Time is an
impersonal manifestation of the Lord’s energy, unrelated to the three modes,
unconscious, and perceived as past, present and future. Time is one of the
causes of creation and destruction in the universe, and its cycle is relative
in different planetary systems and species of life. The śruti confirms:
sa viśvakṛd viśvavid
ātmā-yonir jñaḥ kāla-kālo guṇī sarvavid yaḥ
pradhāna-kṣetrajña-patir
guṇeśaḥ saṁsāra-mokṣa-sthiti-bandha-hetuḥ
(Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad,
6.16; Govinda-bhāṣya, Introduction)
“The Supreme Soul is the creator
of the universe. He is omniscient, the source of Himself, the supreme knower,
the controller of time, omniscient, and replete with all transcendental
qualities. He is the Lord of the material modes and the ruler of material nature
and the living entities. He is the cause of the jīvas’ bondage, permanence
within the cycle of birth and death, and liberation from it.”
And the smṛti says:
yo ‘yaṁ kālas tasya
te ‘vyakta-bandho ceṣṭām āhuś ceṣṭate yena viśvam
nimeṣādir vatsarānto
mahīyāṁs taṁ tveśānaṁ kṣema-dhāma prapadye
(Bhāgavatam, 10.3.26;
Govinda-bhāṣya, 2.3.45)
“O inaugurator of the material
energy, this wonderful creation works under the control of powerful time, which
is divided into seconds, minutes, hours and years. This element of time, which
extends for many millions of years, is but another form of Lord Viṣṇu. For Your
pastimes, You act as the controller of time, but You are the reservoir of all
good fortune. Let me offer my full surrender unto Your Lordship.”
However, time exerts no influence
over Lord Kṛṣṇa and His abode:
na yatra kālo ‘nimiṣāṁ
paraḥ prabhuḥ kuto nu devā jagatāṁ ya īśire
na yatra sattvaṁ na
rajas tamaś ca na vai vikāro na mahān pradhānam
(Bhāgavatam, 2.2.17;
Govinda-bhāṣya, 1.1.7)
“In that transcendental state of
labdhopaśānti, there is no supremacy of devastating time, which controls even
the celestial demigods who are empowered to rule over mundane creatures. (And
what to speak of the demigods themselves?) Nor is there the mode of material
goodness, nor passion, nor ignorance, nor even the false ego, nor the material
Causal Ocean, nor the material nature.”
The calculation of time is elaborately
described by Maitreya muni in the Bhāgavatam (3.11.4-39):
sa kālaḥ paramāṇur
vai yo bhuṅkte paramāṇutām
sato ‘viśeṣa-bhug yas
tu sa kālaḥ paramo mahān
“Atomic time is measured
according to its covering a particular atomic space. That time which covers the
unmanifest aggregate of atoms is called the great time.”
aṇur dvau paramāṇū
syāt trasareṇus trayaḥ smṛtaḥ
jālārka-raśmy-avagataḥ
kham evānupatann agāt
“The division of gross time is
calculated as follows: two atoms make one double atom, and three double atoms
make one hexatom. This hexatom is visible in the sunshine which enters through
the holes of a window screen. One can clearly see that the hexatom goes up
towards the sky.”
trasareṇu-trikaṁ bhuṅkte
yaḥ kālaḥ sa truṭiḥ smṛtaḥ
śata-bhāgas tu vedhaḥ
syāt tais tribhis tu lavaḥ smṛtaḥ
“The time duration needed for the
integration of three trasareṇus is called a truṭi, and one hundred truṭis make
one vedha. Three vedhas make one lava.”
nimeṣas tri-lavo
jñeya āmnātas te trayaḥ kṣaṇaḥ
kṣaṇān pañca viduḥ kāṣṭhāṁ
laghu tā daśa pañca ca
“The duration of time of three
lavas is equal to one nimeṣa, the combination of three nimeṣas makes one kṣaṇa,
five kṣaṇas combined together make one kāṣṭhā, and fifteen kāṣṭhās make one
laghu.”
