Mahabharata Quiz - 17

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Question - 17

There is also a notion that a Yuga has 12,000 years, classified into Krita, Treta, Dwapara and Kali. How is it justified?

Answer:

The yuga duration running into lakhs of years (refer Question -16) is also expressed in small numbers pertaining to the year of the 'Deva-s' having 12,000 Divya years which are equal to 43,20,000 human years. 

A human year = 1 solar year

1 solar year = 1 day of the Deva-s.

360 solar years = 360 days of the Deva-s = 1 year of the Deva-s.

Applying this equation to the four yugas explained earlier,

Kali yuga = 4,32,000 / 360 = 1200 Deva years

Dwapara yuga = 8,64,000 / 360 = 2400 Deva years

Treta yuga = 12,96,000 / 360 = 3600 Deva years

Kṛta Yuga = 17,28,000 / 360 = 4800 Deva years

The equation is, 43,20,000 solar years (applicable to human life) = 12,000 Deva years.

A thousand of 12,000 Deva years constitute a day of Brahma. 

= 12,000 x 1000 = 1,20,00,000 Deva years

Equating it with the solar years followed by us,

432,00,00,000 solar years = 1,20,00,000 Deva years.

This is the duration of a Kalpa which means a day or night of Creator God, the Four-faced Brahma. 

To express the time period in Deva Years, the 12,000 Divya year classification was given. 

The Deva year duration given in many texts is mis-construed as solar years applicable to human life on earth, such that we often come across people wrongly promoting the Deva year duration of 12,000 in a Catur Maha yuga to the yuga classification for human life. Readers must be cautious in not making that mistake.

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