You are here: SriPedia - SriRangaSri - Archives - Sep 2006

SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00024 Sep 2006

 
Sep 2006 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


SrI:
SrImathE Ramanujaya nama:

Dearest All, 

I am overwhelmed by the enthu and passion with which people discuss 
this most interesting and useful topic.

However issues are drifting away to personal and emotional levels.
I would like to reproduce the excerpts from the Book Hinduism 
Rediscovered by Sri Anbil Ramaswamy swami which in Part explains 
the position on the evolution and dissolution of the Matter- Spoace- 
Time triad quite well and very simply put. .

With this, adiyEn humbly requests readers to take the discussion off 
line and because it is drifting into futile discussions which have 
nothing to do with Bhakti (devotional love) and Prapatti (Absolute 
Surrender) to Bhagavaan, the true hallmark of Srivaishnava 
Siddhantam.

Please be advised that those interested in knowing more on this 
and other related subjects may acquire copies of the book "Hinduism 
Rediscovered" (if not already done!) by contacting Sri Anbil 
Ramaswamy at 1638 Omara Lane, Smyrna, GA-30082 Phone (770) 434- 9596.

Regards
Namo narayana
dAsan madhavakkannan
[on behalf of Sri Anbil Ramaswamy, Moderator]
*************
Excerpts from Chapter 21 of "Hinduism Rediscovered" on
"Time" 

SECTION 4 : TIME 
Time or 'KALA' is in its essential nature all
pervasive ( Vibhu). It is eternal. It is an accessory
to creation and dissolution of the manifest world.
This time though existing both in Nitya vibhuti and
Leela vibhuti ( which term includes all that lies
below and including Brahma's Satyaloka) - is potent
only in the latter. 

In Vaikunta, ' time stands still ', the Nityasuris and
Muktas who enjoy eternal youth never go through the
process of aging and are eye witnesses to the sight
and enjoyment of the ' eternal day' - '21 
"Sada pasyanti soorayah diveeva chakshur atatam' and
"Ati Ratram Uttamam Ahar Bhavati " 

So, time has no value in Paramapada. In Leela Vibhuti,
however, it keeps ticking, like a stop-watch
constantly measuring the length of life of all living
beings and insentient things that manifest and
disintegrate at stipulated intervals as willed by
Bhagavan. 
This time concept has been considered by Hinduism at
two levels, Micro and Macro.. 

AT THE MICRO LEVEL ( as other religions have done)
measuring has been done with the divisions and
subdivisions familiar to human understanding. This has
been done by Hinduism with an unparalleled precision.
The Hindu astronomers could calculate the minutest
division of time say from hours to minutes to seconds
to what we now understand by such terms as nano
seconds etc., AND PREDICT WITH RAZOR SHARP ACCURACY
THE EXACTTIMINGS OF EVENTS SUCH AS THE ECLIPSES
INCLUDINGTHEIR COMMENCEMENT, TOTALITY AND
ENDINGSMILLIONS OF YEARS BACK FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS
TOCOME. THAT THEY DID WITH ABSOLUTELY NO
INFRASTRUCTURES, NO TELESCOPES NOR OTHER GADGETS BUT
BY THEIR TRANSCENDENTAL VISION IS A FACT THATMODERN
ASTRONOMERS BOASTING OF SOPHISTICATEDINSTRUMENTS CAN
ONLY ADMIRE BUT ARE NOT ABLE TOEMULATE. 

AT THE MACRO LEVEL , the calculations spreading
endlessly far beyond our imaginative faculties and
comprehension are, therefore, mind boggling. But,
recent scientific research on the Big bang and other
phenomena seem to reaffirm our faith in the veracity
and the validity of these macro level calculations
also. 

