When is the Universe Created?

If we look at the world around us, it’s clear that everything functions in cycles – seasons repeat themselves, days of the week rotate in sequence and the sun continually rises and sets. The Vedic scriptures explain how our lives also run in cycles; we are born, we grow, we reproduce, stay for some time, gradually begin to dwindle, then die, only to be reborn and repeat it all over again. This, of course, is known as reincarnation (samsara). The greater material creation mirrors this cyclical pattern.

The cosmos moves in a succession of great cycles called Divya-yugas. The Vedic texts detail the length of these cycles. Each Divya-yuga is composed of four ages which progressively decline in length: Satya-yuga (sometimes called Krita-yuga) lasts 1,728,000 years; Treta-yuga lasts 1,296,000 years; Dvapara-yuga lasts 864,000 years; and Kali-yuga, our current age, lasts 432,000 years. These four periods are essentially the golden, silver, copper, and iron ages, respectively. Not only do the ages decline in length, but they decline in spiritual vibrancy and saintly virtuosity. We are currently 5,000 years into the dark age of Kali-yuga, and when this period comes to an end (in 427,000 years), a partial destruction takes place and Satyayuga is re-established.

71 Divya-yugas make up one Manvantara – the lifetime of a Manu, who is the father of mankind. There are 14 Manus in a day of Brahma. This means that one thousand Divya-yuga cycles (approximately 4.3 billion years) make up merely one day in the life of Brahma. Each day is followed by a night of equal length. During the night, Brahma sleeps and most planets are submerged in waters of devastation. At the end of the night, Brahma awakens and another day of one thousand cycles commences. Three hundred and sixty of these days and nights make up one of Brahma’s years; Brahma lives for one hundred such years. The time frames are mind-boggling!