kalpa
Quick Summary
In Hindu cosmology, a kalpa represents a complete cosmic cycle, encompassing the origination and destruction of a world system. This vast period is composed of 2,000 mahayugas, or "great ages". Each mahayuga consists of four progressively shorter yugas: Krita, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali. These ages signify a decline in humanity's moral and physical state. The current age, Kali, began in 3102 BCE and will last 432,000 years. At the end of this age, the world will be destroyed and then recreated as the cycle restarts. The term kalpa also refers to a manual of Hindu religious practice within the Vedangas, or "accessories to the Vedas," which explains sacrificial and domestic rituals, as well as conduct of life.123
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eschatologyReligions of Asia…characterized by great cycles (kalpas) of rise and decline, creation and destruction. The kalpa comprises 2,000 mahayugas, which in turn are each made up of four ages, or yugas, of diminishing length. The current age is the fourth yuga, the kaliyuga, of a mahayuga and is to last 1,200…
Read More…characterized by great cycles (kalpas) of rise and decline, creation and destruction. The kalpa comprises 2,000 mahayugas, which in turn are each made up of four ages, or yugas, of diminishing length. The current age is the fourth yuga, the kaliyuga, of a mahayuga and is to last 1,200…
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timeThe cyclic view in various cultures…of the recurrent eons (kalpas), the Hindus arrived, intuitively, at figures of the magnitude of those reached by modern astronomers through meticulous observations and calculations. Similarly, the Aztecs of Mesoamerica rivaled modern Westerners and the Hindus in the scale on which they envisaged the flow of time, and they…
Read More…of the recurrent eons (kalpas), the Hindus arrived, intuitively, at figures of the magnitude of those reached by modern astronomers through meticulous observations and calculations. Similarly, the Aztecs of Mesoamerica rivaled modern Westerners and the Hindus in the scale on which they envisaged the flow of time, and they…
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HinduismMyths of time and eternityOne thousand mahayugas form one kalpa (eon), which is itself but one day in the life of Brahma, whose life lasts 100 years; the present is the midpoint of his life. Each kalpa is followed by an equally long period of abeyance (pralaya), in which the universe is asleep. Seemingly,…
Read MoreOne thousand mahayugas form one kalpa (eon), which is itself but one day in the life of Brahma, whose life lasts 100 years; the present is the midpoint of his life. Each kalpa is followed by an equally long period of abeyance (pralaya), in which the universe is asleep. Seemingly,…
Read More