Yuga Cycle

A Yuga Cycle (a.k.a. Chatur Yuga, Maha Yuga etc.) is the smallest cyclic age (epoch) in Hindu cosmology, where eternal time repeats general events. Each Maha Yuga (great age) repeats four yugas (ages)—Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga—lasting for 4,320,000 years or 12,000 divine years. Kali Yuga is followed by Satya Yuga of the next cycle.

This article is about Hindu ages. It is not to be confused with Buddhist ages, Jain ages, or European ages.
Part of a series on
Hinduism

Lexicology

The archaic form of "yuga" is "yug". Other forms are "yugam", "yugānāṃ" and "yuge". Sometimes "juga" or "jug" are used from the Latin "jugum" meaning "yoke", used to connect two oxen (e.g. cali-juga = kali-yuga).[1] The word "yuga", as well as "yoga", are derived from Sanskrit: युज्, romanized: yuj, lit. 'to join or yoke', believed to be derived from Proto-Indo-European language: yeug, 'to join or unite'.

A Yuga Cycle has several names:

  • Chatur Yuga: (Sanskrit: चतुर्युग, romanized: caturyuga or catur-yuga, lit. 'four yugas or ages')
A cyclic age encompassing the four yuga ages,[2][3] as defined in the Bhagavata Purana.[4]
  • Daiva Yuga: (Sanskrit: दैवयुग, romanized: daivayuga or daiva-yuga, lit. 'divine age')
Deva Yuga: (Sanskrit: देवयुग, romanized: devayuga or deva-yuga, lit. 'age of gods')
Divya Yuga: (Sanskrit: दिव्य युग, romanized: divyayuga or divya-yuga, lit. 'divine age')
A cyclic age of the divine, celestrial or gods (Devas) encompassing the yuga ages (a.k.a. "human ages" or "world ages"). The Hindu texts give the length in divine years (12,000), which lasts for 1/3rd the lifespan of the Devas (36,000).[2]
  • Maha Yuga: (Sanskrit: महायुग, romanized: mahāyuga or mahā-yuga, lit. 'great age')
A greater cyclic age encompassing the smaller yuga ages.[2][5][6]
  • Yuga: (Sanskrit: युग, lit. 'age')
Implies a "Chatur Yuga" if a specific yuga isn't named and the description matches.[7]
  • Yuga Cycle: (Sanskrit: युग, lit. 'age') + (English: cycle)
A cyclic age encompassing the yuga ages.

Source

It is theorized that the concept of the four yugas originated some time after the compilation of the Vedas, but before the rest of the Hindu texts on the bases that the concept isn't mentioned in the four Vedas. It is believed that the four yugas⁠—Krita (Satya), Treta, Dvapara, and Kali⁠—are named after throws of an Indian game of long dice, marked with 4-3-2-1 respectively.[5][8] A dice game is mentioned in the Rigveda, Atharvaveda, Upanishads, Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata, while the four yugas are mentioned after the Vedas, but with no mention of a relationship to a dice game.[3]

Manusmriti

Chapter one of the Manusmriti (a.k.a. Laws of Manu) describes the divisions of time up to the infinite cycles of Brahma's day and night, which includes the length of the catur-yuga (1.71) and its four yugas in divine years. It indicates that the four yugas were named by some more ancient Sages (1.69). The same divisions of time can be found in the translations by William Jones (1796), Georg Bühler (1886), and Medhātithi (1920).[9][10][11]

दैवे रात्र्यहनी वर्षं प्रविभागस्तयोः पुनः । अहस्तत्रोदगयनं रात्रिः स्याद् दक्षिणायनम् ॥
daive rātryahanī varṣaṃ pravibhāgastayoḥ punaḥ । ahastatrodagayanaṃ rātriḥ syād dakṣiṇāyanam ॥

(67) One ‘year’ (of men) forms the ‘Day and Night’ of the Gods; and the division of these is that the ‘Northern course’ is the ‘Day,’ and the ‘Southern Course’ the ‘Night.’

चत्वार्याहुः सहस्राणि वर्षाणां तत् कृतं युगम् । तस्य तावत्शती सन्ध्या सन्ध्यांशश्च तथाविधः ॥
catvāryāhuḥ sahasrāṇi varṣāṇāṃ tat kṛtaṃ yugam । tasya tāvatśatī sandhyā sandhyāṃśaśca tathāvidhaḥ ॥

(69) They say that four thousand ‘years’ are what is the ‘Kṛta-cycle’; as many hundred ‘years’ form the ‘Juncture’ (Morning); and of equal measure is the ‘Juncture-end’ (Evening).