Says Mr BASHAM: 

"The procession of equinoxes was known and calculated
with some accuracy by the astronomers, as were the
lengths of the year, the lunar month, and other
astronomical constants. These calculations were
reliable for the most practical purposes and in many
cases more exact than those of the Greco- Roman world.
Eclipses were forecast with accuracy and their true
causes understood"22 

DR. RADHAKRISHNAN observes: 

"They measured the land, divided the year, mapped out
the heavens, traced the course of Sun and planets
through the zodiacal belt, analyzed the constitution
of matter, and studied the nature of birds and beasts,
plants and seeds".23 

THUS, OUR ANCESTORS IN THE HINDU SOCIETY LEFT
NOSUBJECT UNINVESTIGATED AND ACTUALLY ARRIVED ATTHE
APPROPRIATE CONCLUSIONS WHICH MODERNRESEARCHERS ARE
ONLY NOW TRYING TO GRAPPLE WITH. 
THE HINDU CALENDAR 
The Hindu Calendar is based on a ' Solar - lunar '
projection. The Thithi, Vara, Nakshatra, Yoga and
Karana form the five fundamental considerations in the
calculation of time. 

( The names of these as well as those of months,
seasons and years as per the Hindu almanac are given
in Annexure 6) 

1. Thithi: This is the distance between the Sun and
the Moon in the stratosphere representing in terms of
time to traverse as the lunar day approximately 30 of
which make a lunar month. The month itself is divided
into two fortnights of 15 Thithis each and called
'Paksha'. 

The period from the full moon day ( Pournami) to the
New moon day (Amavasya) is called the 'Krishna Paksha'
- dark fortnight. and the period from the New moon to
the full moon is called 'Sukla paksha'- the bright
fortnight.( Incidentally, the word 'Amavasya' means '
residing together' when the Sun and the moon rise and
set about the same time. 

Ama means together and Vasya means residing.). The
thithi can begin at any time during the solar day. The
thithi that is current at the time of Sunrise (
Suryodaya) will be the thithi for that day. 

2. Vaara: Vaara or Vasara refers to the day of the
week. The days correspond to the days followed in the
Western Calendar. 
3. Nakshatra: the star ruling over any day is decided
by the sojourn of the moon on its journey through the
12 zodiacal spheres in a cyclical manner. The moon
sojourns in each sphere for approximately 2 1/2 days
so that it would complete the 12 spheres in 30 days.
There are 27 stars listed in the almanac, each having
4 quarters (Padas). Thus, there are 27 x 4= 108 Padas
which are positioned at the rate of 9 padas in each
zodiacal sphere. The moon with its eternal movement
traverses each Raasi (as the spheres are called) and
comes into contact with the stars. And, for this
duration of contact, the relevant star governs the
day. 

4. Yoga: This Yoga is different from the Yoga we
discussed under Karma yoga, Gnana yoga , Bhakti yoga
etc. Yoga here refers to the total distance traversed
by the Sun and the Moon from any specified point. Like
Nakshatra, 27 yogas have been listed 

5. Karana : This represents half the period of Thithi
which we saw earlier. There are 11 Karanas listed in
the almanac. The Sun also moves through these zodiacal
Raasis. The Sun sojourns in each Raasi for
approximately one month. completing the round in one
year. 
The other planets also move through these zodiacal
stations taking varying lengths of time to traverse
each ( e.g.) Jupiter, Rahu and Ketu take about one
year while Saturn takes about 2 1/2 years . 

6. MASA (MONTHS): There are 12 months as in the
Western Calendar 

7. RITU (Seasons): Unlike the Western calendar which
has only 4 seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter,
the Hindu calendar has 6 seasons of 2 months' duration
called 'Ritus': 

8. AYANA ( Half - Years): The year is also divided
into 2 half - years called Ayanas.: 
1.      The period beginning from Makara to the end of
Mithuna is called Uttarayana to denote the Sun's
movement from the tropic of Capricorn NORTHWARDS to
the tropic of Cancer. 
2.      The period beginning from Kataka to the end of
Dhanus is called Dakshinayana to denote the Sun's
movement from the tropic of Cancer SOUTHWARDS to the
tropic of Capricorn. This is just another way of
saying what is recognized in Western thinking as the
earth revolving round the Sun as to receive Sun's
light alternatively between the two tropics in a
period of 6 months. 

