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According to Hinduism, time is said to be endless. It is hence divided into four major components or slots. These components are each known to be a Yuga or epoch. In Hinduism, the current universe is said to go through these four great Yugas or epochs, each of which is considered to be a complete cycle of creation and destruction, in itself. These Yugas or epochs are believed to be cyclic in nature, and hence there is no end to these and soon after one Yuga ends, the other begins. This explains that time has no end and these cycles keep going one after another.
The concept of Kalpa is also related to these Yugas. A Kalpa, or eon, is said to be comprised of a thousand cycles of four Yugas—each of a different quality marking a beginning and an end within themselves. In Hinduism, the span of these Yugas is large enough. A single Yuga cycle is said to be 4.32 million years long, and a Kalpa is said to consist of 4.32 billion years in itself. All of these four Yugas, are said to make up for a Kalpa and hence it is also known to be a Mahayuga (Translating Maha to great and Yuga to epoch, A Great Epoch). These four Yugas are Satya, Treta, Dwapara and Kali Yuga. Although, the time period of these Yugas is approximated to about 4.32 billion years, each of these Yugas are said to be shorter than the preceding Yuga. This is so because it is believed that each of these Yugas correspond to a decline in the moral and physical state of humanity and hence the decline in time span is justified. Hence, they begin to end and end to begin, in themselves.
In brief, the first Yuga is the Satya Yuga, which was an age of perfection lasting for about 1,728,000 years. Currently, we are in the fourth and the most-degenerate Yuga – Kali Yuga, which began at around 3102 BCE and will last for about 432,000 years.
A mention of these Yugas, exists in the Bhagavat Gita wherein Lord Krishna highlights the time span of a Yuga, which implies that a ‘Day of Brahma’ lasts for 12,000 multiplied by 1000 or 12 million years, which is followed by a ‘Night of Brahma’ of equal duration. In Sanatana Dharma, this process or concept is considered to be the inhalation and exhalation of Brahma.
Lord Krishna in the 6000 years-old Bhagavat Gita says:
“Those who understand the cosmic laws know that the Day of Brahma ends after a thousand Yugas and the Night of Brahma ends after a thousand Yugas. When the day of Brahma dawns, forms are brought forth from the Unmanifest; when the night of Brahma comes, these forms merge in the Formless again. This multitude of beings is created and destroyed again and again in the succeeding days and nights of Brahma.”
– Bhagavat Gita
Lord Vishnu’s Dashavatar
It is believed that throughout these four Yugas, the Hindu God Lord Vishnu is said to have been incarnated ten times in ten different avatars or forms. This principle is known as Dashavatara (In Sanskrit dasha = ten, Avatar = Incarnations).
• During the Satya Yuga, the Age of Truth, human beings were spiritually most advanced and had great psychic powers. He is said to have incarnated as the first avatar – Matsya, followed by Varaha avatar, and Narasimha Avatar.
• In the Treta Yuga people still remained righteous and adhered to moral ways of life, with slight deviation from the Satya Yuga. Lord Vishnu incarnated as Vaamana, Parasurama, and lord Rama in this era.
• In the Dwapara Yuga, men had lost all knowledge of the intelligence and bliss bodies. In order to enlighten such people, Lord Vishnu is said to have been born as Lord Krishna and Buddha, in this era.
• Lastly, the present Kali Yuga is the most degenerated of all the eras and the Kalki avatar of Lord Vishnu is yet to be born.
Satya Yuga
Satya Yuga – Also called the Golden Age
Total Age of the Era or Time Span 17,28,000 years
Average Human Life Span 100,000 years
Average Human Height 32 feet (approximated value)
Birth and death cycles 8 cycles
Yuga’s pilgrimage Pushkar Pilgrimage
Approx. % of Evil 0 % – No evil
Currency prevalent All precious jewels
Utensils made of Gold
Incarnations of Lord Vishnu Matsya Avatar,Varah Avatar, Narsingh Avatar.
Satya Yuga, also called as Kriti Yuga, is the first and the most significant Yuga in the Hinduism. Knowledge, meditation, and penance hold special place and importance in this era. It was an era where truth prevailed and all the people were happy. This era is where people lived in peace and is hence considered an ideal era of all of Yugas. It is believed that people in this era would never fall ill. No one would try to point out faults or demerits in anyone’s personality. The personality was not plagued by demerits like ego, sorrow, violent thought (aggression), jealousy, hatred, backbiting, fear, anger and lethargy.
The society was divided into four main groups based on the occupation which people did – Vaishya – the traders, Brahmins, Kshatriyas – The warriors, and Shudras who served the other groups. The Vaishya (traders) of this era shall engage in trade and business very justly and honestly. Brahmins shall be engaged continually in religious sacrifices, study, teaching, charity etc. The Kshatriya (warriors) shall be inclined towards the exhibition of strength and might. The Shudras shall sincerely serve the Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. Each of these groups performed their duties sincerely and lived in peace with no place to any kind of discrimination amongst each other. This form of religion shall remain intact and absolute in the Satya Yuga and Sanatana Dharma (eternal religion) shall be established.
There is a mention in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata, about the nature of Satya Yuga, which explains the perfection that prevailed in this Yuga. It says:
“There were no poor and no rich; there was no need to labour, because all that men required was obtained by the power of will; the chief virtue was the abandonment of all worldly desires. The Krita Yuga was without disease; there was no lessening with the years; there was no hatred or vanity, or evil thought; no sorrow, no fear. All mankind could attain to supreme blessedness.”
Treta Yuga
Treta Yuga – Also called the Silver Age
Total Age of the Era or Time Span 12,96,000 years
Average Human Life Span 10,000 years
Average Human Height 21 feet (approximated value)
Birth and death cycles 6 cycles
Yuga’s pilgrimage Naimisharanya Pilgrimage
Approx. % of Evil About 25 % Evil
Currency prevalent Gold
Utensils made of Silver
Incarnations of Lord Vishnu Vaamana Avatar, Parshuram Avatar, Rama Avatar.
Treta Yuga is the second most important Yugas of the four mentioned before. It is believed that during the Treta Yuga, the power of humans diminishes slightly relative the powers in the Satya Yuga. In this Yuga, Kings and Brahmins need to actively fulfil their desires instead of using mere fiat of will. People are said to grow more materialistic and less inclined towards spirituality and this is where there occurs a deviation from the ideal scenario – Satya Yuga. Further, in this Yuga, wars broke out frequently and climate changes became common place, giving rise to deserts and oceans.
Despite these seemingly negative effects, the Treta Yuga also brought knowledge of universal magnetism. This knowledge allowed humans to understand the forces of nature and the true nature of the universe. Agriculture and mining came into existence along with norms and rules to keep society under control.
Dwapara Yuga
Dwapara Yuga – Also called the Bronze Age
Total Age of the Era or Time Span 8,64 ,000 years
Average Human Life Span 1,000 years
Average Human Height 11 feet (approximated value)
Birth and death cycles 21 cycles
Yuga’s pilgrimage Kurukshetra Pilgrimage
Approx. % of Evil 50 %
Currency prevalent Silver
Utensils made of Copper or Bronze utensils
Incarnations of Lord Vishnu Sri Krishna Avatar, Buddha Avatar.
Dvapara or Dwapara Yuga is the third Yuga described in the scriptures of Hinduism. In Sanskrit, Dwapara means “two ahead,” or something in the third place. Dvapara Yuga follows the Treta Yuga and precedes the Kali Yuga. There were only two pillars of religion during the Dvapara Yuga, compassion and truthfulness. Lord Vishnu assumed the color yellow and the Vedas were categorized into four parts, Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. People in the Dvapara Yuga were desirous of achievement of the scriptural dharma which is prescribed to each class, valiant, and competitive by nature. They were engaged only in penance and charity. They were kingly and pleasure-seeking. In Dwapar Yuga, the divine intellect was ceased, and hence anyone hardly was wholly truthful. As a result of it, people were plagued by ailments, diseases and various types of desires. After suffering from these ailments, people realized their misdeeds and performed penance. Some also organized Yagya for material benefits as well as for divinity. Dwapar Yuga witnessed the great war of Mahabharata.