इतरेषु ससन्ध्येषु ससन्ध्यांशेषु च त्रिषु । एकापायेन वर्तन्ते सहस्राणि शतानि च ॥
itareṣu sasandhyeṣu sasandhyāṃśeṣu ca triṣu । ekāpāyena vartante sahasrāṇi śatāni ca ॥

(70) In each of the other time-cycles, along with their ‘junctures’ and ‘juncture-ends’, the ‘thousands’ and ‘hundreds’ are reduced by one.

यदेतत् परिसङ्ख्यातमादावेव चतुर्युगम् । एतद् द्वादशसाहस्रं देवानां युगमुच्यते ॥
yadetat parisaṅkhyātamādāveva caturyugam । etad dvādaśasāhasraṃ devānāṃ yugamucyate ॥

(71) This period of the four time-cycles that have been just computed,—twelve thousand such periods are called the ‘time-cycle of the gods.’

दैविकानां युगानां तु सहस्रं परिसङ्ख्यया । ब्राह्ममेकमहर्ज्ञेयं तावतीं रात्रिमेव च ॥
daivikānāṃ yugānāṃ tu sahasraṃ parisaṅkhyayā । brāhmamekamaharjñeyaṃ tāvatīṃ rātrimeva ca ॥

(72) The ‘Time-cycles’ of the Gods, one thousand in number, should be regarded as one ‘day’ of brahmā; and (his) ‘night’ also is of the same extent.

यद् प्राग् द्वादशसाहस्रमुदितं दैविकं युगम् । तदेकसप्ततिगुणं मन्वन्तरमिहोच्यते ॥
yad prāg dvādaśasāhasramuditaṃ daivikaṃ yugam । tadekasaptatiguṇaṃ manvantaramihocyate ॥

(79) The ‘Time-cycle of the Gods’ which has been described above as consisting of ‘twelve thousand periods,’—this multiplied by ‘seventy-one’ forms what is known here as ‘Manvantara’ (Regime of a Manu).

तपः परं कृतयुगे त्रेतायां ज्ञानमुच्यते । द्वापरे यज्ञमेवाहुर्दानमेकं कलौ युगे ॥
tapaḥ paraṃ kṛtayuge tretāyāṃ jñānamucyate । dvāpare yajñamevāhurdānamekaṃ kalau yuge ॥

(86) In the Kṛta Cycle, ‘Austerity’ is the highest; in the Tretā ‘knowledge’ is described as such; in the Dvāpara they call the ‘Sacrifice’ the highest, and ‘Charity’ alone in the Kali-Cycle.

— Manusmriti, Ch. 1[12]

Surya Siddhanta

A caturyuga and its four ages (kṛta is named) are found in the Surya Siddhanta.[13]

European culture

The earliest European writing about human ages is in Works and Days (c. 700 BCE) by Hesiod; although, not cyclic and with a fifth "Heroic age" added, according to Godwin, as a compromise with the Trojan War in Greek history. The "Four Ages" are also found in Metamorphoses (c. 8 BCE) by Ovid. Godwin says that it is probably from Hindu tradition that knowledge of the ages reached the Greeks and other Indo-European peoples.[14] Godwin points out that the exact length of Kali Yuga (432,000 years) shows up in Chaldean, Chinese and Icelandic cultures and is the number of syllables in the Rigveda.[15]

Yuga date

'Yuga dates are used in an ashloka, which is read out at the beginning of Hindu rites to specify the elapsed time in Brahma's life:[2]

5121 of Kaliyuga year (for 2020 CE) of the 28th Caturyuga of the 7th Manvantra on the first day of the 51st year of Brahma.

Epigraphs exist with yuga dates in the Old Mysore region of India, published in Epigraphia Carnatica.[16]

The cycle
See also: List of numbers in Hindu scriptures, Hindu units of time, and Kali Yuga § Possible starting and ending dates

Each Yuga Cycle repeats the four yugas in the following order: Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga, where Kali Yuga is followed by Satya Yuga of the next cycle.[5][17]

As a Yuga Cycle progresses, each yuga's length, and humanity's general moral and physical state, decrease by 1/4th (25%), giving proportions of 4:3:2:1 (e.g. Satya: 100% start; Kali: 25% start, 0% end).[2][5] Near the end of Kali Yuga, when virtues are at their worst, a cataclysm and re-establishment of dharma occur to usher in the next cycle's Satya Yuga, prophesied to occur by Kalki.[5] Dharma is sometimes summarized as four main principles (pillars) and personified as a bull with four legs or feet, which decline with each new yuga.[18][19] Knowing the present age can help one to perform the correct yuga-dharma.

