Kala- Time

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 sruti confirms:

sa visvakrd visvavid atmayonir jnah kala-kalo guni sarvavid yah
pradhana-ksetrajna-patir gunesah samsara-moksa-sthiti-bandha-hetuh
(Svetasvatara Upanisad, 6.16; Govinda-bhasya, Introduction)

“The Supreme soul is the creator of this universe. He is omniscient, the source of Himself, the supreme knower, the personification of time, replete with all transcendental qualities, knows everyone, and is the controller of maya . The Regent of the universe, Lord of the material modes and is beyond their influence. He is the sole authority to keep the jiva chained to the wheel of samsara, to allocate his life-span and to reward him with liberation.”

And the smrti says:

yo 'yam kalas tasya te 'vyakta-bandho cestam ahus cestate yena visvam
nimesadir vatsaranto mahiyams tam tvesanam ksema-dhama prapadye
(Bhagavatam, 10.3.26; Govinda-bhasya, 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 Visnu. 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 Krsna and His abode:

na yatra kalo 'nimisam parah prabhuh kuto nu deva jagatam ya isire
na yatra sattvam na rajas tamas ca na vai vikaro na mahan pradhanam
(Bhagavatam, 2.2.17; Govinda-bhasya, 1.1.7)

“In that transcendental state of labdhopasanti, 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 Bhagavatam, 3.11.4-39:

sa kalah paramanur vai yo bhunkte paramanutam
sato 'visesa-bhug yas tu sa kalah paramo mahan


“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.”

anur dvau paramanu syat trasarenus trayah smrtah
jalarka-rasmy-avagatah kham evanupatann agat

“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.”

trasarenu-trikam bhunkte yah kalah sa trutih smrtah
sata-bhagas tu vedhah syat tais tribhis tu lavah smrtah

“The time duration needed for the integration of three trasarenus is called a truti, and one hundred trutis make one vedha. Three vedhas make one lava.”

nimesas tri-lavo jneya amnatas te trayah ksanah
ksanan panca viduh kastham laghu ta dasa panca ca

“The duration of time of three lavas is equal to one nimesa, the combination of three nimesas makes one ksana, five ksanas combined together make one kastha, and fifteen kasthas make one laghu.”

laghuni vai samamnata dasa panca ca nadika
te dve muhurtah praharah sad yamah sapta va nrnam

“Fifteen laghus make one nadika, which is also called a danda. Two dandas make one muhurta, and six or seven dandas make one fourth of a day or night, according to human calculation.”

dvadasardha-palonmanam caturbhis catur-angulaih
svarna-masaih krta-cchidram yavat prastha-jala-plutam

“The measuring pot for one nadika, or danda, 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 masa and measuring four fingers long. When the pot is placed on water, the time before the water overflows in the pot is called one danda.”

yamas catvaras catvaro martyanam ahani ubhe
paksah panca-dasahani suklah krsnas ca manada

“It is calculated that there are four praharas, which are also called yamas, 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.”

tayoh samuccayo masah pitrnam tad ahar-nisam
dvau tav rtuh sad ayanam daksinam cottaram divi

“The aggregate of two fortnights is one month, and that period is one complete day and night for the Pita planets. Two of such months comprise one season, and six months comprise one complete movement of the sun from south to north.”

ayane cahani prahur vatsaro dvadasa smrtah
samvatsara-satam nrnam paramayur nirupitam

“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.”

graharksa-tara-cakra-sthah paramanv-adina jagat
samvatsaravasanena paryety animiso vibhuh

“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 kala.”

samvatsarah parivatsara ida-vatsara eva ca
anuvatsaro vatsaras ca viduraivam prabhasyate

“There are five different names for the orbits of the sun, moon, stars and luminaries in the firmament, and they each have their own samvatsara.”

yah srjya-saktim urudhocchvasayan sva-saktya
pumso 'bhramaya divi dhavati bhuta-bhedah
kalakhyaya gunamayam kratubhir vitanvams
tasmai balim harata vatsara-pancakaya

“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 uvaca
pitr-deva-manusyanam ayuh param idam smrtam
paresam gatim acaksva ye syuh kalpad bahir vidah

“Vidura said: I now understand the life durations of the residents of the Pita 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.”

bhagavan veda kalasya gatim bhagavato nanu
visvam vicaksate dhira yoga-raddhena caksusa

“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 uvaca

krtam treta dvaparam ca kalis ceti catur-yugam
divyair dvadasabhir varsaih savadhanam nirupitam


“Maitreya said: O Vidura, the four millenniums are called the Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali yugas. The aggregate number of years of all of these combined is equal to twelve thousand years of the demigods.”

catvari trini dve caikam krtadisu yatha-kramam
sankhyatani sahasrani dvi-gunani satani 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 Dvapara millennium equals 2,400 years; and that of the Kali millennium is 1,200 years of the demigods.”

