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| In ], time is cyclic, consisting of cycles or "]". Each kalpa lasts 4.1 - 8.2 billion years, which is a period of one full day and night for ], who in turn will live for 311 trillion, 40 billion Years. Within a '''kalpa''' there are periods of ], ] and ]. After this larger cycle, all of creation will contract to a ] and then again will expand from that single point, as the ] continue in a religious ] pattern.<ref name="Hooper"/> | |||
| Within the current kalpa, there are four epochs that encompass the evolution of this specific cycle. These ages encompass a beginning of complete purity to a descent into total corruption. The last of the four ages is ], during which there is impiety, violence, disease, decay and chaos. The four pillars of dharma will be reduced to one, and charity will be all that remains.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.astrojyoti.com/vishnupurana.htm |title = Vishnu Purana |publisher = Astrojyoti.com |date = |accessdate = 2011-11-21 }}</ref><ref name="cooper"/> As written in the ]:<br> | |||
| Hindu conceptions of time, like those found in other non-Western traditions, is cyclical in that one age may end but another will always begin. As such, the cycle of birth, growth, decay, death, and renewal at the individual level finds its echo in the cosmic order of all things, yet affected by the vagaries of the comings and goings of divine interventions in the Vaishnavite belief. | |||
| <poem>Yadaa Yadaa hi Dharmasya Glaanir bhavati Bhaarata | |||
| Abhyuthaanam Adharmasya Tadaatmaanam Srjaamy Aham. | |||
| Whenever there is decay of righteousness O! Bharatha | |||
| Contemporary '''Hindu eschatology''' is linked in the ] tradition to the figure of ], the last ] of ] before the age draws to a close and ] dissolves and ] regenerates the universe. | |||
| And a rise of unrighteousness then I manifest Myself!<ref>{{cite web|url = http://rl=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m06/m06025.htm |title=The Mahabharata, Book 6, Bhagavad Gita Chapter IV, Section 7|publisher=Sacred-texts.com|accessdate = Nov 12, 2012|date = ], ]}}</ref></poem> | |||
| At this time of intolerable evil and chaos, the final incarnation of Vishnu known as ] will appear on a white horse. The eight Adityas, or solar deities, will shine together in the sky. Kalki will amass an army to "establish righteousness upon the earth" and leave "the minds of the people as pure as crystal." | |||
| At the completion of ], the next epoch will begin, known as ] in which everyone will once again be righteous with the reestablishment of dharma and piety. This, in turn, will be followed by epochs of Treta Yuga, Dwapara Yuga and again another Kali Yuga. This cycle will then repeat till the larger cycle of existence under ] returns to the singularity and a new universe is born.<ref name="cooper"/><ref name="Brown"/> | |||
| ====Brahma Kumaris==== | |||
| Most Hindus acknowledge as part of their ] that we are living in the ], the last of four periods (]) that make up the current age. Each period has seen a successive degeneration in the moral order and character of human beings, to the point that in the Kali Yuga where quarrel and hypocrisy are prevalent. Often, the invocation of Kali Yuga denotes a certain helplessness in the face of the horrors and suffering of the human condition and a nostalgia for a golden past or a future salvation. | |||
| ]Within Hinduism, there are more distinguishing scenarios in certain sects. ] of the ] has written that their prediction of the imminent end of the world is hidden from non-members.<ref name="Beit-hallahmi2004">{{cite journal |author = Beit-hallahmi, B. |year = 2004 |title = Death, Fantasy, and Religious Transformations |journal = The Psychology of Death in Fantasy and History |url = http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&id=SjIKL5q8HrEC&oi=fnd&pg=PA87&dq=bkwsu&ots=8JzjGa25Uy&sig=4RWN7gdUstsYI5QCom8I175Nstk |quote = A case study of Brahma Kumaris, a contemporary group characterized by an apocalyptic vision (kept hidden from nonmembers). |accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref> Within their tradition, the majority of the planet is predicted to become submerged beneath the ocean, similar to the ] of Nordic mythology.<ref>{{cite web |last = Varughese |first = Suma |url = http://www.lifepositive.com/spirit/spirit-centers/bramha-kumari.asp |title = An article on the sect of the Brahma Kumaris in Rajasthan, India |publisher = Lifepositive.com |date = |accessdate = 2011-11-21 }}</ref> | |||
| ==The Four Yugas== | ===The Four Yugas=== | ||
| A ''Chatur Yuga'' comprises four yuga's and lasts for 4.32 million years. '']'' is a self-realization in each yuga. | A ''Chatur Yuga'' comprises four yuga's and lasts for 4.32 million years. '']'' is a self-realization in each yuga. | ||
| * ] lasts 1.728 million years. | * ] lasts 1.728 million years. | ||
| * ] lasts 1.296 million years. | * ] lasts 1.296 million years. | ||
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In Hindu eschatology, time is cyclic, consisting of cycles or "kalpas". Each kalpa lasts 4.1 - 8.2 billion years, which is a period of one full day and night for Brahma, who in turn will live for 311 trillion, 40 billion Years. Within a kalpa there are periods of creation, preservation and decline. After this larger cycle, all of creation will contract to a singularity and then again will expand from that single point, as the ages continue in a religious fractal pattern.
