History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.724

v4.c63.t2.724

The same conclusion is arrived at from a consideration of the classical Sanskrit literature. The theory of *yugas* and *manvantaras* as detailed in the Mahābhārata (Vanaparva chapters 149, 188, Śānti chapters 69, 231-232), Manu chap. I, Viṣṇudharma-sūtra XX. 1-21, the Purāṇas (such as Viṣṇu I. 3, VI. 3, Mārkaṇḍeya 46, Brahma 229-230, Matsya 142-144) and astronomical writers from Brahmagupta is briefly as follows: Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali comprise together with the period called *sandhyā* (that precedes each yuga) and the period called *sandhyāṁśa* (that follows each yuga) 12000 years, i. e. Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali extend respectively over 4000, 3000, 2000, 1000 years and sandhyā and sandhyāṁśa of these four extend over 400, 300, 200 and 100 years each (i. e. the sandhyā of Kṛta is 400 years and the sandhyāṁśa of Kṛta is 400 years and so on). But these are divine years. Each divine year is equal to 360 human years. Therefore we have to multiply 12000 by 360 to arrive at the number of human years in the four yugas (i. e. the figure is 4320000). The Kṛtayuga with its sandhyā and sandhyāṁśa comes to 1728000 human years, Tretā to 1296000, Dvāpara to 864000 and Kali to 432000. These four yugas are together called sometimes caturyuga (Manu I. 71) or simply yuga also (Vanaparva 188. 27, Śānti 232. 29); 1000 of these four yugas constitute a day of Brahmā, which is called Kalpa. The night of Brahmā is of the same duration. At the end of a kalpa the universe is resolved into Brahmā (and this is called *pralaya*) and at the end of Brahmā's night the world is created again. In one day of Brahmā there are 14 Manus and therefore each Manvantara is equal to about 71 caturyugas (1000 divided by 14). The life of Brahmā is 100, out of which half is gone and therefore the present is said to be the 2nd or latter half (*dvitīya parārdha*) of the life of Brahmā and at present the kalpa that is running is called Vārāha. From the above it will be seen that, according to the Purāṇas, the universe has been created and dissolved many times and there have been numerous Manvantaras also (vide Manu I. 80). The four yugas in various ways differ in their characteristics. Kṛta is so called because it is an age in which everything is fulfilled by every one and nothing is left to be done.¹⁷⁴⁹ The symbolic colours of the four yugas are respectively white, yellow, red and dark (Vanaparva 189. 32). In Kṛta, Dharma prevails in all its perfection and it stands with all its four feet (dharma being figuratively spoken of as vṛṣa,¹⁷⁵⁰ a bull, in Manu VIII. 16 and Vanaparva 190. 9) and it declines or deteriorates by a quarter in each of the following yugas (Manu I. 81-82 = Śānti 232. 23-24), so that in Kali only one quarter (or one foot) of dharma remains and adharma occupies three quarters. In Kṛta people are entirely free from diseases, secure all that they desire and the length of human life is four hundred years, all of which decline by one quarter successively in the following three yugas (Manu I. 83=Śānti 232. 25). The dharmas in each of the four yugas are different; *tapas* was the highest in Kṛta, philosophic knowledge in Tretā, sacrifice in Dvāpara and charity alone in Kali (Manu I. 85-86=Parāśara I. 22-23 =Śānti 232. 27-28). Manu I. 85, Śānti 232. 27 and 261. 8, Parāśara I. 22 all have the same verse stating that the dharmas prescribed for men in each yuga differ.