Each yuga is divided into a main period (sometimes called the Yuga) and two Sandhis or Sandhyās (connecting periods)⁠—Sandhyā (dawn) and Sandhyānśa or Sandhyāṃśa (dusk)⁠—where each Sandhi lasts for 1/10th (10%) of the main period. Lengths are given in divine or celestial years where a divine year lasts for 360 solar (human) years. A Yuga Cycle lasts for 4,320,000 solar (12,000 divine) years:[2][17]

  • Satya Yuga (4x): 1,728,000[5] (4,800 divine) years
    • Main: 1,440,000 (4,000 divine)
    • Sandhis: 144,000 (400 divine) x 2
  • Treta Yuga (3x): 1,296,000 (3,600 divine) years
    • Main: 1,080,000 (3,000 divine)
    • Sandhis: 108,000 (300 divine) x 2
  • Dvapara Yuga (2x): 864,000 (2,400 divine) years
    • Main: 720,000 (2,000 divine)
    • Sandhis: 72,000 (200 divine) x 2
  • Kali Yuga (1x): 432,000[5] (1,200 divine) years
    • Main: 360,000 (1,000 divine)
    • Sandhis: 36,000 (100 divine) x 2

According to Puranic sources,[20] Krishna's departure marks the end of Dvapara Yuga and the start of Kali Yuga, which is dated to 17/18 February 3102 BCE.[2][5][3][22] (See Kali Yuga).

Puranic yuga cycle
Yuga Start Length
Satya 3,891,102 BCE 1,728,000 (4,800)
Treta 2,163,102 BCE 1,296,000 (3,600)
Dvapara 867,102 BCE 864,000 (2,400)
Kali* 3102 BCE – 428,899 CE[lower-alpha 1] 432,000 (1,200)
Years: 4,320,000 solar (12,000 divine)
(*) Current.

The Puranas describe Vishnu avatars that come during specific yugas, but may not occur in every Yuga Cycle.

Rama appears at the end of Treta Yuga.[23] According to Vayu Purana and Matsya Purana, Rama appeared in the 24th Yuga Cycle.[24] According to the Padma Purana, Rama also appeared in the 27th Yuga Cycle of the 6th Manvantara. [25]

Krishna's departure marks the end of Dvapara Yuga and the start of Kali Yuga according to Puranic sources.[20] In the 28th Yuga Cycle, Krishna appears as His original self, which only happens once in a day (kalpa) of Brahma.

Kalki comes at the end of Kali Yuga to start the next Yuga Cycle's Satya Yuga.[5]

Shiva avatars are also described as coming during specific yugas.

Greater cycles

The greater cycles are a Manvantara (age of Manu) containing 71 Maha Yugas, Kalpa (day of Brahma) lasting for 1,000 Maha Yugas, and Maha Kalpa (life of Brahma) lasting for 72,000,000 Maha Yugas.[2]

We are currently halfway through Brahma's life (mahākalpa):[2][26][27][28] (See Hindu units of time).

  • 51st year of 100 (2nd half or parārdha)
  • 1st month of 12
  • 1st kalpa (Shveta-Varaha) of 30
  • 7th manvantara (Vaivasvatha) of 14
  • 28th mahāyuga of 71
  • 4th yuga (Kali) of 4

Modern theories

Breaking from the long duration of a Puranic Yuga Cycle, new theories have emerged regarding the length, number and order of the yugas.

Sri Yukteswar Giri
See also: The Holy Science § Yuga theory

Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri (1855 – 1936), in the introduction of his book, The Holy Science (1894),[29] proposed a Yuga Cycle of 24,000 years.

