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yuga

Yuga is a term in Hindu cosmology for an age or era within the larger cycle known as a mahayuga or simply a cycle of four ages. The word yuga comes from Sanskrit and means “age” or “period.” Time is described as cyclical, with four yugas following one another in a fixed order.

The four yugas in a mahayuga are Satya (Krita) Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga.

Moral and spiritual conditions define each yuga: Satya Yuga is described as the age of truth and

In many traditions, the present age is Kali Yuga, which began around 3102 BCE with the death

The concept also appears in other Indian religious texts with variations, but the Hindu framework remains the

Their
traditional
lengths
are:
Satya
Yuga
1,728,000
years;
Treta
Yuga
1,296,000
years;
Dvapara
Yuga
864,000
years;
Kali
Yuga
432,000
years.
The
sum
is
4,320,000
years
for
a
complete
cycle,
after
which
the
cycle
begins
again.
virtue;
Treta
and
Dvapara
Yugas
see
a
gradual
decline;
Kali
Yuga
is
characterized
by
strife,
ignorance,
and
loss
of
dharma.
The
varying
lengths
and
qualities
are
used
to
explain
changes
in
human
behavior
and
society
across
cosmic
time.
of
Krishna.
It
is
prophesied
to
end
with
the
appearance
of
Kalki,
the
future
avatar
of
Vishnu,
after
which
a
new
Satya
Yuga
begins.
The
yugas
are
used
in
Hindu
calendars
and
cosmology
to
frame
ethical
and
historical
narratives.
most
elaborated
and
influential.