  • 2 Ayanas (6-month periods, see above) = 1 human year or 1 day of the devas
  • 4,000 + 400 + 400 = 4,800 divine years (= 1,728,000 human years) = 1 Satya Yuga[7]
  • 3,000 + 300 + 300 = 3,600 divine years (= 1,296,000 human years) = 1 Treta Yuga[7]
  • 2,000 + 200 + 200 = 2,400 divine years (= 864,000 human years) = 1 Dvapara Yuga[7]
  • 1,000 + 100 + 100 = 1,200 divine years (= 432,000 human years) = 1 Kali Yuga[7]
  • 12,000 divine year = 4 Yugas (= 4,320,000 human years) = 1 Mahā-Yuga (also is equaled to 12000 Daiva (divine) Yuga)[7]
  • [2*12,000 = 24,000 divine year = 12000 revolutions of sun around its dual][7]

For Brahma

  • 1000 Mahā-Yugas = 1 Kalpa = 1 day (day only) of Brahma

(2 Kalpas constitute a day and night of Brahma, 8.64 billion human years)

  • 30 days of Brahma = 1 month of Brahma (259.2 billion human years)
  • 12 months of Brahma = 1 year of Brahma (3.1104 trillion human years)
  • 50 years of Brahma = 1 Parārdha (156,764,160,000,000 human years)
  • 2 parardhas = 100 years of Brahma = 1 Para = 1 Mahā-Kalpa (the lifespan of Brahma) (313,528,320,000,000 human years)

One day of Brahma is divided into 1000 parts called charaṇas.[8]

Four Yugas

The four yugas which come one after the other are as follows (along with their durations):

The Four Yugas
4 charaṇas (1,728,000 solar years)Satya Yuga
3 charaṇas (1,296,000 solar years)Treta Yuga
2 charaṇas (864,000 solar years)Dvapara Yuga
1 charaṇas (432,000 solar years)Kali Yuga
Source:
KalkiKrishnaRamaParashuramaVamanaNarasimhaVarahaKurmaMatsya

The cycle repeats itself, so altogether there are 1,000 cycles of Mahā-Yuga in one day of Brahma.

  • One cycle of the above four Yugas is one Mahā-Yuga (4.32 million solar years)
  • as is confirmed by the Gītā Śloka 8.17 (statement) "sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ rātriṁ yuga-sahasrāntāṁ te 'ho-rātra-vido janāḥ", meaning, a day of brahma is of 1000 Mahā-Yuga. Thus a day of Brahma, Kalpa, is of duration: 4.32 billion solar years. Two Kalpas constitute a day and night (Adhi Sandhi) of Brahma.[9]
  • A Manvantara consists of 71 Mahā-Yuga (306,720,000 solar years). Each Manvantara is ruled by a Manu.[8]
  • After each Manvantara follows one Saṃdhi Kāla of the same duration as a Kṛta Yuga (1,728,000 = 4 Charaṇas). (It is said that during a Saṃdhi Kāla, the entire earth is submerged in water.)[8]
  • A Kalpa consists of a period of 4.32 Billion solar years followed by 14 Manvataras and Saṃdhi Kalas.[8]
  • A day of Brahma equals
(14 times 71 Mahā-Yuga) + (15 × 4 Charaṇas)
= 994 Mahā-Yuga + (15 * 4800)
= 994 Mahā-Yuga + (72,000 years)[deva years] / 6 = 12,000[deva years] viz. one maha yuga.
= 994 Mahā-Yuga + 6 Mahā-Yuga
= 1,000 Mahā-Yuga.[8]

Current date

Currently, 50 years of Brahma have elapsed. The last Kalpa at the end of the 50th year is called Padma Kalpa. We are currently in the first 'day' of the 51st year.[10] This Brahma's day, Kalpa is named as Shveta-Varaha Kalpa. Within this Day, six Manvantaras have already elapsed[11] and this is the seventh Manvantara, named as – Vaivasvatha Manvantara (or Sraddhadeva Manvantara). Within the Vaivasvatha Manvantara, 27 Mahayugas[11] (4 Yugas together is a Mahayuga), and the Krita,[12] Treta and Dwapara Yugas of the 28th Mahayuga have elapsed. This Kaliyuga is in the 28th Mahayuga. This Kaliyuga began in the year 3102 BCE in the proleptic Julian Calendar.[13] Since 50 years of Brahma have already elapsed, this is the second Parardha, also called as Dvithiya Parardha.

