Yugas

It is believed that in different ages ‘Yugas’ there lived on this earth more powerful species of humans for many more years than in the current age of ‘Kali Yuga’. A Yuga is considered as an era consisting of four ages namely Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga and Kali Yuga where virtue gradually declines by a quarter in each age starting from a one hundred percent virtuous age and sin gradually increases so that Kali Yuga has three quarters of sinners.

There are two calculations regarding the actual duration of each Yuga. By one methodology, converting the 12,000 years of the Gods into earth years, one Maha Yuga consisting of the four Yugas is said to be 432,000 times (4+3+2+1) that is 4.32 million years long. 71 Maha Yugas are said to make one ‘Manvantara’ and after each ‘Manvantara’ there follows a ‘Samdhi Kala’  when the earth is submerged in water for 1.72 million years but living beings are reborn without destroying the earth or the solar system (minor Pralaya). 1000 Maha Yugas is 1 Kalpa or 1 day of Brahma. Mathematically this comes to 14 Manvataras and 15 Samdhi Kalas (sandhya Kalas and twilight). Thus 8.64 billion years is one day and one night of Brahma that is 2 Kalpa.

After one day of Brahma, there follows a ‘Naimittik Pralaya’ during the one night of Brahma (which is said to be the equal time of 1000 Maha Yugas when the world is dissolved). The lower ten ‘Lokas’ are destroyed but the four Lokas, Satya-Loka, TapaLoka, Jana Loka, and Maha-Loka are preserved.  In this time it is said that Brahma is resting for one night.) Brahma lives for 100 years (each 50 year span is called ‘Parardha’ and each year of Brahma is for 360 days). At the end of the 100 years there is a ‘Maha Pralaya’ where all 14 Lokas are dissolved and all creation completes one cycle and begins the next cycle.  

Within each day of Brahma, there are 14 Manvantaras (each consisting of 71 Maha Yugas) and in each of these Manvantara all humans descend from one ‘Manu’ (the first man created by Brahma in that Manvantara) whereas in Indra Loka the ‘Indra’ changes for each Manvantara.  Also in each Maha Yuga, from time to time the Supreme God takes an ‘Avatar’ (incarnation) to appear on earth and eradicate evil thus reinforcing righteousness (Dharma) in answer to calls and prayers from devotees. The most prominently known Avatars are the ‘Dashavtars’ (ten incarnations) of Lord Vishnu who is said to have assumed four Avatars in the Satya Yuga, three Avatars in the Treta Yuga, two in the Dvapara Yuga and one avatar in Kali Yuga still awaited. 

One interpretation of all these Vedic calculations puts the age of Brahma in this cycle at 50 years claiming we are in the first day of the year 51. Within this day, six Manvantaras have apparently elapsed and in this seventh Manvantara 27 Maha Yugas are now over.  We are in the fourth Yuga, Kali Yuga of the Maha Yuga 28.  This Yuga began in 3102 BC. Thereby just considering this day of Brahma the total earth years elapsed so far would be 1.98 billion years approx [(6*71*4.32 million + 7 Samdhi Kala = 1.852 billion years) + (27*4.32 million) + (3.88 million years of the 3 Yugas in this Maha Yuga 28)+ 5113 years of the current Kali Yuga] . The time elapsed in this Manvantara (if civilization was wiped out after each of the last six) would be roughly 121 million years. In just the current Maha Yuga 3.88 million years have elapsed. Considering all the 50 divine years of Brahma in addition, the age of the universe becomes 155.52 trillion years (8.64 million * 1000 *30 *12 *50)

Modern science estimates the age of earth to be about 4.54 billion years (not 1.98) and the age of the universe to be about 13.8 billion years (not 1.55 trillion). The first homo sapiens are said to have evolved about 3 to 5 million years old (the current Maha Yuga has 3.88 million years so far). Thus the calculations mostly cannot be correlated and to this end the mystery of creation thereby remains partially unsolved. Also different interpretations of the Vedic calculations of ages exist. Another oft quoted interpretation claims that one Maha Yuga actually consists of 12,000 human years rather than divine years (4800+ 3600+2400+1200 for each of the four Yugas respectively). Also suggested is that after the Yugas complete their descending cycle from Satya (or Krita), Treta, Dvapara and Kali Yuga, they then begin an ascending cycle starting with the Kali Yuga.  Where some similarity is found between these Vedic descriptions with western concepts is in the story of the seventh Manu, ‘Satyavrata’. He is credited with having saved mankind from a great flood (after the sixth Manvantara) with the help of the ‘Matsya Avatar’ of Lord Vishnu by building a giant boat. 

Ishwara

Atman, Brahman and Ishwara are considered ultimately one and the same.

Ishwara is the manifestation of Brahman.  It is said that Ishwara is like the reflection of the Cosmic Spirit seen through the mirror of ‘Maya’.  Ishwara is the instrumental cause of creation on the basis of ‘Dharma’ and ‘Karma’ using his divine power (Maya). Ishwara is able to alter the jiva’s destiny based on prayer and effort of the self (jiva-atma). However the creation of the jiva and jagat will not be possible by Ishwara and Maya unless Brahman remains the substratum present in all creation. 