9. CYCLE OF YEARS : The Hindu calendar lists a cycle
of 60 years from Prabhava to Akshaya 
MACRO LEVEL COMPUTATIONS 
Now, let us take the Macro level computations. Several
technical terms have been used to denote the mega
computations of time. like 
1.      YUGAS, 
2.      MAHAYUGAS, 
3.      MANVANTARAS, 
4.      KALPAS, 
5.      PARARDHA. 
6.      PARAM. 
We shall try to understand what these mean in an
attempt to comprehend the magnitude of the
calculations adopted and followed in Hindu Cosmic time
panorama. 
1.YUGAS AND 2. MAHAYUGAS 
The time of one year for humans represents one day for
the divine beings. 360 such divine days make one
divine year. 12,000 such divine years makes a Mahayuga
comprising the 4 yugas of Krita, Treta, Dwapara and
Kali yugas. In terms of our human standards the
measurement of a Mahayuga will look like this: Kali
yuga 432,000 human years (We are said to be in the
year 5098 as of 1997,the balance of Kali yuga being
426,902 years more as of April 1997) Dwapara yuga (
Dwa means 2 times, So twice of Kaliyuga ) 
864.000 human years Treta yuga (Tre means 3 times, So
thrice of Kali yuga) 
1,296,000 human years Krita yuga ( 4 times of Kali
yuga) 
1,728,000 human years. 
 Total for one Mahayuga  = 4,320,000 Human years or
4.32 million years. 
THE LORD IN THE VARIOUS YUGAS 
Lord in the Krita Yuga :        Lord  Sri Ranganatha
Lord in the Treta Yuga:         Lord Sri Rama
Lord in the Dwapara Yuga:    Lord Sri Krishna
Lord in the Kali Yuga :           Lord  Srinivasa
3. MANVANTARAS 
72 Mahayugas constitutes one 'Manvantara' (i.e.) the
life of a Manu, the law giver and also of Indra, the
Lord of the Devas and 14 such Manvantaras make one day
or Kalpa of the four faced Brahma or 72 x 14 = 1008
Mahayugas. This works out to 4.32m x 1008 = 4354.56
MILLION human years or 4.35456 BILLION human years. 
THE 'BIG BANG' SCIENTISTS AVER THAT THE BIG BANGMUST
HAVE OCCURED SOME 15 BILLION YEARS BACK ,THAT THE SUN
CAME INTO BEING ABOUT 5 BILLION YEARSBACK AND THE
EARTH SOME 3 BILLION YEARS BACK.SCHOLORS THINK THAT
THIS CONFORMS TO THE HINDUMYTHOLOGICAL RECKONING OF
THE CREATION OFHEAVENLY BODIES AND THEIR DISSOLUTION. 
4. KALPAS 
The Puranas mention the names of 30 Kalpas. We are
said to live in the 'Sveta Varaha Kalpa' from the fact
that Bhagavan appeared at the beginning of this Kalpa
in the form of a white boar and saved the earth from
the nether worlds to which an Asura had kidnapped her.
The Kalpa just before the present was called 'Padma
Kalpa'. 
In each of the Kalpas 14 Manus reign. In other words,
a Manu holds sway for a period of 72 Mahayugas or
Chaturyugas. Of the 14 Manvantaras, so far six Manus
have had their reigns. 

