Treta

Treta is a term from Hindu cosmology referring to the second of the four yugas (ages) within a day of Brahma, or kalpa. The name traditionally means “threefold” or “third,” and Treta Yuga follows Satya (or Krita) Yuga and precedes Dvapara Yuga. In Hindu mythology, the four yugas together form a cycle in which virtue and human lifespans gradually decline and then reset at the end of Kali Yuga.

In most classical accounts, Treta Yuga lasts 1,296,000 years. During this era, virtue diminishes from the perfect state of Satya Yuga to about 75 percent, with truth, righteousness, and dharma operating less fully than in the preceding age. Like the other yugas, Treta Yuga is described as a time of both notable deeds and increasing moral challenges, setting the stage for the events of the subsequent Dvapara Yuga.

Culturally, Treta Yuga is closely associated with the Ramayana, the epic that centers on Rama, an avatar of Vishnu. Rama’s life—his exile, the abduction of his wife Sita, and the ultimate defeat of the demon king Ravana—takes place in this era in classical tellings. The Ramayana’s narrative is often cited as emblematic of Treta Yuga’s ideals and trials.

Treta Yuga is part of the larger framework of cyclic time in Hindu thought, where a mahayuga comprises Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali Yugas. Etymologically, Treta is Sanskrit and is rendered in various texts as Tretā-Yuga, reinforcing its status as the second age in the cycle.