YUGA
- THE VEDIC TIMES
Yuga in Sanskrit means time or age.
For Brahmanism there are four yugas: starts with the Satya yuga, Treta yuga,
Dvapara yuga and Kali yuga.
CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH YUGA:
Satya Yuga (also known as Krita Yuga "Golden
Age"): The first and best Yuga. It was the age of truth and perfection.
The Krita Yuga was so named because there was but one religion, and all men
were saintly: therefore they were not required to perform religious ceremonies.
Humans were gigantic, powerfully built, honest, youthful, vigorous, erudite and
virtuous. The Vedas were one. All mankind could attain to supreme blessedness.
There was no agriculture or mining as the earth yielded those riches on its own.
Weather was pleasant and everyone was happy. There were no religious sects.
There was no disease, decrepitude or fear of anything.
Treta Yuga: Is considered to be the second Yuga in order;
however Treta means the "Third". In this age, virtue diminishes slightly.
At the beginning of the age, many emperors rise to dominance and conquer the
world. Wars become frequent and weather begins to change to extremities. Oceans
and deserts are formed. People become slightly diminished compared to their
predecessors. Agriculture, labour and mining become existent.
Dvapara Yuga: Is considered to be the third Yuga in
order. Dvapara means "two pair" or "after two". In this
age, people become tainted with Tamasic qualities and aren't as strong as their
ancestors. Diseases become rampant. Humans are discontent and fight each other.
Vedas are divided into four parts. People still possess characteristics of
youth in old age. Average lifespan of humans is around a few centuries.
Kali Yuga: The final age. It is the age of darkness
and ignorance. People become sinners and lack virtue. They become slaves to
their passions and are barely as powerful as their earliest ancestors in the
Satya Yuga. Society falls into disuse and people become liars and hypocrites.
Knowledge is lost and scriptures are diminished. Humans eat forbidden and dirty
food. The environment is polluted, water and food become scarce. Wealth is
heavily diminished. Families become non-existent. By the end of Kali Yuga the
average lifespan of humans will be as low as 70 years.
According
to one Puranic astronomical estimate, the four Yuga have the following
durations:
Satya Yuga equals 1,728,000 Human years
Together,
these four yuga constitute one Mahayuga and equal 4.32 million human years.According
to one version, there are 1,000 Mahayugas in one day of Brahma 4.32 billion
human years. A Mahakalpa consists of 100 years of Brahma.
According
to Srimad Bhagavatam 3.11.19, which is dated around the 400–500 BC, the Yugas
are much longer, using a divine year in which one day is equal to one human
year, thus:
one year of the demigods is equal to 360 years of
the human beings.
The
Viṣṇu Purāṇa Time measurement section of the Viṣṇu Purāṇa Book I Chapter III
adds:
2 Ayanas (6-month periods, see above) = 1 human year
or 1 day of the devas.
While
the long yuga count is the most popular, it does not correlate to any known
celestial motion found in the Astronomical Almanac. The value of 24,000 years
fits relatively close with the modern astronomical calculation of one full
precession of the equinox, which takes 25,772 years. Thus the yuga cycle may
have some basis in known terrestrial cycles. Srimad Bhagavatam 3.11.19
describes the timespans of the demigods, in which a year of a yuga is a year of
the demigods. It is this second sloka which appears to have been modified over
the years.
DECLINE OF YUGAS
The
ages see a gradual decline of dharma, wisdom, knowledge, intellectual
capability, life span, emotional and physical strength.
In
the present days we may be said to live in a Kali Yuga, which is said to have
started in 3102 BCE with the end of the Mahabharata war. This date is also
considered by many Hindus to be the day that Krishna left Earth and went
to his abode.
REFERENCES:
Bryan E.
Penprase. The power of star. Springer.
Ramai Pandita Das (Rega,
RMS) – BBiomedSc, MSc (UERJ/USP)
Yuga in Sanskrit means time or age. For Brahmanism there are four yugas: starts with the Satya yuga, Treta yuga, Dvapara yuga and Kali yuga.
CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH YUGA:
Treta Yuga: Is considered to be the second Yuga in order; however Treta means the "Third". In this age, virtue diminishes slightly. At the beginning of the age, many emperors rise to dominance and conquer the world. Wars become frequent and weather begins to change to extremities. Oceans and deserts are formed. People become slightly diminished compared to their predecessors. Agriculture, labour and mining become existent.
Dvapara Yuga: Is considered to be the third Yuga in order. Dvapara means "two pair" or "after two". In this age, people become tainted with Tamasic qualities and aren't as strong as their ancestors. Diseases become rampant. Humans are discontent and fight each other. Vedas are divided into four parts. People still possess characteristics of youth in old age. Average lifespan of humans is around a few centuries.
Kali Yuga: The final age. It is the age of darkness and ignorance. People become sinners and lack virtue. They become slaves to their passions and are barely as powerful as their earliest ancestors in the Satya Yuga. Society falls into disuse and people become liars and hypocrites. Knowledge is lost and scriptures are diminished. Humans eat forbidden and dirty food. The environment is polluted, water and food become scarce. Wealth is heavily diminished. Families become non-existent. By the end of Kali Yuga the average lifespan of humans will be as low as 70 years.
According to one Puranic astronomical estimate, the four Yuga have the following durations:
Together, these four yuga constitute one Mahayuga and equal 4.32 million human years.According to one version, there are 1,000 Mahayugas in one day of Brahma 4.32 billion human years. A Mahakalpa consists of 100 years of Brahma.
According to Srimad Bhagavatam 3.11.19, which is dated around the 400–500 BC, the Yugas are much longer, using a divine year in which one day is equal to one human year, thus:
The Viṣṇu Purāṇa Time measurement section of the Viṣṇu Purāṇa Book I Chapter III adds:
While the long yuga count is the most popular, it does not correlate to any known celestial motion found in the Astronomical Almanac. The value of 24,000 years fits relatively close with the modern astronomical calculation of one full precession of the equinox, which takes 25,772 years. Thus the yuga cycle may have some basis in known terrestrial cycles. Srimad Bhagavatam 3.11.19 describes the timespans of the demigods, in which a year of a yuga is a year of the demigods. It is this second sloka which appears to have been modified over the years.
DECLINE OF YUGAS
In the present days we may be said to live in a Kali Yuga, which is said to have started in 3102 BCE with the end of the Mahabharata war. This date is also considered by many Hindus to be the day that Krishna left Earth and went to his abode.
REFERENCES: