The authors of the Scriptures saw eternal truths mirrored in events in time. For them, illumined as they were, every material happening was alight with spiritual significance. They knew the outer world for what it was – the shadow of a great reality. Their records of history of the Universe and of the Earth-the Scriptures of the world-portray far more than events in time; they reveal eternal truth, ultimate reality, universal occurrences. Sometimes the real was more visible to them than the shadow, whereupon history took second place. At other times the record of physical events predominated. The spiritual teachers of long ago, by using historical events as well as allegories and symbols, proved themselves able to overcome the limitations of time. They recorded history in such a way as to reveal to readers of both their own and of later times the deeper truths of life. Even thousands of years after their death such teachers are able to give to men of every age both guidance along the pathway of spiritual illumination, and the solutions to their personal problems. Concealment from the profane of truths which they desired to impart to the worthy, and to the worthy alone, is admitted; the motive being to safeguard both the individual and the Race from the dangers of premature discovery and possible misuse of knowledge which could bestow theurgic and thaumaturgic powers. Thus came into existence the legends, the Mythologies and the Scriptures of the world, many of them being pregnant with spiritual and occult ideas.
In our Puranas “Time” which gives us the period wherein Devas and humans came into existence. It is clearly stated that space and time are interrelated. For any event to cause, the space is required and time is absolutely required as to when this has happened. Actually space-time concept is very well known to us as it is not only interrelated but they cannot be separated. They go hand in hand and there is no space without time or vice-versa is true. Time is used to depict succession of events. It is questioned what happened to time after Deluge or Pralaya as there are no succession of events. Static bodies like mountains, metal, etc. the time has no meaning. But for us, to know how long the mountain is there or when the metal is extracted, the time is the only parameter which can say when such events happened. So the time is necessary for “imagination” too and also for static things to know how long they existed. Time is the very essence of life, the whole meaning of its reality. Time exists so also space exists. Without space there is no movement. So, time and space are interrelated. Without the idea of space we cannot represent the succession of events anywhere. Time is a flow-It cannot be measured but can be stated whether it is slower or faster. It is absolute; time never repeats, never ceases – it is flowing…flowning…flowing to eternity, the time is eternal. Time is absolute – it is the very meaning of the past, present, and the future- the trinity in Mahamaya or Universe.
Vedas say, the present is the progeny of the past and the future is out of present. Hence, these three factors are interlinked by time only. Time is divided into (a) Akanda [no parts] and (b) Kanda [divided into parts]. In Bhagavata Purana, it is stated that time was the causative factor to disturb the three gunas at the time of creation. It is known as the main ‘breath of prana’ or the law of absolute. Brahma could not have started the creation without time. It is stated in Vedas that the time exhales at the time of creation and inhales it back at pralaya or Dissolution. So, what is universe without time – only time correlates it with others in terms of Manvantaras or Kalpas or Light Years in modern days. The space is always related to time. If space is measured as three dimension it exists only when the fourth dimension time is added to it. Both are absolute. They are inter-dependent. The space is the twin aspect of time. In this absolute space, only the concrete space manifests itself in the form of universe, plants, stars, etc. From Avakasa comes “Akas” – it is different from Aakasam. In Aakas only Mahat the great principle divides into various units and occupies space. In the word Brahma “Brh” means “to create” and in the word Vishnu “Vish” is “to pervade”. So, it can be seen that in the above process the time and space are interlinked. The destroyer Shiva takes time and space to annihilate. Hence their three worlds symbolically presented as Brahmalokam, Vaikuntam and Kailasam wherein the three functions are done in time and space with their common logo as Shabdam or Sound and that is why they are collictively called as “Sapthabrahman”.
The Brahma is supposed to live for hundred years wherein there will be creation and dissolution alternating. His hundred years is just equal to one year for Lord Vishnu and one day for Lord Shiva. This is only to indicate the knowledge with which our seers were able to conceive about the relative space-time relationship. Once this Brahma completes his hundred years he is out of job or perishes and a new Brahma takes over so that the creation and dissolution goes on and on uninterrupted. We do not know or there is no mention in our scriptures about number Brahmas existed before our present one. There are views expressed in some of the scripts that the present has created only this galaxies doing creation and dissolution. This is again a point of dispute and discussion.
It is said that our present Brahma is fifty one years old – he has already completed fifty years and running his fifty first year. This again may be based on cosmic energy and radiation spreading for ages. These source of energies are given a name as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. This is only for better understanding as they are nothing but invisible energies, cannot be seen or identified. We accept and there is proof that neutrons and protons exist at a very high temperature of 10 to the power of 32 degree K in a dormant state at the time of creation.
A half a day of Brahma is called “Kalpa” and during the day time he does the job of creation and an equivalent period of Kalpa he sleeps and there is total inactivity in the universe. This Kalpa or half a day is divided into 1000 Chatur Yugas. This is arrived as follows: 4 Yugas make one Chatur Yuga. 71 Chatur Yugas make 1 Manvantaram and 14 Manvantarams make 1 Kalpa or half a day of Brahma. There is a shortfall of 6 Chatur Yugas to it 1000. The scriptures state that the balance 6 Chatur Yugas are equally distributed for the dawn and dusk of a day of Brahma.
A Yuga is a period of events or a succession of events happening in one cycle with fixed number of years. There are 4 Yugas to make 1 Chatur Yuga and they are namely: (1) Kreta, (2) Treta, (3) Dwapara and (4) Kali Yuga. All these four Yugas do not have the same number of years as a cycle. There is a variation not only in the total years of the cycle but also in the characteristics towards life cycle of plants, animals and humans. The scriptures state that twice the period of Kali Yuga is Dvapara and thrice is Treta and four times is Kreta Yuga.
Thus a Chatur Yuga is 1+2+3+4 = 10 times that of Kali Yuga or 43,20,000 human years. Actually the period of each Yuga is as follows:
Kali Yuga - 432,000 years
Dwapara Yuga - 864,000 years
Treta Yuga - 12,96,000 years
Kreta Yuga - 17,28,000 years
1 Chatur Yuga - 43,20,000 years
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