Book Title: Development of Hinduism
Author(s): M M Ninan
Publisher: M M Ninan

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Page 263
________________ Golden Age (krtayuga). (20). The kalpa, thus composed of a thousand caturyugas, and which brings about the destruction of all that exist (bhoo), is a day of Brahma; his night is of the same length. (21). His extreme age is a hundred, according to this valuation of a day and a night. The half of his life is past; of the remainder, this is the first kalpa. (22). And of this kalpa, six Patriarchs (manus) are past, with their respective twilights; and of the Patriarch Manu son of Vivasvant, twenty-seven Ages (caturyugas) are past; (23). Of the present, the twenty-eighth, Age (caturyuga), this Golden Age (krtayuga) is past; from this point, reckoning up the time, one should compute together the whole number." "The cycle repeats itself so altogether there are 1000 cycles of mahayugas in one day of Brahma. However there is a difference. • · 14. THE CONCEPT OF AGES . • One cycle of the above four yugas is one mahayuga (4.32 million solar years) as is confirmed by the Gita statement "sahasra-yuga paryantam ahar-yad brahmano viduH", meaning, a day of brahma is of 1000 mahayugas. Thus a day of Brahma, kalpa, is of duration: 4.32 billion solar years. Two kalpas constitute a day and night of Brahma A manvantara consists of 71 mahayugas (306,720,000 solar years). Each Manvantara is ruled by a Manu. After each manvantara follows one Sandhi Kala of the same duration as a Krita Yuga (1,728,000 = 4 Charana). (It is said that during a Sandhi Kala, the entire earth is submerged in water.) A kalpa consists of a period of 1,728,000 solar years called Adi Sandhi, followed by 14 manvantaras and Sandhi Kalas. A day of Brahma equals (14 times 71 mahayugas) + (15 x 4 Charanas) = 994 mahayugas + (60 Charanas) = 994 mahayugas + (6 x 10) Charanas = 994 mahayugas + 6 mahayugas = 1000 mahayugas In each Mahakalpa, Brahma is born from a particular limb of the Lord. In each cycle it is a different limb. The "Mahabharata" states that Brahma was born on the first Mahakalpa from the mind of the Supreme. In the second Mahakalpa, he was born from the eye, in the third from the words, in the fourth from the ear, in the fifth from the nose, in the sixth from the scrotum and in the present seventh from the navel. And so it will change every Mahakalpa beginning. The reason is that the cycle is not a simple repetition. In a way it is a linear progression. At the end of his day, when Brahma goes to sleep, he is merged with the Supreme Person along with His whole Creation. But the mortal experience of the living is not lost when the merging happens. It is embedded in the Supreme 259

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