He claimed the understanding that Kali Yuga lasts for 432,000 years was a mistake, which he traced back to Raja Parikshit, just after the descending Dvapara Yuga ended (c. 3101 BCE) and all the wise men of his court retired to the Himalaya Mountains. With no one left to correctly calculate the ages, Kali Yuga never officially started. After 499 CE, in ascending Dvapara Yuga, when the intellect of men began to develop, but not fully, they noticed mistakes and attempted to correct them by converting what they thought to be divine years to human years (1:360 ratio). Yukteswar's yuga lengths for Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali are respectively 4,800, 3,600, 2,400 and 1,200 "human" years (12,000 years total).[30][31]

He accepted the four yugas and their 4:3:2:1 length and dharma proportions, but his Yuga Cycle contained eight yugas, the original descending set of the four yugas followed by an ascending (reversed) set, where he called each set a "Daiva Yuga" or "Electric Couple". His Yuga Cycle lasts for 24,000 years, which he believed equals one precession of the equinoxes (traditionally 25,920 years) [difference of 1,920 years ignored]. He states that the world entered the Pisces-Virgo Age in 499 CE ("cycle bottom"), and that the current age of ascending Dvapara Yuga started in 1699 CE, around the time of scientific discoveries and advancements such as electricity.[32][31]

He explained that in a 24,000-year Yuga Cycle, our Sun completes one orbit around some dual star, becoming nearer and farther to a galactic center, which the pair orbit in a longer period. He called this galactic center Vishnunabhi (Vishnu's Navel), where Brahma regulates dharma or, as he defined it, mental virtue. Dharma is lowest when farthest from Brahma at the descending-ascending intersection ("cycle-bottom"), where the opposite occurs at the "cycle-top" when nearest. At dharma's lowest (499 CE), human intellect cannot comprehend anything beyond the gross material world.[33][34]

Yukteswar's yuga cycle
Yuga Start Length
Descending (12,000 years):
Satya 11,501 BCE 4,800
Treta 6701 BCE 3,600
Dvapara 3101 BCE 2,400
Kali 701 BCE 1,200
Ascending (12,000 years):
Kali 499 CE 1,200
Dvapara* 1699 CE 2,400
Treta 4099 CE 3,600
Satya 7699 CE – 12,499 CE 4,800
Years: 24,000
(*) Current. [lower-alpha 2]

Godwin states that Yukteswar believed the traditional chronology of the yugas wrong and rigged for political reasons, but that Yukteswar may have had political reasons of his own, evident in a police report printed in Atlantis and the Cycles of Time, which links Yukteswar to a secret anti-colonial movement called Yugantar, meaning "new age" or "transition of an epoch".[35]

Godwin claims the Jain time cycle and the "European myth of progress" influenced Yukteswar, who's theory only recently became prominent outside India in this millennium. Humanity in an upward cycle is contrary to traditional ideas. Godwin points out many philosophies and religions that started during a time when "man could not see beyond the gross material world" (701 BCE – 1699 CE). Only materialists and atheists would welcome the post-1700 age as an improvement.[36]

Jenkins, who adjusted ascending Kali Yuga from 499 CE to 2012 in his version, criticizes Yukteswar as wanting the "cycle-bottom" to correspond to his education, beliefs, and historical understanding. Technology has thrust us deeper into material dependency and spiritual darkness.[37]

René Guénon

René Guénon (1886 – 1951), in his original 1931 French article which was later translated in the book, Traditional Forms & Cosmic Cycles (2001),[38] proposed a Yuga Cycle of 64,800 years.

Guénon accepted the doctrine of the four yugas, the 4:3:2:1 yuga length proportions, and Kali Yuga as the present age. He couldn't accept the extremely large lengths and felt they were encoded with additional zeros to mislead those who might use it to predict the future. He reduced a Yuga Cycle from 4,320,000 to 4,320 years (1,728 + 1,296 + 864 + 432), but he felt this was too short for humanity's history.[39]

In looking for a multiplier, he worked backwards from the precession of the equinoxes (traditionally 25,920 years; 360 72-year degrees). Using 25,920 and 72, he calculated the sub-multiplier to be 4,320 years (72 x 60 = 4,320; 4,320 x 6 = 25,920). In noticing the "great year" of the Persians (~12,000) and Greeks (~13,000) as almost half the precession, he concluded a "great year" must be 12,960 years (4,320 x 3). In trying to find the whole number of "great years" in a Manvantara or reign of Vaivasvata Manu, he found the reign of Xisuthros of the Chaldeans to be set to 64,800 years (12,960 x 5), someone he thought to be the same Manu. Guénon felt 64,800 years was a more plausible length that may line up with humanity's history. He calculated a 64,800 Manvantara divided into a 4,320 "encoded" Yuga Cycle gave a multiplier of 15 (5 "great years"). Using 15 as the multiplier, he "decoded" a 5-"great year" Yuga Cycle as having the following yuga lengths:[38][40]

