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.
