History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.701
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.701
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The germ of the theory of progressive deterioration in morals is found even in the Ṛgveda. In the famous dialogue of Yama and Yamī the former exclaims in one place¹⁷³¹ (Ṛg. X. 10. 10) 'those later ages are yet to come when sisters would do what is not sister-like'. The word 'yuga' occurs at least 33 times in the Ṛg., but the exact meaning is somewhat doubtful. In a few places it means 'yoke' (Ṛg. X. 60. 8, X. 101. 3 and 4). In several places it appears to stand for a very brief period of time (e. g. Ṛg. III. 26. 3). Generally it means 'a generation' (as in Ṛg. I. 92. 11, I. 103. 4, I. 124. 2, II. 2. 2, III. 33. 8, V. 52. 4). In Ṛg. I. 158. 6 'dīrghatamā māmateyo jujurvān daśame yuge' *yuga* probably means 'a period of four or five years', while in Ṛg. VI. 15. 8, VI. 8. 5, X. 72. 2, X. 94. 12, X. 97. 1 it should mean¹⁷³² 'a long period of time'. In the Atharvaveda VIII. 2. 21 yuga appears to mean a period of several thousand years, two yugas being indicated as longer than 10000 years (*śataṁ te'yutaṁ hāyanān dve yuge trīṇi catvāri kṛṇmaḥ*). Here there is a clear reference to four yugas and to the fact that yuga meant a very long period of time. Whatever be the meaning of the word in each passage, the Ṛgveda does not contain the names of all the four well-known yugas viz. Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali. The word 'Kṛta' when used in the Ṛgveda appears to mean 'the best throw of dice or of the seeds of vibhītaka in gambling' (X. 34. 6, X. 43. 5). In the Atharvaveda VII. 52.
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2, 5, 6 kṛta has the same meaning. Kali is the name of the author of Ṛg. VIII. 66 and in verse 15 of that hymn we read 'kalayo mā bibhītana' (O descendants of Kali! do not be afraid). In Ṛg. X. 39. 8 the Aśvins are said to have rejuvenated Kali who had become old. Vide also Ṛg. I. 112. 15 (where Kali is said to have got a wife from Aśvins). But Kali as a throw of dice does not occur in the Ṛgveda. In the Atharvaveda VII. 114. 1 Kali¹⁷³³ means a throw of dice. The words *kṛta*, *tretā*, *dvāpara* and *āskanda* occur in the Tai. S. IV. 3. 3, Vāj. S. 30. 18¹⁷³⁴ and in the Śat. Br. XIII. 6. 2. 9-10 (S. B. E. vol. 44 p. 416). In later literature Kali is also called Tiṣya (as in Bhīṣmaparva 10. 3). In the Tai. Br. III. 4. 16 the word Kali is used¹⁷³⁵ in place of Āskanda. In all the above places Kṛta and the other three words denote throws in gambling, Kṛta being the most lucky and Kali being the most unlucky. In another passage of the Tai.¹⁷³⁶ Br. (I. 5. 11) we read 'the four stomas (Trivṛt, Pañcadaśa, Saptadaśa and Ekaviṁśa) are Kṛta and the five are Kali; therefore the *catuṣṭoma* (should be performed in the Jyotiṣṭoma)'. This shows that Kṛta meant a throw of four or any multiple of four and Kali a throw which when divided by four left one as remainder. The Aitareya Br.
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employs the words Kṛta¹⁷³⁷ and the other three in a metaphorical sense as representing progressively more desirable states of human activity, 'one lying down becomes Kali, when about to leave the bed he becomes Dvāpara, when rising he becomes Tretā, and when he moves about he becomes Kṛta'. The Śat. Br. V. 4. 4. 6 speaks of Kali¹⁷³⁸ as '*abhibhū*' (the vanquisher) and suggests that Kali is a throw of five that vanquishes all others. In the Chān. Up. IV. 1. 4 it is said 'as (in a game¹⁷³⁹ of dice) all the lower throws are included in the Kṛta throw which becomes victorious, so to him (to Raikva) comes (the merit of) all the good acts that people do'. Here Śaṅkara explains that Kṛta is a throw of dice having four marks, while other throws that have three, two or one mark are called Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali respectively. The Muṇḍaka Up. I. 2. 1 refers to Tretā¹⁷⁴⁰. 'This is the truth; the sacrificial rites which the sages saw in the *mantras* (i. e. as prescribed in the hymns of the Ṛgveda and other vedas) have been performed in many ways in the Tretā'. This last word is explained by Śaṅkarācārya in two ways, first as referring to the threefold priestly duties (of hotṛ, adhvaryu and udgātṛ) which are based on the three Vedas and alternatively as referring to the Tretā age. From this resume it appears that even up to the times of the latest period of Vedic literature (i. e.
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Upaniṣads) the words Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali were used in the sense of throws of dice in gambling and that it is very doubtful whether they were used in the sense of different ages of the world. Even in the Mahābhārata Kṛta¹⁷⁴¹ and Dvāpara are used also in the sense of throws of dice (vide Virāṭa 50. 24). In the Gopatha Brāhmaṇa (I. 28) there is a reference to the beginning of the Dvāpara age.