  • Satya: 25,920 (4 ratio or 2 x "great year"; 15 x 1,728)
  • Treta: 19,440 (3 ratio or 1.5 x "great year"; 15 x 1,296)
  • Dvapara: 12,960 (2 ratio or 1 x "great year"; 15 x 864)
  • Kali: 6,480 (1 ratio or 0.5 x "great year"; 15 x 432)

Guénon did not give a start date for Kali Yuga, but instead left clues in his description of the cataclysmic destruction of the Atlantean civilization. His commentator, Jean Robin, in an early 1980s publication, claimed to have decoded this description and calculated that Kali Yuga lasted from 4481 BCE to 1999 CE (2000 CE excluding year 0).[41]

Guénon's yuga cycle (Robin)
Yuga Start Length
Satya 62,801 BCE 25,920
Treta 36,881 BCE 19,440
Dvapara 17,441 BCE 12,960
Kali 4481 BCE – 1999 CE 6,480
Years: 64,800
Current: Satya Yuga [1999 CE – 27,919 CE]. [lower-alpha 2]

Alain Daniélou

Alain Daniélou (1907 – 1994), in his book, While the Gods Play: Shaiva Oracles and Predictions on the Cycles of History and the Destiny of Mankind (1985),[42] proposed a Yuga Cycle of 60,487 years.

Daniélou and René Guénon had some correspondence where they both couldn't accept the extremely large lengths found in the Puranas. Daniélou mostly cited Linga Purana and his calculations are based on a 4,320,000 year Maha Yuga containing (his calculation of 1000 ÷ 14) 71.42 Manvantaras, each containing 4 yugas [4:3:2:1 proportions]. He pegged 3102 BCE as the start of Kali Yuga and placed it after the dawn (Sandhyā). He claimed his dates are accurate to within 50 years, and that the Yuga Cycle started with a great flood and appearance of Cro-Magnon man, and ends with a catastrophe wiping out mankind.[43]

Daniélou's yuga cycle
Yuga Start Length
Satya 58,042 BCE 24,195
Treta 33,848 BCE 18,146
Dvapara 15,703 BCE 12,097
Kali* 3606 BCE – 2442 CE 6,048.72
Years: 60,487
(*) Current. [lower-alpha 2][44]

Godwin found that Daniélou's misunderstanding rests solely on a bad translation of Linga Purana 1.4.7.[45]

See also

Notes
  1. Each Kali Yuga sandhi lasts for 36,000 solar (100 divine) years:
    * Sandhyā: 3102 BCE – 32,899 CE
    * Sandhyānśa: 392,899 CE – 428,899 CE
  2. A common error exists in calculating from 1 BCE to 1 CE as 2 years instead of 1. There is no year zero.

