Description of Chaturyuga in Human years as well as in Divine years as per Manusmriti (1/65-71)1 is summarized as under-
I looked into Manusmriti to find the answer. In verses 65, 67, 69-71 of Chapter 1 of Manusmriti, the description of Chaturyuga is given as under –
The use of expression, ‘day and night of
gods’ in 1/67, considering 180 days of Northward movement of the Sun as their
day and 180 days of Southward movement
of the Sun as their night, in some remote past was probably interpreted in the
manner that these 360 days make one day and night of gods. Therefore, 360 human
years were considered as equal to one divine year of gods. Consequently, by
multiplying these 12000 divine years of Chaturyuga with 360, the duration of
Chaturyuga was taken as 43,20,000 human years.
However, since the most ancient times many
scholars and scientists have disagreed with this interpretation, which has been
followed over the years without review/application of mind. More than 2500
years back eminent Sanskrit sage and scholar, Medhatithi had considered this an
error and had put the duration of Chaturyuga at 12000 human years only. During
last sixty years several scholars, sages and scientists have also held this
view. Jaggi Vasdev Ji, Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, Pandit Bhagwaddutt
Satyashrava, Shri K M Ganguli, Shri Richard Thompson and many others, have
written books/articles and delivered lectures explaining with justification this
view of Yuga cycles.
Therefore, actually a Chaturyuga may actually
comprise only of 12000 years. In addition, there have to be descending and
ascending cycles of Chaturyuga, with some more years in between. This takes us
to the completion of precession cycle by Earth in 25920 years, which is
accepted by modern Astronomy! Even Glaciology supports this view and holds that
this might be the seventh such Yuga cycle (seventh Manvantra?) going on.
Hon’ble Jaggi Vasdev Ji
has explained the cycle of four Yugas saying, “The precession (caused by gradual rotation of the Earth’s axis) of the
equinoxes is the period of time that it takes the Earth’s axis to pass through
one complete cycle of the zodiac. It takes the
planet 72 years to pass through one degree of the zodiac and 25,920 years to
complete one full circle of 360 degrees. One half of the journey takes 12,960
years and covers the four Yugas. Satya Yuga lasts 5184 years. Treta
Yuga lasts 3888 years. Dwapara Yuga lasts 2592 years. Kali Yuga
lasts 1296 years. These four yugas taken together come to a total of 12,960
years.” Descending and Ascending cycles of Chaturyugas complete a cycle
of 25920 years2-3. Sadguru Ji also relates these descending and
ascending cycles of Chaturyugas to downward and upward movement of human
consciousness. The good news is that he believes that currently it is Dvapara
Yuga, and not Kali yuga, and that also in its ascending phase.
Hon’ble Jaggi Vasdev Ji has explained this Yuga cycle connecting it with
one complete cycle of precession of Equinoxes by way of following image -
The solar system, with the Sun and the
planets around it is, moving in the galaxy. It takes 25,920 years for our solar
system to complete one cycle around a larger star. From the effects upon the
planet, we believe this big star or big system that our system is going around
is not located in the center of the orbit but somewhere to the side. Whenever
our solar system comes closer to this big system, all the creatures living in
our system rise to greater possibilities. Whenever our system moves away from
it, the creatures living in our system come to the lowest level of possibility.
Whenever our solar system is closer to the “Super Sun,” Satya Yuga will begin.
The human mind will be at its highest capability. People’s ability to know
life, people’s ability to communicate, people’s ability to live joyfully will
be at its highest.
Swami Sri Yukteswar
Giri has explained the 12000 years of descending and 12000 years of ascending
Chaturyuga cycles by correlating the precession of Equinox with the mental
virtues of the internal world4.
He has explained that the Sun also revolves around a grand centre called Vishnunabhi,
which is the seat of creative power known as Brahma, the universal magnetism. When
the Sun comes nearest to the Vishnunabhi, which event takes place when Autumnal
Equinox comes to the first point in Aries, the mental virtues are the most
developed; therefore, that would be Sat Yuga. When Sun goes to the farthest
point, it is Kaliyuga. As per Sri Yukteswar Giri, Autumnal Equinox was in the first
point of Aries around 11501 BCE, thus human intellect was at its best at that
time and thereafter it began to diminish. Therefore, by the end of descending Kali
yuga in 499 CE (11501 – 12000), it was at its lowest. Thereafter there were
1200 years of ascending Kali yuga and currently it is Dwapara yuga
going on.
