Recap:
·
The 5-year Yuga was conceived sometime
after the episode of Mārtanda,
the blurred sun of the Younger Dryas period the
ended c. 11,700 BCE. The conjunction of the sun
and the moon at the beginning of Uttarayana marked the first year of the 5 year
Yuga.
·
The Catur Maha
Yuga running into lakhs of years was conceived after Saturn was
discovered in the Younger Dryas period. After the discovery of all the nine
planets (that include the sun and the moon and the nodal points of the moon), the
orbital cycles were observed and calculated that facilitated the computation of
the conjunction of the all
of them at one point of the zodiac. This is found to happen at the beginning of Aries every 4,32,000 years. That
conjunction was due after the Mahabharata war.
With
this background, let me focus on three features that are needed to be known.
The
first is about the names of the four
Yugas, the second about Sandhya and
Sandhyamsa period and third on the mathematic
validation of the Kali Yuga. The first two features are explained in this
part while the third will be given in the next part that would further
establish how the Aihole inscription
must be read.
To
understand any concept, the name-form and works must be analyzed for they are
integral to each other, says Chandogya Upanishad.[1]
The names of the Yugas, Krita / Satya,
Treta and Kali must be understood in that way. These names have appeared in
contexts other than the Yugas. In Taittriya Samhita they appear with meanings - path, moving, leading
and as carrier. While placing the layers of bricks for the yajna kunda, Krutamayānām is in the East, Tretāyānām is in the South, Dvāparoyānām
is in the West, but instead of Kali, it is Askandoyānām in the north. Askanda has many
meanings, including attack and ascending. The verse further goes on to
name the zenith as Abhibhu which means both superior
and suppressor. This naming appears to represent counting and also the
movement. As such these names became the natural choice to indicate the
movement of Time as Yuga.
Counting
associated with the four names Krita, Treta, Dvapara and Kali appear in the dice game too. They represent
the numbers 4, 3, 2 and 1 respectively form Krita onwards. The die having one
dot on its side is Kali, two dots are for Dvapara, three dots represent Treta
and four dots are known as Krita. Krita (4 dots) means
winning and Kali represents loss. Tough these names were meant to be numbers;
specific characterization is associated with them.
Such
characterization is used to describe personalities, such as Duryodhana as having born of Kali and Shakuni of Dvapara. Shakuni attained
the realm of Dvapara after his death. Such characterization is used to describe
the nature of times too. Before leaving Hastinapur after the failed peace
mission, Krishna kept repeating to Karna that there
would not be Krita or Treta or Dvapara but only Kali Yuga when the Pandava
brothers destroy the Kauravas.[2]
Wars
had taken place many times in the life time of Krishna and Karna but we never
came across any mention of Kali then. Krishna’s rise to popularity started with
his slaying of his uncle Kamsa, but none said there was Kali then. Krishna
himself was targeted by the Pandya king who wanted to avenge Krishna for having
killed his father. There was no talk of Kali then. But in the big war of the
cousins, Kali’s furious dance was
expected to be seen because the war was not just for the land but for honor, for restoration of
honor and revenging for the humiliation meted out to Draupadi more than the
Pandavas themselves. So the display of extreme Krodha was expected then. Krishna forewarned
it to Karna when the war was certain, and expressed the same when Duryodhana was given a fitting reply by Bhima for what
he did to Draupadi. In the absence of corroborative support from the presence of Kali Yuga
of the Catur Maha Yuga system at that time, one cannot
assume that Kali Yuga started then.
By
the mention of Krita and Treta -in the Yuga of Dvapara, Krishna had also
indicated that there were times of Krita and Treta even within Dvapara Yuga as
these are all about presence of certain characteristics of those Yugas for some
time. In this way certain instances have been recounted by the sages on the
presence of Krita and Kali Yuga in Treta Yuga and Treta in Dvapara Yuga.
