Yuga (Devanāgari: युग) in Hindu philosophy refers to
an 'epoch' or 'era' within a cycle of four ages: the Satya Yuga (or Krita Yuga), the Treta Yuga, the Dvapara
Yuga and finally the Kali Yuga, which are equated with Roman Golden, Silver, Bronze and
Iron Ages respectively by E. Burgess [1]. As per
Indian astronomy and Hindu Mythology the world is created, destroyed and recreated
every 4,320,000 years (Maha Yuga) [2]. The cycles are said to repeat like the seasons, waxing and waning within a
greater time-cycle of the creation and destruction of the universe. Like Summer, Spring, Winter and Fall each yuga involves
stages or gradual changes that the earth and the consciousness of mankind goes through as a whole. A complete yuga cycle from a
high Golden Age of enlightment to a Dark Age and back again is said to be caused by the solar system's motion around a central
sun.
The spiritual states of civilization in each yuga
In Puranic Hindu tradition, the world goes through a continuous cycle of these epochs. Each
ascending phase of the cycle from Kali Yuga to Satya Yuga is followed by a descending phase of equal length back to Kali Yuga,
then another ascending phase and so on. Alternatively, it is sometimes supposed that at the end of the descending Kali Yuga, the
world will return to the Satya Yuga, and begin a new decline.
The descent from Satya to Kali is associated with a progressive deterioration of Dharma
(righteousness) manifested as a decrease in the length of human life and quality of human moral standards. In the
Vishnu Purana, for example, the Kali yuga is described thus:
"In the Kali Yuga, there will be numerous rulers vying with each other. They will have no character. Violence, falsehood and
wickedness will be the order of the day. Piety and good nature will dwindle slowly... Passion and lust will be the only
attraction between the sexes. Women will be the objects of sensual pleasure. Dishonest will be the bottom line of subsistence.
Learned people will be ridiculed and put to shame; the word of the wealthy person will be the only law."
Ascending and descending ages based on descriptions from
Sri Yukteswar.
The traditional virtues accorded the highest value in the four epochs are:
- Satya Yuga or Krita Yuga: dhyana (meditation). In the highest yuga, the great majority of
people can experience spirituality by direct intuitive realization of truth. The veil between the material and the transcendent
realms becomes almost transparent. According to Natya Shastra, there are no
Natya performances in the Krita Yuga because it is a period free from any kind of
unhappiness or misery. Satya Yuga is also called the Golden Age.
- Treta Yuga: yajna (sacrifice). Treta Yuga is the mental age. Mental power is harnessed
and men are in power, there are inventions that dissolve the illusion of time (inventions are characteristic of both Dvapara and
Treta yugas.) Clairvoyance and telepathy are common knowledge.
- Dvapara Yuga: archana (worship). In Dvapara Yuga, science flourishes, people experience
the spiritual in terms of subtle energies and rational choices, inventions are abundant, particularly those that dissolve the
illusion of distance (between people and between things), and power is mostly in the hands of women. The end of this age (in the
descending phase) is associated with the death of Krishna, and the events described in the
Mahabharata.
- Kali Yuga: daana (alms). In the lowest epoch, Kali Yuga, most people are aware only of the
physical aspects of existence, the predominant emphasis of living is material survival, and power is mostly in the hands of men.
Men have no knowledge of electricity, magnetism or subtle forces of nature. People's relationship with the spiritual is governed
predominantly by superstition and by authority.
Temples, wars, and writing are hallmarks of Dvapara and Kali yugas. In the higher ages (Treta and Satya), writing is
unnecessary because people communicate directly by thought; temples are unnecessary because people feel the omnipresence of God;
wars are rare but they do occur - one such war is described in the Ramayana.