Pic 57: The precession cycle of Vernal Equinox and Winter Solstice through the ages prepared by the modern day astronomers.
If we look at the principles of modern astronomy, these 12000 years of descending and ascending Chaturyuga cycles each have to be replaced by 12960 years each. 24000 years of Descending and Ascending Yuga cycles are to be replaced by 25920 years. The length of a year is to be taken of 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds, instead of 360 days. Sandhya or Sandhyansh are meant to give flexibility to the number of years falling under each Yuga.
Eminent
Historian Pandit Bhagwaddutt Satyashrava has recorded in his book titled
‘Bharatvarsh ka Brihad Itihas’ that the Era of Lord Ram was in the Sandhi
period of Treta and Dwapara and this could be around 5200 years before the
beginning of Vikram Samvat. He has also added that Shri Krishna was
born towards the end of Dwapara and Kali Era started after his mahanirvan. This
was around 3200 years before Vikram Samvat, thus giving a gap of just about
2000 years between Ramayan and Mahabharat Eras. Shri Satyashrava had
emphatically added that “Treta and Dwapara Eras certainly did not consist of
lakhs of years” 5. He has also given a very different explanation
for elucidation of the gap between descending and ascending cycle of
Chaturyugas, which aims at explaining the meaning of Devyuga alias Divyayuga
and also aims at reconciling cycle of 24000 years with 25920 years. He has
referred to the extracts from the text of Ramayan and Mahabharat, wherein
reference has been made to Devyuga prevailing prior to Krityuga. He has also
said that there could be some extra years between Descending and Ascending
cycles5. It needs to be taken note that the dating of astronomical
references in Ramayan and Mahabharat, done by making use of planetarium
softwares, has proved his assertions correct. Ramayan astronomical dates relate
the Epic to 5100 BCE whereas astronomical dates of Mahabharat relate the events
narrated therein to 3100 BCE; a time gap of 2000 years6.
It needs to be taken note of that in
all these ancient time-reckoning calculations length of a year was taken as 360
days whereas actually it is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. This
difference in the length of the year would also require adjustment in the
length of Yugas. Further, if we accept the Chaturyuga cycle of 43,20,000 years,
then are we prepared to declare that Kaliyuga consists of 4,32,000
years, of which 4,27,000 are still left? Are we able to explain what happened
during 9,27,000 years, which would be the time gap between the eras of Shri
Ram, who is said to have lived in Treta Yug, and of Shri Krishan, who lived in
the end of Dwapara yuga?
We therefore make a very humble
request to the sages and scholars to review the traditional interpretation of Chaturyuga
and bring back Ramayan and Mahabharat from the realm of mythology to the realm
of history, to which they actually belong. Only thereafter, we shall be able to
make a rightful claim that India’s civilization is the oldest in the world during
the current Holocene period and that Aryans were the originals of India who
have been developing indigenous Vedic civilization for thousands of years.
References
1. Manusmrti
(Text with Kullukbhatta Commenatary, English Translation, Sloka Index and Word
Index), by Maitreyee Deshpande, New Bhartiya Book Corporation, Delhi
2. ‘Mystic’s
Musings’ by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev; first published in 2003 by Wisdom Tree
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaHVNQwO68E
4.
‘The Holy Science’ by Sri
Sri Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri; Yogoda Satsang Society of India. Pg. 9-24
5.
Bharatvarsh ka Brihad Ithihas (Comprehensive
History of India) by Pandit Bhagavaddutt Satyashrava. 2000; New Delhi, Pranav
Prakashan, Part 1- Pg 80, 163
6. Seminar and Exhibition on Cultural Continuity from Rigveda to Robotics, 3-4 Feb, 2016 G.J University of Science and Technology, Hisar - http://sarojbala.blogspot.in/2017/05/blog-post.html , http://bit.ly/2FDUCNd
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