sandhya-sandhyamsayor antar yah kalah sata-sankhyayoh
tam evahur yugam taj-jna yatra dharmo vidhiyate

“The transitional periods before and after every millennium, which are a few hundred years as aforementioned, are known as yuga-sandhyas, or the conjunctions of two millenniums, according to the expert astronomers. In those periods all kinds of religious activities are performed.”

dharmas catus-pan manujan krte samanuvartate
sa evanyesv adharmena vyeti padena vardhata

“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-lokya yuga-sahasram bahir abrahmano dinam
tavaty eva nisa tata yan nimilati visva-srk

“Outside of the three planetary systems [Svarga, Martya and Patala], the four yugas multiplied by one thousand comprise one day on the planet of Brahma. A similar period comprises a night of Brahma, in which the creator of the universe goes to sleep.”

nisavasana arabdho loka-kalpo 'nuvartate
yavad dinam bhagavato manun bhunjams catur-dasa

“After the end of Brahma's night, the creation of the three worlds begins again in the daytime of Brahma, and they continue to exist through the life durations of fourteen consecutive Manus, or fathers of mankind.”

svam svam kalam manur bhunkte sadhikam hy eka-saptatim

“Each and every Manu enjoys a life of a little more than seventy-one sets of four millenniums.”

manvantaresu manavas tad-vamsya rsayah surah
bhavanti caiva yugapat suresas canu ye ca tan


”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.”

esa dainan-dinah sargo brahmas trailokya-vartanah
tiryan-nr-pitr-devanam sambhavo yatra karmabhih

“In the creation, during Brahma's day, the three planetary systems—Svarga, Martya and Patala—revolve, and the inhabitants, including the lower animals, human beings, demigods and Pitas, appear and disappear in terms of their fruitive activities.”

manvantaresu bhagavan bibhrat sattvam sva-murtibhih
manv-adibhir idam visvam avaty udita-paurusah

“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-matram upadaya pratisamruddha-vikramah
kalenanugatasesa aste tusnim dinatyaye

“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 evanv api dhiyante loka bhur-adayas trayah
nisayam anuvrttayam nirmukta-sasi-bhaskaram

“When the night of Brahma 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-lokyam dahyamanayam saktya sankarsanagnina
yanty usmana maharlokaj janam bhrgv-adayo 'rditah

“The devastation takes place due to the fire emanating from the mouth of Sankarsana, and thus great sages like Bhrgu 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.”

tavat tri-bhuvanam sadyah kalpantaidhita-sindhavah
plavayanty utkatatopa-canda-vateritormayah

“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.”

antah sa tasmin salila aste 'nantasano harih
yoga-nidra-nimilaksah stuyamano janalayaih

“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.”

evam-vidhair aho-ratraih kala-gatyopalaksitaih
apaksitam ivasyapi paramayur vayah-satam

“Thus the process of the exhaustion of the duration of life exists for every one of the living beings, including Lord Brahma. One's life endures for only one hundred years, in terms of the times in the different planets.”

yad ardham ayusas tasya parardham abhidhiyate
purvah parardho 'pakranto hy aparo 'dya pravartate

“The one hundred years of Brahma's life are divided into two parts, the first half and the second half. The first half of the duration of Brahma's life is already over, and the second half is now current.”

purvasyadau parardhasya brahmo nama mahan abhut
kalpo yatrabhavad brahma sabda-brahmeti yam viduh

“In the beginning of the first half of Brahma's life, there was a millennium called Brahma-kalpa, wherein Lord Brahma appeared. The birth of the Vedas was simultaneous with Brahma's birth.”

tasyaiva cante kalpo 'bhud yam padmam abhicaksate
yad dharer nabhi-sarasa asil loka-saroruham

“The millennium which followed the first Brahma millennium is known as the Padma-kalpa because in that millennium the universal lotus flower grew out of the navel reservoir of water of the Personality of Godhead, Hari.”

ayam tu kathitah kalpo dvitiyasyapi bharata
varaha iti vikhyato yatrasic chukaro harih

“O descendant of Bharata, the first millennium in the second half of the life of Brahma is also known as the Varaha millennium because the Personality of Godhead appeared in that millennium as the hog incarnation.”

kalo 'yam dvi-parardhakhyo nimesa upacaryate
avyakrtasyanantasya hy anader jagad-atmanah

“The duration of the two parts of Brahma's life, as above mentioned, is calculated to be equal to one nimesa [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.”

kalo 'yam paramanv-adir dvi-parardhanta isvarah
naivesitum prabhur bhumna isvaro dhama-maninam

“Eternal time is certainly the controller of different dimensions, from that of the atom up to the superdivisions of the duration of Brahma'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.”