The Hindu texts[citation needed] say the four yugas equal 4,320,000 years, or a mahayuga. 1,000 mahayugas or 4.32 billion years equal one kalpa. The traditional[citation needed] timescale of the yugas is as follows:
- Satya Yuga or Krita Yuga - 1,728,000 years
- Treta Yuga - 1,296,000 years
- Dvapara Yuga - 864,000 years
- Kali Yuga - 432,000 years
Hence, Hindu scripture says[citation needed] the length of the yugas maintain a 4,3,2,1 ratio to each other, with the
Krita or Satya lasting 4000 years (plus a 400 year transition in and out) for a total of 4800 years, the Treta equals 3000 years
(plus a 300 year transition in and out) for a total of 3600 years, the Dwapara last 2000 years (plus a 200 year transition in and
out) for a total of 2400 years and the Kali 1000 years (plus a 100 year transition in and out) for a total of 1200 years. All the
epochs together equal 12,000 years (or divine years) in the ascending phase and 12,000 years in the descending phase. One
complete cycle is said to be equal to, and celestially observed as one precession of the equinox, according to Sri Yukteswar (see
below). This four yugas consists of 10 parts of 432,000 years i.e 4,320,000 years . The Krita Yuga lasts for 4 parts; the name
has the same consonants T and R of the word Chatur (four). The Threta Yuga consists of Tri (three) parts as it is apparent in the
name 'Treta'. The Dvapara Yuga lasts for Dva (two) parts as it is apparent in the name 'Dvapara'. The Kali Yuga lasts for Eka
(one) part; the consonant K appears in the name Kali.
Upon conclusion of seventy-one circuits of this cycle, there is a period equally long during which the world is inundated;
then the cycle begins again.
Sri Yukteswar's teachings on the yugas
An alternative view of the yuga cycle and timescale was taught by the 19th/20th-century Indian yogi Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, guru of
Paramahansa Yogananda.
In his book, The Holy Science, Sri Yukteswar explains that the descending phase of
Satya Yuga lasts 4800 years, Treta Yuga 3600 years, Dwapara Yuga 2400 years, and Kali Yuga 1200 years. The ascending phase of
Kali Yuga then begins, also lasting 1200 years; and so on. The ascending phase of Kali Yuga began in September of
499 AD. Since September 1699, we have been in the ascending phase of
Dwapara Yuga, according to Sri Yukteswar.
In The Holy Science, Sri Yukteswar writes that the traditional or long count view is
based on a misunderstanding. He says that at the end of the last descending Dvapara Yuga
(about 700 BC), "Maharaja Yudhisthira, noticing the
appearance of the dark Kali Yuga, made over his throne to his grandson [and]...together with all of his wise men...retired to the
Himalaya Mountains...Thus there was none in the court...who could understand the principle of correctly accounting the ages of
the several Yugas."
According to Sri Yukteswar, nobody wanted to announce the bad news of the beginning of the ascending Kali Yuga, so they just
kept adding years to the Kali date (at that time 2400 Kali). As the Kali began to ascend again, scholars of the time recognized
that there was a mistake in the date (then being called 3600+ Kali, although their texts said Kali had only 1200 years). "By way
of reconciliation, they fancied that 1200 years, the real age of Kali, were not the ordinary years of our earth, but were so many
daiva (or deva) years ("years of the gods"), consisting of 12 daiva months of 30 daiva days each, with each
daiva day being equal to one ordinary solar year of our earth. Hence according to these men 1200 years of Kali Yuga must
be equal to 432,000 years of our earth."
Sri Yukteswar explains that just as the cycle of day and night is caused by a celestial motion (the earth spinning on its axis
in relation to the sun), and just as the cycle of the seasons are caused by a celestial motion (the earth with tilted axis
orbiting the sun) so too is the yuga cycle (seen as the precession of the equinox), caused by a celestial motion. He explains
this celestial motion is the movement of the whole solar system around another star. As our sun moves through this orbit it takes
the solar system (and earth) closer to and then further from a point in space known as the "grand centre" also called
'Vishnunabhi', which is the seat of the creative power, 'Brahma', [which]...regulates...the mental virtue of the internal world."
He implies that it is the proximity of the earth and sun to this grand centre that determines which season of man or yuga it
is.
While astronomers recognize that most stars orbit one or more companion stars, as of this date, very few astronomers believe
our sun has a companion star or that the precession of the equinox could be the observable of such a motion.
References
- ^ cf. Surya Siddhanta, commentary by E. Burgess.
- ^ World Mythology, By Donna G. Rosenberg, Published 1994 McGraw-Hill
Professional, ISBN 0844257672, Page 327
External links
See also
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