The
chastisement of the King also determines the nature of the Yuga. Many instances
are given in Mahabharata in support this. Even in the Vaiṣṇavite literature, the Alwars
who lived in the period of Pallavas in the Common Era were pronounced as having
lived in Dvapara Yuga though Kali Yuga was running then. (Written by me HERE)
All these imply that one needs to do contextual reading to understand what is
being said.
Yuga Sandhi and Sandhyamsa
The
second feature I want to highlight is about Sandhya and
Sandhyamsa of the Yugas. Manu being
earliest in chronology, his version can be taken as the early Thought on the
Yugas. His version of duration of 4000, 3000, 2000 and 1000 divine years (1
divine year = 360 solar years) respectively for Krita, Treta, Dvapara and Kali
is found in almost all the literature on Yuga. However his reference to Sandhya
(twilight) period is not unanimously echoed in other texts. He added Sandhya
period before and after a Yuga. [3]
|
Name
of the Yuga |
Sandhya
|
Yuga
|
Sandhya
|
Total
|
|
Krita
|
400 |
4000 |
400 |
4800 |
|
Treta
|
300 |
3000 |
300 |
3600 |
|
Dvapara |
200 |
2000 |
200 |
2400 |
|
Kali
|
100 |
1000 |
100 |
1200 |
Yugas with Sandhya period (in
Divine years)
This
is markedly different from the Puranic version.
The
Puranas give a more detailed classification for each Yuga. According to them
there are two - Sandhya and Sandhyamsa - both of
them occurring one after the other at the end of a major Yuga. The
Sandhya being evening time, it represents the time coming after the Yuga and
not before.
Let
me begin from the six features of the Yuga given in the Puranas. The following
is told by Vayu Purana. [4]
A
similar version is given by Brahmanda Purana as follows:[5]
Six
features appear in both these Puranas.
1. Yuga
2. The
difference of Yugas
3. Yuga
Dharma
4. Yuga
Sandhi
5. Yugamsaka
or Sandhyamsa
6. Yuga
Sandhana
There
is no difficulty in understanding Yuga and the difference of Yugas.
But
Yuga Dharma is unique for each Yuga. It is basically formed by the dominance of a Guna. Sattva Guna is dominant in Krita, Rajasa in Treta, a mix of Rajasa
and Tamasa in Dvapara and only Tamasa in Kali Yuga.[6]
The Dharma - adharma proportion of the Yugas are given as follows.
Krita - 1 part dharma - 0 adharma
Treta - 3/4 part dharma - 1/4 adharma
Dvapara - 1/2 dharma - 1/2 adharma
Kali - 1/4 dharma - 3/4 adharma
Thus the decline in dharma factor leads to a change in the Yugas.
Towards
the end of a Yuga, its Yuga Sandhi appears.
The
Sandhyamsa comes up after the Sandhi
period ends.
Then
the next Yuga takes over.
The
Puranas differ from Manu in the placement of the sandhi period as follows:
The
Sandhya period is followed by Sandhyamsa which means ‘part
of Sandhya’. The dharma of a Yuga dwindles by 3/4th in the
Sandhya of that Yuga. In other words, only 1/4of the Dharma of a Yuga prevails
in the Sandhya period. The reduced Dharma of the Sandhya period gets further
lessened by 3/4th in the Sandhyamsa period. This remnant part of
Dharma of the Sandhyamsa period becomes the Dharma of the next Yuga. The
Brahmanda Purana version is given below: [7]
The
Vayu Purana version is reproduced below:[8]
Brahmanda
Purana tells how the residual Dharma of the Sandhyamsa of a previous Yuga becomes
the Dharma of the next Yuga.[9]
This can be expressed as follows:
Krita Yuga – Dharma 1 part
Krita
Sandhya – ¼ dharma
Krita
Sandhyamsa = ¼ of ¼ = 1/16
1/16th of Krita Yuga Dharma
becomes the Dharma of Treta Yuga.
Since
Treta Yuga has 3/4th Dharma and 1/4th Adharma, the Dharma
portion is equal to only 1/16th of the Krita Yuga Dharma.