People in Dwapar Yuga started indulging in class differences. Everyone wanted to achieve scriptural dharma of the particular class. Vedas were divided into four parts. People still possessed characteristics of youth in old age.
In Dvapara Yuga, the religious qualities of austerity, truth, mercy, and charity were reduced to one-half by their irreligious counterparts such as dissatisfaction, untruth, violence, and enmity.
Kali Yuga
Kali Yuga – Also called the Iron Age
Total Age of the Era or Time Span 4,32 ,000 years
Average Human Life Span 100 years
Average Human Height 5.5 feet (approximated value)
Birth and death cycles 42 cycles
Yuga’s pilgrimage Ganga Pilgrimage
Approx. % of Evil 75 %
Currency prevalent Iron
Utensils made of Soil, Steel utensils
Incarnations of Lord Vishnu It is believed that Kalki will take birth at the end of kali Yuga to mark an end to this Yuga.
The Kali Yuga is where there is no space for righteousness and people completely deviated from the ideal Satya Yuga. It is the current era that we are living in. With each of the eras coming to an end by the incarnation of Lord Vishnu on earth, Kali Yuga is sais to end by the birth of Kalki. Both the two great epics—the Ramayana and Mahabharata—have spoken about the Kali Yuga. In the Tulasi Ramayana, we find the sage Kakbhushundi foretelling: In the Kali Yuga, the hotbed of sin, men and women are all steeped in unrighteousness and act contrary to the Vedas. Every virtue had been engulfed by the sins of Kali Yuga; all good books had disappeared; impostors had promulgated a number of creeds, which they had invented out of their own wit. The people had all fallen prey to delusion and all pious acts had been swallowed by greed.
In the Mahabharata (Santi Parva), the hero Yudhishthira says:
The ordinances of the Vedas disappear gradually in every successive age, the duties in the Kali age are entirely of another kind. It seems, therefore, that duties have been laid down for the respective age according to the powers of human beings in the respective ages.
Birth of Kalki
In Hinduism, several astrologers have predicted the birth of Kalki, through extensive interpretations of the Puranas. Kalki, the last incarnation of Lord Vishnu on earth, is considered to be the one whose tithi (birthday) falls on the Dwadashi of Shukla Paksha. According to Hinduism, this accounts to just 12 days per any given year. Further, it can only be the day of the Lord Sri Maha Vishnu (Chaitra Dwadashi), which accounts to just one day each year or 100 days in the last century.
A few signs have been described in the Kalki purana that highlights the prediction of the birth of Kalki. The signs described in the Kalki Purana are as follows:
1. The earth will be in Dhanishtha nakshatra, Aquarius, suggesting he will be wealthy, acclaimed and swift in action and thought.
2. The sun will be in Swati, the nakshatra of the sword.
3. Jupiter will be in Purva Ashadha nakshatra, Saggaritus.
4. The Ascendant Lord will be in Purva Ashadha nakshatra, also Sagittarius, suggesting invincibility and early victory.
5. Saturn will be exalted in Libra, predicting a balance between justice and the sword.
6. Ketu, a five-headed snake god in navagraha, will be exalted in Scorpio, suggesting he will descend atop a great white steed.
The birth of Kalki who would further mark an end to Kali Yuga, is forecasted in many Hindu texts, one of which is the Bhavishya Purana (Bhavishya means future, and Purana is a scripture; Translating to the future scripture) which mentions about the time at which Lord Vishnu would incarnate as Kalki, on the earth.
The Bhavishya Purana foretells:
The Savior of the entire universe, Maha Vishnu
will be born on Margashirsha Month, Krishna Ashtami
8th day after the full-moon day.
— Bhavishya Purana, Canto IV, Chapter 23, Text 15
