Discernment of the Truth of Astronomical Principles

The Kaliyugaoriginal: kaliyuga; the fourth and final age in the Hindu cycle of time, associated with a decline in spiritual values consists of 432,000 years. A Mahāyugaoriginal: mahāyuga; a "Great Age" encompassing the full cycle of the four Yugas: Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali is calculated as 4,320,000 years. Among the eras of the Manusoriginal: manvantara; the lifespan or period of a Manu, the progenitor of humanity, the Kṛta Yugaalso known as Satya Yuga, the first and longest age of perfection is remembered as having 1,728,000 years, occurring at the beginning, middle, and end of these transitions.

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At the end of these periods, a great flood or dissolution occurs. The chronologists, those who know the secrets of time, have declared these values for the sake of calculating the cosmic results. Including the transitional periods between the eras of the Manus, the total duration reaches a staggering number of 4,320,000,000 years. This, O Brahman, constitutes a single day of the Creator, and His night is of the same length. 43-44. This solar-based calculation follows the divine rule, descending even to the smallest unit of time, the Paramāṇuoriginal: paramāṇu; the infinitesimal "atom" of time in ancient Indian physics.

Through this daily cycle of creation and dissolution, the Sun regulates the lives of all beings dwelling on the Earth, as well as those living in the forests. 45. By the power of this divine speech, the Earth never remains in one state; its dissolution and recreation are revealed through the scriptures. 46.

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The Earth is divided into regions such as Bhūr, Bhuvaḥ, and Svaḥ the terrestrial, atmospheric, and celestial planes, which are always present. These follow a sequence centered around the moon and Mount Meruthe sacred five-peaked mountain of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology, considered to be the center of all the physical, metaphysical, and spiritual universes. 47-49. This dissolution occurs through the "Opening of Brahma," an eternal process. Even in the era of MahākālaGreat Time or Eternity, the status of the earthly worlds remains defined by these cycles. 48.

In the Markandeya Purana, as well as in the Bhagavata Purana, the specific measurements and authoritative statements regarding these times are clearly explained. 49. These solar calculations include the movements of the planets and the stars. If one asks how this creation is released from time, listen: 50. For the sake of sacrifice and prayer, the gods and portions of the gods were created. By the divine decree, you must always understand their various forms. 51. This is the measurement of Brahma, and in this eternal time, similar "Lotus-Born" creators will continue to arise. 52.

Half of the Creator's lifespan has passed, and we are in the present period. According to the ancient scriptures, the sequence of the Manusthe fourteen successive progenitors of mankind in a Kalpa is as follows:
1. Svāyambhuva Manu
2. Svārocisha appearing here as Vivasvottama
3. Uttama
4. Tāmasa
5. Raivata
6. Cākshusha

Currently, we are in the era of the seventh Manu, known as Vaivasvata Manu. Thus, six Manvantaras and their corresponding Yugas have already passed. 56.

The wise have calculated the elapsed time of the current era. The number of years passed since the beginning of this cycle is recorded as 3,179 years of the Sauramānasolar reckoning before the start of the Shaka era. 59. When combined with the Shalivahana Shakaa historical era beginning in 78 CE, widely used in Indian astronomy years, the total years elapsed since the beginning of creation Sṛṣṭi is calculated as 1,955,880,000 The OCR text lists 10955000, likely a shorthand or local variant for the 1.95 billion years typically cited in Siddhantic texts years.