Spirituality for the Truth Seeker

Although many people believe that the world will end in a short time, that is not true. Many people refer to the Mayan Prophecy that the end of the wold will come during th Winter solstice of 2012, which is the end of the Mayan calendar. The Mayans were astute mathematicians and astronomers and even knew when there would be eclipses. thousands of people travel to Chichen Itza to see the “snake” crawl up the 365 stairs of the temple at the time of the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. However, their knowledge was limited and, because it was extrapolated it was limited.

Now, If you read the Vedas, you will learn that there are different ages, or Yugas, through which the universe cycles. The present cycle is called Kali Yuga and lasts 432,000 years. We have only been in Kali Yuga for 5,000 years. The beginning of this yuga was marked by the great Battle of Kuruksetra. In the previous age, Dvarupa Yuga, ethics were higher, people lived longer and the standard of life was much higher. The Age of Kali is specifically characterized as the “age of quarrel and hypocrisy” and people have a shortened life span.

Basically, the world cycles through these Yugas according to : Satya yuga 1,728,000 yrs; Treta Yuga 1,296,000 yrs; Dvarupa Yuga 864,000 yrs; Kali Yuga 432,000 yrs.

The life span during each yuga varies and the godly qualities vary as well. During this Yuga, kali, since it is the most depraved age, it is recommended to take up a very accessible form of Divine worship, called Bhakti Yoga, because the environment itself is destructive and people are not so inclined to perform extreme austerities. It has been said that in the most noble Yuga, Satya, the average age was 100,000 years and the ability to perform intense austerities was very high.

“Each yuga is an age with specific characteristics in which incarnations of Krsna appear. The four yugas make up a cycle called divya-yuga, which lasts 4,320,000 years. One thousand of these yugas equal one day of Brahma, which is called a kalpa. Brahma’s lifespan is 100 years of his time. In each yuga there is a specific process of self-realization (yuga dharma).”