Within the current kalpa, there are four epochs that encompass the evolution of this specific cycle. These ages encompass a beginning of complete purity to a descent into total corruption. The last of the four ages is Kali Yuga, during which there is impiety, violence, disease, decay and chaos. The four pillars of dharma will be reduced to one, and charity will be all that remains. As written in the Gita:
Yadaa Yadaa hi Dharmasya Glaanir bhavati Bhaarata
Abhyuthaanam Adharmasya Tadaatmaanam Srjaamy Aham.
Whenever there is decay of righteousness O! Bharatha
And a rise of unrighteousness then I manifest Myself!
At this time of intolerable evil and chaos, the final incarnation of Vishnu known as Kalki will appear on a white horse. The eight Adityas, or solar deities, will shine together in the sky. Kalki will amass an army to "establish righteousness upon the earth" and leave "the minds of the people as pure as crystal." At the completion of Kali Yuga, the next epoch will begin, known as Satya Yuga in which everyone will once again be righteous with the reestablishment of dharma and piety. This, in turn, will be followed by epochs of Treta Yuga, Dwapara Yuga and again another Kali Yuga. This cycle will then repeat till the larger cycle of existence under Brahma returns to the singularity and a new universe is born.
Brahma Kumaris
Within Hinduism, there are more distinguishing scenarios in certain sects. Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi of the Brahma Kumari has written that their prediction of the imminent end of the world is hidden from non-members. Within their tradition, the majority of the planet is predicted to become submerged beneath the ocean, similar to the Ragnarök of Nordic mythology.
The Four Yugas
A Chatur Yuga comprises four yuga's and lasts for 4.32 million years. Yuga Dharma is a self-realization in each yuga.
- Satya Yuga lasts 1.728 million years.
- Treta Yuga lasts 1.296 million years.
- Dvapara Yuga lasts 864,000 years.
- Kali Yuga lasts approximately 432,000 years.
In each yuga the life span of humans is reduced, starting from a few thousand years in the krutha yuga to about 100 years in the Kali yuga.
One cycle of these four yugas complete the existence of the universe and the universe starts to contract backwards in time followed by a new big bang which leads to the formation of a new universe.
See also
References
- Cite error: The named reference
Hooperwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - "Vishnu Purana". Astrojyoti.com. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
cooperwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - "The Mahabharata, Book 6, Bhagavad Gita Chapter IV, Section 7". Sacred-texts.com. Nov 12, 2012. Retrieved Nov 12, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Cite error: The named reference
Brownwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - Beit-hallahmi, B. (2004). "Death, Fantasy, and Religious Transformations". The Psychology of Death in Fantasy and History. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
A case study of Brahma Kumaris, a contemporary group characterized by an apocalyptic vision (kept hidden from nonmembers).
- Varughese, Suma. "An article on the sect of the Brahma Kumaris in Rajasthan, India". Lifepositive.com. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- www.sanskrit.org/www/Hindu%20Primer/yugatime.html
- "What Vedas say about the age of the Universe?". What Vedas say about the age of the Universe?. Gurudev. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
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