In
Treta Sandhya this
Dharma further gets reduced to 1/4th
= 1/4 of 1/16 of Krita Yuga Dharma = 1/ 64.
Treta
Sandhyamsa =
¼ of 1/64 = 1/256
At the end of
Treta Yuga only 1/256 Dharma of Krita Yuga remains.
This becomes the amount of Dharma in Dvapara Yuga
which has ½ Dharma and ½ Adharma
By continuing in terms of the remnant Krita Dharma,
Dvapara Sandhya =
¼ of 1/256 Dharma = 1/1024
Dvapara Sandhyamsa =
¼ of 1/1024 = 1/4096
The Mahabharata war occurred in Dwapara sandhi when
there was 1/1024th of Krita Yuga Dharma was present.
Now we will take up only the portion of dharma of Dvapara Yuga for easy understanding of the verses of Mahabharata.
In terms of Dvapara Dharma ( ½ Dharma and ½ Adharma
)
¼ of ½ Dharma of Dvapara prevailed at Dvapara Sandhya
= 1/8 parts
When the prevailing Dvapara Dharma was perceived to
have dwindled to 1/8th, it was a warning bell that Kali Yuga was
nearing.
The war of Mahabharata was fought in the Sandhya
period of Dvapara. 1/8th Dvapara Yuga Dharma was prevailing then.
Many transgressions occurred in that war for the first time in the known
history of the people of Dvapara. When Bhima hit Duryodhana below his waist against the
norms of the mace fight, Krishna exclaimed, “prāptaṃ
kaliyugaṃ viddhi”[10]
{Prāptā = attained to, reached to.
Viddhi = the act of piercing, perforating (second
person singular present imperative class 2 parasmaipada √vid)}
This doesn't mean that Kali Yuga had arrived. That being
the Sandhya period, 1/8th of Dvapara Dharma was
still prevalent. The
transition is yet to happen to Sandhyamsa and then only to Kali Yuga.
The drop in the Sandhya Dharma by three-fourth signals the arrival of
Sandhyamsa when 1/32 part of dvapara dharma would remain (1/4 of 1/8). The Sandhyamsa must go on with quarter of Sandhya Dharma steadily
for some time. Then only the complete transition to Kali Yuga can take place.
With Sandhyamsa yet to come, the Praptam Kali Yugam
verse by Krishna did not mean the arrival of Kali Yuga.
This kind Sandhi was reported earlier between Treta and Dvapara when Parashurama killed many Kshatriyas. The same location, Samanta Pancaka hosted the river of blood in that sandhi, says Mahabharata. [11] The carnage unleashed by Parashurama was of a nature heavily loaded with Tamasa also in addition to Rajasa which was a prominent trait in Treta Yuga. This was followed by Treta Sandhyamsa and then Dvapara Yuga having a mix of both Rajasa and Tamasa.
The
decline in the nature of Dharma had not followed any specific
time period. This can be established from the verses of Srimad Bhagavatam.
Bhagavatam states in no uncertain terms that Kali entered only after Krishna
left the earth.
This cut-off date marked by Krishna’s exit is
repeated again in Srimad Bhagavatam.
The next verse also repeats this idea.
Now a crucial verse comes. The very next verse talks
about the Saptarishis!
The Saptarishis had laid down the rules of law and guided humanity as per the
scriptures including the Puranas. The sages had a measure of unit to gauge the
rise or decline of Dharma by a calculation of the movement of the Saptarishi
Mandala in the sky. After having said that Kali Yuga started at the exit of
Krishna, Bhagavatam says that Kali Yuga started at the time the Saptarishis were passing through the
star Magha!
Similar reference to Saptarishis in Magha appears in
Brihat Samhita that “The earth was controlled by the
king Yudhishthira in his shaka kala of 2526 (years) (when) the Saptarṣis (muni)
were in Maghā (star)” [12]
This repetition shows that it was a cut-off date, 2526 years after Kali Yuga
started at the exit of Krishna. The next verse gives further clarity by stating
that Kali Yuga began from the time of Nanda
Dynasty!