WE ARE NOW IN 7TH MANVANTARA called 'Vaivaswatha
Manvantara' after the name of the current Manu
'Vaivaswatha'. The names of the 6 Manus who ruled
BEFORE Vaivaswatha and those who will SUCCEED him in
chronological order are as follows:- 
1.      Swayambhuva (H.V. 7.8) son of the self born 
2.      Swarochishta (Mark P.67.4) son of the self shining 
3.      Uthama ( Mark.P 73.13) son of the highest 
4.      Taamasa (Mark.P 73.13) son of Darkness 
5.      Raivatha (Mark.P 75,73,74) son of wealth 
6.      Chaikshusa( Mark.P 76.54) son of vision 
7.      VAIVASWATHA( (MARK.P 79.9&10) SON OF BRIGHTNESS 
8.      Arka Savarnika ( Mark.P 80.4) related to Sungod 
9.      Daksha Savarnika ( Mark.P 94.8) son of rituals 
10.     Brahma Savarnika (Mark.P 94.10 to 14 ) son of
Brahma 
11.     Dharma Savarnia( Mark.P 94.19 & 20) relative of
eternal law 
12.     Rudra Savrnika( Mark.P 94.25 )son of the destroyer

13.     Deva Savarnika (Mark. P 94.30)son of the shining
one and 
14.     Indra Savarnika (Mark.P 100.31) son of the mighty
Indra 
In this Vaivaswatha Manvantara itself 
WE ARE IN THE 28TH MAHAYUGA and within that in
Kaliyuga. Sri Rama's period is said to have been in
Treta yuga of the 5th Mahayuga of this Manvantara.
Krishna's period is said to be in the present 28 th
Mahayuga itself almost at the end of Dwaparayuga and
just immediately before the present Kaliyuga. 
THE PRESENT KALI YUGA IS DATED WITH STARTLINGCERTITUDE
TO HAVE BEGUN ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18,3102 B.C WHICH
SOME AUTHORITIES HOLD WAS THEBEGINNING OF THE GREAT
MAHABHARATA WAR. 
The churning of the milky ocean is said to have
happened during the Chaikshusa Manvantara and several
other episodes have been identified to have occurred
in the various time frames within this scheme. 
5. PARARDHAM AND 6. PARAM 
Adding 1 day of 4.35456 BILLION human years and 1
night of equal length (i.e.) 4.35456 BILLION human
years, Brahma's whole day works out to 8.70912 billion
human years. 30 such days make one month for Brahma (
i.e.) 8.70912x 30 =261.2736 BILLION human years.12
months make one year and Brahma is supposed to live
for 100 such years which when calculated works out to
261.2736x12x100=313528.32 BILLION human years. This is
called 'Param'. Half of it is "Para Ardham" Brahma is
supposed to have completed 50 years of his age and he
is in his second 50 years or SECOND PARARDHAM (
DWITEEYA PARARDHAM) and has qualified to be enrolled
as a divine 'Senior citizen'!. 
You may be tempted to ask whether all this is not a
figment of imagination running riot and where is the
proof? 
What is the proof that today is , say, SATURDAY? The
only proof is that yesterday was FRIDAY. Even your
date of birth is what your mother who gave birth to
you told you so. 
Who is your biological father? He is the person whom
your mother pointed out to be your father. 
You have seen your father and / or mother; They were
born out of their parents and these parents were born
out of their parents and so on. 
If you go on tracing the genealogical tree without
faltering, you can arrive at what the Hindus call
'Adhi Moolam" - the primordial origin of the species
and with that the time in which they lived. This saga
of time unfolding before you can also take you ' back
to the future'. 
In a similar fashion - through your children, grand
children, great grandchildren and great great grand
children and so on to the times when they would live
and there is nothing to be skeptical about it. 
If you still feel not convinced, listen to what these
authors have to say on the matter: 
ROSS says 
"ANACHRONISTIC AS THIS LABYRINTHINE MYTHOLOGY MAY
APPEAR TO THE FOREIGN MIND, MANY OF INDIA'S ANCIENT
THEORIES ABOUT THE UNIVERSE ARE STARTINGLY MODERN IN
SCOPE AND WORTHY OF A PEOPLE WHO ARE CREDITED WITH THE