laghūni vai samāmnātā
daśa pañca ca nāḍikā
te dve muhūrtaḥ praharaḥ
ṣaḍ yāmaḥ sapta vā nṛṇām
“Fifteen laghus make one nāḍikā,
which is also called a daṇḍa. Two daṇḍas make one muhūrta, and six or seven daṇḍas
make one fourth of a day or night, according to human calculation.”
dvādaśārdha-palonmānaṁ
caturbhiś catur-aṅgulaiḥ
svarṇa-māṣaiḥ kṛta-cchidraṁ
yāvat prastha-jala-plutam
“The measuring pot for one nāḍikā,
or daṇḍa, can be prepared with a six-pala-weight [fourteen ounce] pot of
copper, in which a hole is bored with a gold probe weighing four māṣa and
measuring four fingers long. When the pot is placed on water, the time before
the water overflows in the pot is called one daṇḍa.”
yāmāś catvāraś
catvāro martyānām ahanī ubhe
pakṣaḥ pañca-daśāhāni
śuklaḥ kṛṣṇaś ca mānada
“It is calculated that there are
four praharas, which are also called yāmas, in the day and four in the night of
the human being. Similarly, fifteen days and nights are a fortnight, and there
are two fortnights, white and black, in a month.”
tayoḥ samuccayo māsaḥ
pitṝṇāṁ tad ahar-niśam
dvau tāv ṛtuḥ ṣaḍ
ayanaṁ dakṣiṇaṁ cottaraṁ divi
“The aggregate of two fortnights
is one month, and that period is one complete day and night for the Pitā
planets. Two of such months comprise one season, and six months comprise one
complete movement of the sun from south to north.”
ayane cāhanī prāhur
vatsaro dvādaśa smṛtaḥ
saṁvatsara-śataṁ nṝṇāṁ
paramāyur nirūpitam
“Two solar movements make one day
and night of the demigods, and that combination of day and night is one
complete calendar year for the human being. The human being has a duration of
life of one hundred years.”
graharkṣa-tārā-cakra-sthaḥ
paramāṇv-ādinā jagat
saṁvatsarāvasānena
paryety animiṣo vibhuḥ
“Influential stars, planets,
luminaries and atoms all over the universe are rotating in their respective
orbits under the direction of the Supreme, represented by eternal kāla.”
saṁvatsaraḥ
parivatsara iḍā-vatsara eva ca
anuvatsaro vatsaraś
ca viduraivaṁ prabhāṣyate
“There are five different names
for the orbits of the sun, moon, stars and luminaries in the firmament, and
they each have their own saṁvatsara.”
yaḥ sṛjya-śaktim
urudhocchvasayan sva-śaktyā
puṁso ‘bhramāya divi
dhāvati bhūta-bhedaḥ
kālākhyayā guṇamayaṁ
kratubhir vitanvaṁs
tasmai baliṁ harata
vatsara-pañcakāya
“O Vidura, the sun enlivens all
living entities with his unlimited heat and light. He diminishes the duration
of life of all living entities in order to release them from their illusion of
material attachment, and he enlarges the path of elevation to the heavenly
kingdom. He thus moves in the firmament with great velocity, and therefore
everyone should offer him respects once every five years with all ingredients
of worship.”
vidura uvāca
pitṛ-deva-manuṣyāṇām
āyuḥ param idaṁ smṛtam
pareṣāṁ gatim ācakṣva
ye syuḥ kalpād bahir vidaḥ
“Vidura said: I now understand
the life durations of the residents of the Pitā planets and heavenly planets as
well as that of the human beings. Now kindly inform me of the durations of life
of those greatly learned living entities who are beyond the range of a kalpa.”
bhagavān veda kālasya
gatiṁ bhagavato nanu
viśvaṁ vicakṣate
dhīrā yoga-rāddhena cakṣuṣā
“O spiritually powerful one, you
can understand the movements of eternal time, which is the controlling form of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because you are a self-realized person, you
can see everything by the power of mystic vision.”
