Yuga
Yuga (Devnāgari: युग) refers in Hindu cosmology to an epoch of humankind. Each cycle of the cosmos is divided into four such eras: 1) Satya Yuga, 2) Treta Yuga, 3) Dvapara Yuga and 4) Kali Yuga. Since the Hindu notion of time is circular rather than linear, the universe is considered to be in a continual cycle through these four periods of time. As time progresses from stage to stage, human society in each yuga degrades to a level lower than that of the yuga before it, culminating in the destruction of the existing order at the end of the Kali Yuga. After this, the blissful Satya Yuga begins anew. Alternatively, Each descending phase of the cycle from Kali Yuga to Satya Yuga is followed by an ascending phase back to Kali Yuga, then another descending phase and so on.
The descent from Satya Yuga to Kali Yuga is associated with a progressive deterioration of Dharma (or "righteousness"), manifested most obviously by a pronounced decrease in the quality of human moral standards and religious piety. Also, the descent of the yugas is marked by a decrease in the length of human life. Temples, wars, and extensive religious writing are hallmarks of the lower Dvapara and Kali yugas. In the higher ages of Treta and Satya, writing is unnecessary because people communicate directly by thought; temples are also unnecessary because people continually feel the omnipresence of God. Wars are rare in the higher ages but they do occur.
Time Scale
The traditional timescale of the yugas suggests that the Satya Yuga lasts 1,728,000 years, the Treta Yuga 1,296,000 years, the Dvapara Yuga 864,000 years and the Kali Yuga 432,000 years. As this list indicates, each yuga is progressively shorter. In total, a complete cycle constitutes 4,320,000 years, a period of time which is said to be a day and night for the creator god Brahma. This period of time is also known as a mahayuga ("great yuga"). A period of 2000 mahayugas constitutes a kalpa, which is the fundamental cosmic cycle in Hinduism. Hindu cosmology states that upon the conclusion of seventy-one circuits of this cycle, there is a period equally long during which the universe is dormant, after which the cycle starts over again.
Not all agree with this traditional timescale. According to Sri Yukteswar Giri, guru of Paramahansa Yogananda, the traditional view is based on a misunderstanding, since nobody wanted to announce the bad news of the beginning of the ascending Kali Yuga, and continually added years to the Dwapara date. 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 C.E. Since September 1699, we have been in the ascending phase of Dwapara Yuga, according to Sri Yukteswar. Evidence exists to support Sri Yukteswar's theory. For example, the average life span is getting longer.
The Yugas
Satya Yuga
The Satya Yuga (alternatively known as the Krita Yuga) is characterized by a harmonious, pious society, not unlike the Golden Age in Greek mythology. In this age, the great majority of the 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 is no Natya performances in the Krita Yuga because it is a period free from any kind of unhappiness or misery. The virtue accorded highest value in this epoch is meditation (dhyana).
Treta Yuga
Treta Yuga is the mental age, mental power is harnessed, men are in power, and inventions dissolve the illusion of time. (Inventions are characteristic of both Dvapara and Treta yugas.) The virtue accorded highest value in this epoch is yajna (sacrifice). This Yuga saw the incarnation of the fifth, sixth and seventh avatars of Vishnu: Vamana, Parashurama, and Rama, respectively. Although this age was not usually marked by warfare, it was during this time period when the war which is recounted in the Ramayana occurred, wherein Rama conquered the evil King Ravana.
Dvapara Yuga
In Dwapara 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 is associated with the death of Krishna, and the events described in the Mahabharata, including the all-important dialouge between Krishna and Arjuna recorded in the Bhagavadgita. The virtue accorded highest value in this epoch is archana (worship).
Kali Yuga
In the Kali Yuga, the phase in which we are currently said to be in, most people are aware only of the physical aspect of existence, the predominant emphasis of living is material survival, and power is mostly in the hands of men. People's relationship with the spiritual is governed predominantly by superstition and by authority. The virtue accorded highest value in this epoch is daana (alms).
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."
Symbolism
The four Yugas have been represented symbolically based upon the character of humanity in that given age. The Satya Yuga is represented by a man carrying a small piece of a wooden pot or (or the Sanskrit kamandalu). The Treta Yuga is symbolized by a man carrying a Cow and an Anchor. The Dvapara Yuga is represented by a man carrying a bow and and axe (or Parashu). The Kali Yuga meanwhile, is symbolized by an ugly naked man who grips his genitals in a lascivious gesture.
If the above descriptions are observed carefully, one realizes that these symbolizations not only suggest the moral devolution of human society, but also its technological advancements. In the first yuga there is a development of pottery, language and sacrificial rituals etc. The second yuga sees the development and mastery of agriculture. The third yuga witnesses the development of sophisticated weaponry whereby the agricultural society, which has now come to live in territorial groups, and their generated wealth, needs to be protected. The last yuga suggests the complete anarchy which develops out of a society which has become dependent on the ubiquity of its technology and has thusly shirked religious practice. At the height of its atheistic cosmopolitanism, humanity has in the Kali Yuga given up on the values from which it originally grew, a circumstance which Hinduism considers to be the last phase in the development of any society.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Dhallapiccola, Anna. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend. London: Thames & Hudson, 2004. ISBN 0-500-51088-1
- Vishnu Purana — translation
- "Yuga." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 1 May 2007 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9078132>.
- Yukteswar Giri. The Holy Science. Yogoda Satsanga Society, 1949.
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