What is this Kali Yuga? Then what was that kali at
3101 BCE when Krishna left? Vyasa clarifies in the very next verse that, “ Those who scientifically understand the past declare that on
the very day that Lord Sri Krishna departed for the spiritual world, the
influence of the Age of Kali began.”
The word “Pura-vidah” is used to show the source from which this knowledge
that Kali Yuga started only after Krishna left the world. Pura means olden,
formerly, in the beginning. Vida means knowledge. So that Kali Yuga was the original cut-off date
sanctioned by the sages soon after Krishna left. Once again Kali Yuga coming
2526 Years after the Kali Maha Yuga could only mean that it signaled the end of
Sandhyamsa of Dvapara Yuga
in DHARMA scale!
Certain texts coming up after this later date even
state that Parikshit was the king
then. It cannot be so. Janamejaya Pariskhita’s
inscription at Kali 89 is proof of Parikshit having lived before that
time. A combined reading of these two Kali Times given by same text emphasizing
that Kali Yuga did start at the time of Krishna’s exit could only mean that
there existed two different yardsticks for measuring
the Yugas. One was
the Catur Maha Yuga measured by planetary conjunction. The other was based on the nature of
Dharma and the decline in its measure. The Saptarishis were taken as pointers for deciding the decline in
Dharma.
Another major difference between these two Yuga scales is the absence of any specific time period for the Dharma based Yuga cycle (whereas the Catur Maha Yuga has fixed number of years computed on the basis of planetary movement)
In the many ways that I tried to figure out
a rationale for the 2526 year period, I found that there was no pattern
detectable. Perhaps Saptarishis in Magha, the star of Pitrus signaled the death
of many in unfortunate ways and hence taken as a marker for Kali Yuga in terms
of Dharma. That period (575 BCE) also coincided with the
rise of Mleccha-hold in Bhartavarsha.
In 100 years from now the Saptarishis are going to
cross the same star Magha! Whether we will be entering Kali
Sandhya or Sandhyamsa or just further intensification of Kali is not
known. What is known is that the Maha Yuga scale of the Yuga should not be
confused with the Dharma based Yuga scale.
It is in the Dharma based Yuga scale of Treta Yuga Parashurama and
Rama lived. It should not be confused with Treta Maha Yuga of lakhs of
years.
It was on the basis of Dharma of the Dvapara
Sandhya, Krishna said ‘Praptam Kali Yugam Viddhi’.
It should not be assumed
as the beginning of Kali Yuga. With scriptural evidence shown above for
Kali Maha Yuga starting at the exit of Krishna and Kali Dharma Yuga starting
only at 575 BCE, the planting
of wrong information among the public on Kali Yuga date must stop. If it continues it is a case of Krishna dealing with people pressing them more and more in tandem with their nature.
The discourse on this particular topic is not yet
over. There is a clear cut time period from the start
of Treta Yuga onwards in the Dharmic cycle, decipherable from the Puranas -
concurring with the deduction done earlier on post -11,700 BCE for the genesis
of the Yuga concepts. That will be discussed in the next part following which
we will see mathematical proof for
the Kali Maha Yuga that started with the exit of Krishna.
(To be continued)
[1] Chandogya
Upanishad: 8-14-1
[2]
Mahabharata: 5-140
[3]
Manu Smriti: 1. 69 - 72
[4]
Vayu Purana: 1- 57
[5]
Brahmanda Purana: 1-29
[6]
Vayu Purana: 1-7-65
[7]
Brahmanda Purana: 1-2-31
[8]
Vayu Purana: 1- 58 – 73-74
[9] Brahmanda
Purana: 1-2-31
[10] Mahabharata:
9-59-21
[11]
Mahabharata: 1-2-3
[12]
Brihat Samhita: 13-3