maitreya uvāca
kṛtaṁ tretā dvāparaṁ
ca kaliś ceti catur-yugam
divyair dvādaśabhir
varṣaiḥ sāvadhānaṁ nirūpitam
“Maitreya said: O Vidura, the
four millenniums are called the Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali yugas. The
aggregate number of years of all of these combined is equal to twelve thousand
years of the demigods.”
catvāri trīṇi dve
caikaṁ kṛtādiṣu yathā-kramam
saṅkhyātāni sahasrāṇi
dvi-guṇāni śatāni ca
“The duration of the Satya
millennium equals 4,800 years of the years of the demigods; the duration of the
Treta millennium equals 3600 years of the demigods; the duration of the Dvāpara
millennium equals 2,400 years; and that of the Kali millennium is 1,200 years
of the demigods.”
sandhyā-sandhyāṁśayor
antar yaḥ kālaḥ śata-saṅkhyayoḥ
tam evāhur yugaṁ
taj-jñā yatra dharmo vidhīyate
“The transitional periods before
and after every millennium, which are a few hundred years as aforementioned,
are known as yuga-sandhyās, or the conjunctions of two millenniums, according
to the expert astronomers. In those periods all kinds of religious activities
are performed.”
dharmaś catuṣ-pān
manujān kṛte samanuvartate
sa evānyeṣv adharmeṇa
vyeti pādena vardhatā
“O Vidura, in the Satya millennium
mankind properly and completely maintained the principles of religion, but in
other millenniums religion gradually decreased by one part as irreligion was
proportionately admitted.”
tri-lokyā
yuga-sāhasraṁ bahir ābrahmaṇo dinam
tāvaty eva niśā tāta
yan nimīlati viśva-sṛk
“Outside of the three planetary
systems [Svarga, Martya and Pātāla], the four yugas multiplied by one thousand
comprise one day on the planet of Brahmā. A similar period comprises a night of
Brahmā, in which the creator of the universe goes to sleep.”
niśāvasāna ārabdho
loka-kalpo ‘nuvartate
yāvad dinaṁ bhagavato
manūn bhuñjaṁś catur-daśa
“After the end of Brahmā’s night,
the creation of the three worlds begins again in the daytime of Brahmā, and
they continue to exist through the life durations of fourteen consecutive
Manus, or fathers of mankind.”
svaṁ svaṁ kālaṁ manur
bhuṅkte sādhikāṁ hy eka-saptatim
“Each and every Manu enjoys a
life of a little more than seventy-one sets of four millenniums.”
manvantareṣu manavas
tad-vaṁśyā ṛṣayaḥ surāḥ
bhavanti caiva
yugapat sureśāś cānu ye ca tān
”After the dissolution of each
and every Manu, the next Manu comes in order, along with his descendants, who
rule over the different planets; but the seven famous sages, and demigods like
Indra and their followers, such as the Gandharvas, all appear simultaneously
with Manu.”
eṣa dainan-dinaḥ
sargo brāhmas trailokya-vartanaḥ
tiryaṅ-nṛ-pitṛ-devānāṁ
sambhavo yatra karmabhiḥ
“In the creation, during Brahmā’s
day, the three planetary systems—Svarga, Martya and Pātāla—revolve, and the
inhabitants, including the lower animals, human beings, demigods and Pitās,
appear and disappear in terms of their fruitive activities.”
manvantareṣu bhagavān
bibhrat sattvaṁ sva-mūrtibhiḥ
manv-ādibhir idaṁ
viśvam avaty udita-pauruṣaḥ
“In each and every change of
Manu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears by manifesting His internal
potency in different incarnations, as Manu and others. Thus He maintains the
universe by discovered power.”
tamo-mātrām upādāya
pratisaṁruddha-vikramaḥ
kālenānugatāśeṣa āste
tūṣṇīṁ dinātyaye
“At the end of the day, under the
insignificant portion of the mode of darkness, the powerful manifestation of
the universe merges in the darkness of night. By the influence of eternal time,
the innumerable living entities remain merged in that dissolution, and everything
is silent.”