References
  1. Lewis, Ph.D., Charlton T. (1879). A Latin Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 1016. ISBN 0198642016. Jugo: In general, to join, connect. Jugum: [kindred to Sanskrit yuga from yug-, jungere; v. jungo], a yoke for oxen, a collar for horses.
  2. KEY POINTS: Conversion of 1 divine to 360 solar years not covered; instead converts 12,000 Deva years. Yuga length proportions of 4:3:2:1 explained. Yuga sandhyas skipped. Solar lengths given for Satya, Treta, Dwapar and Kali Yuga, with relational equations and lengths for catur-yuga (maha-yuga, deva-yuga, divine-yuga), manvantara, manvantara sandhya, kalpa (day of Brahma), night of Brahma, month of Brahma, year of Brahma, and life of Brahma. Start date given for the current Kali Yuga. Current position given in Brahma's life with rounded length. Time is eternal and infinite. Hindu rite's ashloka read out containing time elapsed in Brahma's life and years elapsed in current yuga.
    — Gupta, Dr. S. V. (2010). "Ch. 1.2.4 Time Measurements". In Hull, Prof. Robert; Osgood, Jr., Prof. Richard M.; Parisi, Prof. Jurgen; Warlimont, Prof. Hans (eds.). Units of Measurement: Past, Present and Future. International System of Units. Google Books. Springer Series in Materials Science: 122. Springer. pp. 6–9. ISBN 9783642007378.
  3. Matchett, Freda; Yano, Michio (2003). "Part II, Ch. 6: The Puranas / Part III, Ch. 18: Calendar, Astrology, and Astronomy". In Flood, Gavin (ed.). The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism. Google Books. Blackwell Publishing. pp. 139–140, 390. ISBN 0631215352.
  4. "Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) 12.2.39". Bhaktivedanta Vedabase. Retrieved 2020-05-10. The cycle of four ages [catur-yugam] — Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali — continues perpetually among living beings on this earth, repeating the same general sequence of events.
  5. KEY POINTS:
    * HINDUISM: Mahayuga ("large yuga") has four yugas, Krita, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali, named after four throws in a dice game, best to worst. Yugas are successively shorter with increased deterioration. Each yuga has "dawn" and "dusk" [Sandhi or Sandhya]. Krita yuga lasts 4,000 god-years with a dawn and dusk, each 400 god-years, total of 4,800 god-years. Total god-years: Treta 3,500; Dvapara 2,400; and Kali (current yuga) 1,200. One god-year lasts 360 human years. Mahayuga lasts 12,000 god-years and observes the usual coefficient of 12, derived from 12-month year, the unit of creation. Mahayuga lasts 4,320,000 human years. 2,000 [incorrect, 1,000] mahayugas form one kalpa (eon), which is one day in the life of Brahma, whose full life lasts 100 years; the present is the midpoint of his life. Kalpa followed by equally long period of abeyance (pralaya), in which the universe is asleep. Universe ends at the end of Brahma's life, but Brahmas too are innumerable, and a new universe is reborn with each new Brahma.
    * KALKI: 10th Vishnu avatar. Prophesied at end of Kali Yuga (current age) when virtue and religion disappear into chaos in a world ruled by unjust men. Kalki destroys the wicked and ushers in a new age, restoring the earth to its initial purity.
    * MANU: A day of Brahma [kalpa] is 14 periods called manvantaras ("Manu intervals"), each lasting 306,720,000 years. World recreated in every secondary cycle [day of Brahma after night]. Present age is seventh Manu cycle.
    * YUGA: Age or eon in Hindu cosmology. Each yuga is shorter than the previous with decline in moral and physical state of humanity. Mahayuga ("great yuga") has four yugas: Krita (Satya), Treta, Dvapara, and Kali. Yugas named after throws of a dice game. First yuga, Krita, lasts 1,728,000 years (age of perfection). Fourth yuga, Kali, lasts 432,000 years and began 3102 BCE (most degenerate age). World destroyed by fire and flood at end of Kali yuga and re-created as the cycle resumes. Kalki destoys the evil forces that rule Kali yuga and ushers in Krita yuga.
