Surya Siddhanta — [Chapter One]

A tenth part of the Age multiplied by four, three, two, and one,

respectively, gives the duration of the Golden Age and the others; a sixth part of each belongs to their respective dawns and twilights. || 17 ||

The tenth part of the Age the Mahayuga or "Great Age" of 12,000 divine years mentioned previously is multiplied sequentially by four, three, two, and one. This calculation results in the measurements for the Krita Golden Age, Treta Silver Age, Dvapara Bronze Age, and Kali Iron Age eras.

Now, a contradiction might be noted: in the Manu Smriti The Laws of Manu, the durations of the Krita and other ages are given as 4,000, 3,000, 2,000, and 1,000 divine years. However, here the measurements are 4,800, 3,600, 2,400, and 1,200. To resolve this, the text says: "a sixth part." This refers to the combined time of the two Sandhyas the "junctions" or the dawn and twilight periods at the beginning and end of each age.

Thus, for the measurements I have stated (4,800, 3,600, 2,400, and 1,200), their sixth parts are 800, 600, 400, and 200 respectively. These represent the total transition time for each age. Half of each is the specific dawn or twilight period. For example, the dawn and twilight of the Krita age are 400 years each. If you subtract these transition periods from my totals, you arrive at the numbers mentioned in other texts.

The breakdown is as follows:

• Golden Age (Krita): 400 (dawn) + 4,000 (core age) + 400 (twilight) = 4,800
• Silver Age (Treta): 300 (dawn) + 3,000 (core age) + 300 (twilight) = 3,600
• Bronze Age (Dvapara): 200 (dawn) + 2,000 (core age) + 200 (twilight) = 2,400
• Iron Age (Kali): 100 (dawn) + 1,000 (core age) + 100 (twilight) = 1,200

Therefore, there is no contradiction, as my figures include the transition periods inherent to each age. || 17 ||

Hindi Commentary: By multiplying the tenth part of the four-age cycle by 4, 3, 2, and 1, the durations of the Krita and other ages are found. One-sixth of each is its transition period (Sandhya). || 17 ||

Now, to determine the measurement of a Kalpa an Aeon or "Day of Brahma", the author describes the measurement of a Manvantara the reign of a Manu and its transition period:

Seventy-one cycles of the Ages are here called a Manvantara.

At its end, a transition period is declared equal to the number of years in a Golden Age, which is a time of deluge. || 18 ||

Seventy-one cycles of the four ages Mahayugas constitute one Manvantara in this system of measurable time. When a Manu's reign ends, a transition period (Sandhi) occurs. Time-reckoners state that this period is equal to the length of a Krita Yuga (Golden Age). This period serves as the junction between the end of one Manu's reign and the start of the next. Its nature is described as "a time of deluge" (Jalapluva): during this time of world-dissolution, the entire Earth becomes submerged in water. || 18 ||

Hindi Commentary: Seventy-one Yugas make one Manvantara; at its conclusion, there is a transition period equal to the length of a Krita Yuga. At that time, a deluge (flood) occurs. || 18 ||