When seen as a creator of the world Ishwara is called ‘Brahma’, when seen as the preserver of the world, Ishwara is called ‘Vishnu’ and when seen as the destroyer of this world prior to creation of the new world, Ishwara is called ‘Shiva’.  It is said that Lord Vishnu represents complete ‘ Satvik Guna’ preserving and maintaining goodness. Lord Brahma made of the ‘rajas Guna’ is full of passion and responsible for creation. Lord Shiva dominated by the ‘tamas Guna’ is responsible for the destruction of the world. The trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh (Shiva) are also known as ‘Guna Avatars’. In the Advaita Smarta philosophy Ishwara in the form of Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti (Durga, Devi), Ganesha, Kartikeya (also known as Murugan/Skanda) and Surya are all considered to personify the Supreme God Brahman.

Just as the world is only an empirical reality, Ishwara is also empirically real but not the absolute truth. Similarly other Deities are also considered to exist and may be considered of a lower order known as ‘Devas’ or angels. These Devas are said to reside in ‘Indra Loka’  or ‘Swar Loka’ and Indra Deva is their leader. There are said to be fourteen ‘Lokas’ (worlds or planes of existence) and there are various interpretations of these Lokas. Some say they are worlds one above the other whereas another interpretation is of every larger spheres or spaces. The sphere of Lokas seem to describe the larger creation all part of ‘Jagat’ which is not restricted to just this world as we humans know it and experience it in this life.

The three Lokas starting from the earth are described as as the Bhu Loka (earth), Bhuvar Loka (region from earth to sun) and Swar Loka (the entire solar system which is said to be the abode of the Devas), The fourth, Mahaloka is said to be the stellar space as Hindu astrology divides the space visible to humans from earth into 27 nakshatras or constellations of stars each one based on one prominent star. The ‘Mahaloka’ is where saints reside and are therefore more powerful than the Devas living in Swarloka. ‘Janaloka ‘ is said to be encompassing Mahaloka and is seen to be the galaxy ‘Milky Way’ thus being the abode of all living beings of this galaxy including humans, Devas and others. Still greater is the ‘TapaLoka’ which is said to be the region of space that contains multiple galaxies which are grouped with the Milky Way galaxy. Therefore other inter galactic civilizations reside here.  ‘Satya Loka’ is the greatest of all containing all galaxies and the whole universe and this is rightly therefore the abode of ‘Brahman’ and thus also known as ‘Brahmand’.  

The other seven ‘Lokas’ associated with hell are Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Rasatala, Talatala, Maha Tala and Patala which are smaller spheres than the earth, said to be below the earth. Some define these as the layers beneath the surface of the earth which make up the surfaces all the way to the crust of the earth which rages like hell-fire.

Thus the Vedic scriptures are interpreted by some to say that the Universe is a mighty hierarchy of living beings, super human, human and sub human although it follows that Devas and other beings described in the mythology may be in non physical forms suitable for existence in spaces such as our solar system, other galactic planets and stars. At the head of the hierarchy stands the One representing the first step taken by Atman on the path of self limitation or self sacrifice. As per this explanation, humans have devolved from higher living beings as each being has manifested from the highest state of pure consciousness. This belief that proposes that human beings have not evolved from other animals, but they have devolved down from a spiritual world posits that when the human soul is released after death, depending on its good deeds it ascends higher or lower. Very good souls get the opportunity to rise all the way to Swar Loka and beyond thus taking birth in other higher civilizations in their next ‘life’. Whereas some souls remain in the spiritual space above the earth and take rebirth in human form or still lower forms depending on their previous ‘Karma’. According to some schools of thought Hindu scriptures suggest that each living creature was created by Ishwara and none evolved from another living being as is commonly believed in science. There are said to be totally 8.4 million species of living beings in the whole of creation. 900,000 species of aquatic, 2,000,000 species of plants, 1,100,000 species of insects, 1,000,000 species of birds, 3,000,000 species of beasts and 400,000 species of human beings. Not all these species are present on this planet and not all are present at the same time.

If one were to believe in the empirical existence of Ishwara, Devas and Lokas (even though not in the same spatial and temporal dimensions that humans comprehend), does that mean that creation begins with the same energy ‘Maya’ and dominance of positive, negative or neutral energy are manifested as the trinity of Gods?

Some knowledge of these Devas from the Vedas must be real and rest must be human imagination superimposed upon the Devas. Just like the Greek Gods these Devas are perhaps the manifestations of Brahman for another ‘Loka’ and human beings who are less perfect and less powerful than these Devas have been created for ‘earth’. (Neither apes at one point converted into humans and nor did the Devas at one point convert into human form. Just the avatar of Brahman or manifestation of Brahman i.e. Ishwara’s creation started with highest order beings i.e. Devas, then humans may have been created and then animals and other lower order beings) When the next cycle came, depending on karma of the universe, some of these beings were not present in some cycles of the universe and then returned to existence in next cycle which may explain why modern science thinks that lower order animals actually pre-date humans.

However it is not clear what exact form these Devas are in. Whether they have a physical form as depicted in mythology  or a spiritual form so they can reside anywhere including in our mind is not clear. In many other Hindu teachings Ishwara is said to be a perception of the mind and thus Devas or Deities are said to reside in the mind. Ishwara is said to be Brahman in a form that the limited human mind can comprehend. The Lokas are said to correspond to layers of imagination of the mind.

The verse from the ‘Rig Veda’ (‘Nasadiya Sukta’) as translated in Wikipedia is quite apt:

.......’ But, after all, who knows, and who can say

Whence it all came, and how creation happened?

the gods themselves are later than creation,

so who knows truly whence it has arisen?’........