    — Doniger, Wendy; Hawley, John Stratton, eds. (1999). "Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions". Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. pp. 445 (Hinduism), 629 (Kalki), 691 (Manu), 1159 (Yuga). ISBN 0877790442.
  6. Godwin 2011, p. 301b: Great Age (Mahayuga).
  7. A kalpa is described as lasting 1,000 Yuga Cycles in Bhagavata Purana 12.4.2 ("catur-yuga") and Bhagavad Gita 8.17 ("yuga"):
    * "Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) 12.4.2". Bhaktivedanta Vedabase. Retrieved 2020-05-10. One thousand cycles of four ages [catur-yuga] constitute a single day of Brahmā, known as a kalpa. In that period, O King, fourteen Manus come and go.
    * "Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 8.17". Bhaktivedanta Vedabase. Retrieved 2020-05-10. By human calculation, a thousand ages [yuga] taken together form the duration of Brahmā’s one day. And such also is the duration of his night.
  8. They are in order Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali, and correspond roughly to the Gold, Silver, Brass and Iron Ages of the classics. The Sanskrit names are called after the sides of a die in descending order of their value in play. Thus Kṛta is the side with four dots, while Kali, being the side with only one dot, is always a certain loser. The connection between dice and the different eras of the world is perhaps not at first evident. It is well explained by H. Jacobi in “Ages of the World,” Hastings’ Ency. Rel. Eth., vol. i, p. 200 et. seq.
    The Rig-Veda, which we may reasonably consider to have been in its present form before 1000 B.C., has references to the use of dice, and one of its hymns (Book 10, 34) is a charm to cure an inveterate and unsuccessful gambler of the compulsion to gamble that has ruined him. In the Atharva Veda, also, gambling with dice is mentioned (2.3; 4.38; 6.118; 7.52; 7.109). The Aryans of Rig-Vedic times made their dice of the vibhidaka-tree nuts, and we do not know how they used them.
  9. Jones, Sir William (1807) [1796]. "The Laws of Menu, Son of Brahma - Chapter The First: On the Creation; with a Summary of the Contents". The Works of Sir William Jones in thirteen volumes. Vol. VII. pp. 102–104.
  10. Bühler, G. (1886). "Ch. 1, The Creation". In Müller, F. Max (ed.). The Sacred Books of the East, translated with extracts from seven commentaries. Vol. XXV. Clarendon Press. pp. 20–22.
  11. Jha, Ganganath (1999) [1920]. "Discourse I - Origin of the Work—Creation of the World—Summary of Contents of the Book.". Manusmriti with the Commentary of Medhatithi in Ten Volumes. Wisdom Library. Adhyāya 1. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 8120811550.
  12. Jha 1999, Ch. 1, Slokas 67, 69, 70-72, 79, 86 Sanskrit, transliteration and translation..
  13. pp. 152-153
  14. Godwin 2011, pp. 298-299: Works and Days (lines 109-301) by Hesiod; Metamorphoses (I, 89-150) by Ovid.
  15. Godwin 2011, pp. 302-304.
  16. Each term has an index of volumes:
    * p. 177: Dvapara, Yuga or age; Dvapara-yuga, do.
    * p. 301: Kali-yuga, age of Kali
    * p. 364: Kritayuga, age; Kritayuga, do.
    — Krishna, Dr. M. H. (1934). Mysore Archeological Survey: Epigraphia Carnatica. Vol. XIII (Part I): General Index. Bangalore: Government Press. pp. 177, 301, 364.
  17. Godwin, Joscelyn (2011). Atlantis and the Cycles of Time: Prophecies, Traditions, and Occult Revelations. Inner Traditions. p. 300-301. ISBN 9781594778575.
  18. Varaha Purana. 32.5: Decline in each yuga. 32.7: His four feet are acclaimed as Guna (quality), Dravya (substance), Kriya (action) and Jati (genus). 32.27: "Bow to you the bull-shaped one with four feet, four horns, three eyes, seven hands and three joints."