Calculating the elapsed time since current Brahma's creation

432000 × 10 × 1000 × 2 = 8.64 billion years (2 Kalpa (day and night))

8.64 × 109 × 30 × 12 = 3.1104 Trillion Years (1 year of Brahma)
3.1104 × 1012 × 50 = 155.52 trillion years (50 years of Brahma)

(6 × 71 × 4320000) + 7 × 1.728 × 10^6 = 1852416000 years elapsed in first six Manvataras, and Sandhi Kalas in the current Kalpa

27 × 4320000 = 116640000 years elapsed in first 27 Mahayugas of the current Manvantara

1.728 × 10^6 + 1.296 × 10^6 + 864000 = 3888000 years elapsed in current Mahayuga

3102 + 2017 = 5119 years elapsed in current Kaliyuga.

So the total time elapsed since current Brahma is

155520000000000 + 1852416000 + 116640000 + 3888000 + 5119 = 155,521,972,949,120 years

(one hundred fifty-five trillion, five hundred twenty-one billion, nine hundred seventy-two million, nine hundred forty-nine thousand, one hundred twenty years) as of 2018 AD

Total age of Brahma is 100 (Brahma Years) which is equal to 311,040,000,000,000 Human years

The current Kali Yuga began at midnight 17 February / 18 February in 3102 BCE in the proleptic Julian calendar.[14] As per the information above about Yuga periods, only 5,120 years are passed out of 432,000 years of current Kali Yuga, and hence another 426,880 years are left to complete this 28th Kali Yuga of Vaivaswatha Manvantara.[note 1]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ According to Sri Yukteswar Giri, guru of Paramahansa Yogananda, The ascending phase of the Kali Yuga began in September 499 CE. Since September 1699, we have been in the ascending phase of the Dwapara Yuga. According to Sri Yukteswar, nobody wanted to announce the bad news of the beginning of the descending Kali Yuga, so they kept adding years to the Dvapara date (at that time 2400 Dvapara) only retitling the epoch to Kali.[15]

References

  1. ↑ S.V. Gupta. Units of Measurement: Past, Present and Future. International System of Units. Springer. p. 3.
  2. ↑ Dick Teresi. Lost Discoveries: The Ancient Roots of Modern Science--from the Baby. SimonandSchuster. p. 174.
  3. ↑ S.V. Gupta. Units of Measurement: Past, Present and Future. International System of Units. Springer. p. 5.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 S.V. Gupta. Units of Measurement: Past, Present and Future. International System of Units. Springer. p. 5,6.
  5. ↑ Kumar, Ashwini (2005). Vaastu: The Art And Science Of Living. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 50. ISBN 81-207-2569-7.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 S.V. Gupta. Units of Measurement: Past, Present and Future. International System of Units. Springer. p. 6.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hans Kng. Tracing The Way: Spiritual Dimensions of the World Religions. A&C Black. p. 50.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Bryan E. Penprase. The Power of Stars. Springer. p. 182.
  9. ↑ Swami Mukundananda. Bhagavad Gita The Song of God.
  10. ↑ Burgess, Chapter 1, Verse 21
  11. 1 2 Burgess, Chapter 1, Verse 22
  12. ↑ Burgess, Chapter 1, Verse 23
  13. ↑ Burgess, p17
  14. ↑ Burgess, Ebenezer Translation of the Sûrya-Siddhânta: A text-book of Hindu astronomy, with notes and an appendix Originally published: Journal of the American Oriental Society 6 (1860) 141–498 , p17"
  15. ↑ Yukteswar 1949.
  • Victor J. Katz. A History of Mathematics: An Introduction, 1998.
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