tam evānv api
dhīyante lokā bhūr-ādayas trayaḥ
niśāyām anuvṛttāyāṁ
nirmukta-śaśi-bhāskaram
“When the night of Brahmā ensues,
all the three worlds are out of sight, and the sun and the moon are without
glare, just as in the due course of an ordinary night.”
tri-lokyāṁ
dahyamānāyāṁ śaktyā saṅkarṣaṇāgninā
yānty ūṣmaṇā
maharlokāj janaṁ bhṛgv-ādayo ‘rditāḥ
“The devastation takes place due
to the fire emanating from the mouth of Saṅkarṣaṇa, and thus great sages like
Bhṛgu and other inhabitants of Maharloka transport themselves to Janaloka,
being distressed by the warmth of the blazing fire which rages through the
three worlds below.”
tāvat tri-bhuvanaṁ
sadyaḥ kalpāntaidhita-sindhavaḥ
plāvayanty utkaṭāṭopa-caṇḍa-vāteritormayaḥ
“At the beginning of the
devastation all the seas overflow, and hurricane winds blow very violently.
Thus the waves of the seas become ferocious, and in no time at all the three
worlds are full of water.”
antaḥ sa tasmin
salila āste ‘nantāsano hariḥ
yoga-nidrā-nimīlākṣaḥ
stūyamāno janālayaiḥ
“The Supreme Lord, the
Personality of Godhead, lies down in the water on the seat of Ananta, with His
eyes closed, and the inhabitants of the Janaloka planets offer their glorious
prayers unto the Lord with folded hands.”
evaṁ-vidhair aho-rātraiḥ
kāla-gatyopalakṣitaiḥ
apakṣitam ivāsyāpi
paramāyur vayaḥ-śatam
“Thus the process of the
exhaustion of the duration of life exists for every one of the living beings,
including Lord Brahmā. One’s life endures for only one hundred years, in terms
of the times in the different planets.”
yad ardham āyuṣas
tasya parārdham abhidhīyate
pūrvaḥ parārdho
‘pakrānto hy aparo ‘dya pravartate
“The one hundred years of
Brahmā’s life are divided into two parts, the first half and the second half.
The first half of the duration of Brahmā’s life is already over, and the second
half is now current.”
pūrvasyādau
parārdhasya brāhmo nāma mahān abhūt
kalpo yatrābhavad
brahmā śabda-brahmeti yaṁ viduḥ
“In the beginning of the first
half of Brahmā’s life, there was a millennium called Brāhma-kalpa, wherein Lord
Brahmā appeared. The birth of the Vedas was simultaneous with Brahmā’s birth.”
tasyaiva cānte kalpo
‘bhūd yaṁ pādmam abhicakṣate
yad dharer nābhi-sarasa
āsīl loka-saroruham
“The millennium which followed
the first Brāhma millennium is known as the Pādma-kalpa because in that
millennium the universal lotus flower grew out of the navel reservoir of water
of the Personality of Godhead, Hari.”
ayaṁ tu kathitaḥ
kalpo dvitīyasyāpi bhārata
vārāha iti vikhyāto
yatrāsīc chūkaro hariḥ
“O descendant of Bharata, the
first millennium in the second half of the life of Brahmā is also known as the
Vārāha millennium because the Personality of Godhead appeared in that
millennium as the hog incarnation.”
kālo ‘yaṁ
dvi-parārdhākhyo nimeṣa upacaryate
avyākṛtasyānantasya
hy anāder jagad-ātmanaḥ
“The duration of the two parts of
Brahmā’s life, as above mentioned, is calculated to be equal to one nimeṣa
[less than a second] for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is unchanging
and unlimited and is the cause of all causes of the universe.”
kālo ‘yaṁ paramāṇv-ādir
dvi-parārdhānta īśvaraḥ
naiveśituṁ prabhur
bhūmna īśvaro dhāma-māninām
“Eternal time is certainly the
controller of different dimensions, from that of the atom up to the
superdivisions of the duration of Brahmā’s life; but, nevertheless, it is
controlled by the Supreme. Time can control only those who are body conscious,
even up to the Satyaloka or the other higher planets of the universe.”