    Seems to describe the same bull during an earlier yuga (4 vs. 3 feet) found in Rig Veda 4.58.3: "Four are his horns, three are the feet that bear him; his heads are two, his hands are seven in number. Bound with a triple bond the Steer roars loudly: the mighty God hath entered in to mortals." with the same bull found in Yajur Veda 17.91 "Four are his horns, three are the feet that bear him: his heads are two, his hands are seven in number.".

    Bhagavata Purana. In the age of Satya your four legs were established by the four principles of austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. But it appears that three of your legs are broken due to rampant irreligion in the form of pride, lust for women, and intoxication. You are now standing on one leg only, which is your truthfulness, and you are somehow or other hobbling along. But ... [Kali], flourishing by deceit, is also trying to destroy that leg. Tapas or austerity, Shaucha or cleanliness, Daya or mercy, and Satya or truth. By the start of the Treta Yuga, austerity is gone, and by the start of the Dwapara Yuga cleanliness is gone. Finally, by the time the Kali Yuga comes, only one leg is left standing, namely truth, and even truth is steadily eroded as the Kali Yuga progresses.
  19. "Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) 12.3 Summary". Bhaktivedanta Vedabase. Retrieved 2020-04-17. In the age of Satya, religion was complete, still possessing its four legs of truth, mercy, austerity and charity. With the coming of each succeeding age, starting with Tretā, these religious qualities each diminish by one quarter. In Kali-yuga the legs of religion retain only one fourth of their power, and even that will be lost with the progress of the age. The mode of goodness is predominant during Satya-yuga, and the mode of passion is predominant during the Tretā-yuga. The mixed modes of passion and ignorance are predominant during Dvāpara-yuga, and in the Age of Kali the mode of ignorance is predominant.
  20. The Bhagavata Purana (1.18.6), Vishnu Purana (5.38.8), and Brahma Purana (2.103.8) state that the day Krishna left the earth was the day that the Dvapara Yuga ended and the Kali Yuga began:
    — "Skanda I, Ch. 18: Curse of the Brahmana, Sloka 6". Bhagavata Purana. Part I. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited. 1950. p. 137. On the very day, and at the very moment the Lord [Krishna] left the earth, on that very day this Kali, the source of irreligiousness, (in this world), entered here.
    — Wilson, H. H. (1895). "Book V, Ch. 38: Arjuna burns the dead, etc., Sloka 8". The Vishnu Purana. S.P.C.K. Press. p. 61. The Parijata tree proceeded to heaven, and on the same day that Hari [Krishna] departed from the earth the dark-bodied Kali age descended.
    — "Ch. 103, Episode of Krsna concluded, Sloka 8". Brahma Purana. Part II. Motilal Banarsidass. 1955. p. 515. It was on the day on which Krishna left the Earth and went to heaven that the Kali age, with time for its body set in.
  21. See Surya-Siddhanta: A Textbook of Hindu Astronomy, trans. Ebenezer Burgess, Journal of the American Oriental Society, 6 (1860): 161-168. Reprinted Minneapolis: Wizards Book Shelf, 1978.
  22. Godwin 2011, p. 301: The Hindu astronomers agree that the Kali Yuga began at midnight between February 17 and 18, 3102 BCE.[21] Consequently it is due to end about 427,000 CE, whereupon a new Golden Age will dawn.
  23. "Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) 9.10.51". Bhaktivedanta Vedabase. Retrieved 2020-05-18. Lord Rāmacandra became King during Tretā-yuga, but because of His good government, the age was like Satya-yuga. Everyone was religious and completely happy.
  24. Knapp, Stephen. "Lord Rama: Fact or Fiction". Stephen Knapp and His Books on Vedic Culture, Eastern Philosophy and Spirituality. Retrieved 2020-05-17. In the Vayu Purana (70.47-48) [published by Motilal Banarsidass] there is a description of the length of Ravana’s life. It explains that when Ravana’s merit of penance began to decline, he met Lord Rama, the son of Dasarath, in a battle wherein Ravana and his followers were killed in the 24th Treta-yuga. ... The Matsya Purana (47/240,243-246) is another source that also gives more detail of various avataras and says Bhagawan Rama appeared at the end of the 24th Treta-yuga.
  25. Mani, Vettam (1975). "RAKTAJA". A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Puranic Encyclopedia. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 630(b). ISBN 0842608222. In Padma Purana (Chapter 14). Devendra raised a legal objection to the above injunction of Vishnu as follows: "You, who incarnated yourself as Rama in the twentyseventh yuga of the last Manvantara for the purpose of killing Ravana, killed my son Bali. Therefore I do not wish to procreate Nara as my son." To this objection of Indra, Vishnu assured him that as a penalty for the mistake of killing Bali, he would be a companion of Nara (Arjuna) who would be born as Indra's son.
  26. Burgess, Ebenezer (1860). "Ch. I, Of the Mean Motions of the Planets". Translation of the Sûrya-Siddhânta: A text-book of Hindu astronomy, with notes and an appendix. Google Books. Journal of the American Oriental Society. pp. 7–12.
  27. Krishnamurthy, Prof. V. (2019). "Ch. 20: The Cosmic Flow of Time as per Scriptures". Meet the Ancient Scriptures of Hinduism. Google Books. Notion Press. ISBN 9781684669387. According to the traditional time-keeping ... Thus in Brahma's calendar the present time may be coded as his 51st year - first month - first day - 7th manvantara - 28th maha-yuga - 4th yuga or kaliyuga.
  28. Godwin 2011, pp. 299-301: Vishnu Purana, translated by the great Sanskritist Horace Hayman Wilson.
  29. Yukteswar, Swami Sri (1990) [1894]. The Holy Science [Kaivalya Darsanam]. Self-Realization Fellowship. pp. 7–17. ISBN 0876120516.
  30. Yukteswar 1990, pp. 15-17.
  31. Godwin 2011, pp. 331-332.
  32. Yukteswar 1990, pp. 9-13.
  33. Yukteswar 1990, pp. 7-8, 10.
  34. Godwin 2011, pp. 332-333.
  35. Godwin 2011, pp. 330-331.
  36. Godwin 2011, pp. 330, 331, 332.
  37. Godwin 2011, pp. 333-334.
  38. Guénon, René (2001) [1970]. Fohr, Samuel D. (ed.). Traditional Forms & Cosmic Cycles [Formes Traditionnelles et Cycles Cosmiques]. Google Books. Translated by Fohr, Henry D. Sophia Perennis. pp. 5–8. ISBN 0900588179.
  39. Godwin 2011, pp. 305-306.
  40. Godwin 2011, p. 306.
  41. Godwin 2011, pp. 306-307.
  42. Daniélou, Alain (1987) [1985]. While the Gods Play: Shaiva Oracles and Predictions on the Cycles of History and the Destiny of Mankind [La Fantaisie des Dieux et L'Aventure Humaine]. Google Books. Translated by Bailey, Barbara; Baker, Michael. Inner Traditions International. pp. 193–198. ISBN 0892811153.
  43. Godwin 2011, pp. 307-310.
  44. Godwin 2011, p. 309: Daniélou said his figures are accurate to within fifty years.
  45. Godwin 2011, p. 308.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.