INVENTION OF THE ZERO, AS WELL AS ALGEBRA AND ITS
APPLICATION TO ASTRONOMY AND GEOMETRY; A PEOPLE WHO SO
CAREFULLY OBSERVEDTHE HEAVENS THAT, IN THE OPINION OF
MONIER-WILLIAMS, THEY DETERMINED THE MOON'S SYNODICAL
REVOLUTION MUCH MORE CORRECTLY THAN THE GREEKS" 24 
And, ROSS continues 
"MANY HUNDREDS OF YEARS BEFORE THOSE GREAT EUROPEAN
PIONEERS, GALILEO AND COPERNICUS, HAD TO PAY HEAVY
PRICES IN RIDICULE AND EXCOMMUNICATION FOR THEIR
DARING THEORIES, A SECTION OF THE VEDAS KNOWN AS THE
BRAHMANAS CONTAINED THIS ASTOUNDING STATEMENT: 
'THE SUN NEVER SETS OR RISES. WHEN PEOPLE THINK THE
SUN IS SETTING, HE ONLY CHANGES ABOUT AFTER REACHING
THE END OF THE DAY TO WHAT IS ON THE OTHER SIDE. THEN,
WHEN PEOPLE THINK HE RISES IN THE MORNING, HE ONLY
SHIFTS HIMSELF ABOUT AFTER REACHING THE END OF THE
NIGHT, AND MAKES DAY BELOW AND NIGHT TO WHAT IS ON THE
OTHER SIDE. IN TRUTH, HE DOES NOT SET AT ALL'"25 
KLOSTERMIER observes: 
"In the Manusmriti, we already find the idea of a
periodical creation and destruction of the world, as
well as all the divisions of time from the winking of
an eye to the World ages. One day and night are made
up of thirty muhurtas, each muhurta of thirty kalas,
each kala of thirty Kastas, and each Kasta of eighteen
nimeshas."26 
" We reckon a light year as the distance light travels
in a year's time, or 5,878,000,000,000 miles. The
number is, of course, unimaginable; the mind cannot
grasp it. 
To pictorialize a kalpa- that is the time between the
initial condensation to the final conflagration of a
world system.- an Indian sage of the sixth century
BC., Siddharta Gautama, who became the Buddha, reduced
this immense concept to singularly vivid terms. 
'Imagine, he said, a mountain of the very hardest
rock, a mountain much larger than any peak in the
Himalayas, and suppose that a man, with the piece of
the very finest, sheerest silk gauze from Benares
comes just once every hundred years to touch that
great mountain with the gauze ever so lightly. The
time it would take him to wear away the entire
mountain would be about the length of a Kalpa"27 
The Sun divides days and nights, both human and
divine; A year is the day and night of the departed
ancestors; That is why performance of annual Sradda
ceremony is observed whereby the departed souls are
fed and remembered- which is another way of saying
their being fed and honored on ' THEIR daily basis ' 
WHATEVER THEIR FAILURES , IF ANY, IN OTHER FIELDS,
INDIANS HAVE BEEN DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB IN TERMS OF
KEEPING TRACK OF TIME AND DISTANCE. THIS, THEY DID BY
KEEPING A SORT OF DIARY BASED ON THE ALMANAC. 
It may be noticed that any rituals which a Hindu
performs on auspicious as well as inauspicious
occasions always start with a fixation of the precise
time, the star, the day, the Thithi, the fortnight,
the month, the season, the half year , and the year on
the micro side as also the quarter of the yuga, the
name of the yuga , the name of the cycle, the
Manvantara, and the Kalpa on the Macro side. 
In fact, orthodox Hindus do this reckoning daily in
their ' Nitya karma Anushtana' the daily routine Puja
( honoring) of their Ishtadevata. In this way the
formula for describing the exact time in the eternal
cycle has been passed on from generation to
generation. 
This is what we call the "Sankalpa' before commencing
any rituals. This is also true of fixation of the
exact location where the ritual is performed. as
already discussed in the 'Section on ' Space'. 









 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SriRangaSri/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    SriRangaSri-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
 




[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
srirangasri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list