Time — is it Beginning of the End or End of the Beginning
By: Sangram Dey
Tags: Vedas, Universe, Hinduism, Ti̇me, Future

Time is the most perplexed as well as debated subject in the modern physical science. The definition of time given by various philosophers, scientists or spiritual masters appears to be incomplete. Probably because of its complexity and incomprehensibly, scientists like Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking could not leave a final verdict on time. As the present mankind understands, closest denotation of time was given by philosopher Adolf GrunbaumI who said time is a linear continuum of instants and Encyclopaedia Britannica added little more to this by defining time as a continuum that lacks spatial dimensions.

According to modern science, there are two theories regarding the beginning of time — The Steady State Theory and The Big Bang Theory.According to the Steady State theory, the universe is never born, never dies, and is always like what it is. As per this theory, the universe is always expanding but maintaining a constant average density, with matter being continuously created to form new stars and galaxies at the same rate that old ones become unobservable as a consequence of their increasing distance and velocity of recession.

The more accepted Big bang theory says that the universe began with a point of energy exploding in a “big-bang”. As per this theory, the universe started with a small singularity then inflated over the next 13.8 billion years to the universe that we know today. Modern theorists believe that before the Big Bang, there just was no space or time and you cannot go further back in time than the Big Bang like you cannot go any further north than the North Pole. Stephen Hawking in his 1988 book ‘A Brief History of Time’ has mentioned that even if time did not begin with the Big Bang and there was another time frame before it, no information is available to us from that earlier time-frame and any events that occurred then would have no effect on our present time-frame.

So, that’s what our modern science has understood about time. Let’s see how time was conceptualised, followed and practiced by one of the most ancient culture on earth? What does the Vedas say about time?

Vedas contain harmonised knowledge on three aspects — Divine (eternal), Spiritual (withdraw-able) and Material (perishable). Time and Space are Divine subjects in Vedas. As per Vedic concepts, time is a manifestation of universal order or ‘Rhythm’ which is cyclic in nature. Numerous physical phenomena around us indicates their repetitive andcyclic nature within a definite time frame. Some of the most evident repetitive phenomena are the rotation of the earth on its own axis and the revolution of the earth around the sun,movement of tides, change of season and many such cyclic activity of nature. Whether aseed to tree to seed or birth and death cycle of animals, the cyclic pattern is noticed in almost all the phenomena of the nature. Even the inanimate activities in the nature like erosion, water cycle etc are also cyclic in nature. Somehow, the present scientific definition of time misses this cyclic and repetitive nature of time and rather focuses on its linear characteristics. Sixty seconds makes up a minute, sixty minutes make up for an hour and twenty four hours make for a day. Further, 30 days results in a month and twelve months make a year. So logically after a number of years or otherwise, something should also repeat itself after a certain period of time. However, this cyclic pattern somehow abruptly stops here in the present time theory. As per Vedic system, the cycle of time continues and repeats eternally.

The cyclical nature of time indicates that time neither has a beginning nor an end. It is a subtle energy or force which is manifested before the cosmic manifestation and moves the unmanifest material energy and controls the movements in the universe. Without the manifestation of time, the unmanifest material energy cannot become active and take form. Only after the time fluctuations agitate the unmanifested material energy, the cosmic manifestation begin. In other words time is an active potency which manipulates the material energy.

The units of time as described in Vedas starts from the manifestation of smallest possible action that is sub-atomic in nature or Paramanu. Two Paramanus make one Anu (atom), Three Anus make one Trasarenu, three Trasarenus make a Truti, hundred Trutis make a Vedha, three Vedhas make a Lava, three Lavas make a Nimesha (the twinkling of an eye), three Nimeshas make a Kshana (moment), five Kshanas make a Kastha or Prana, fifteen Kasthas make a Laghu, fifteen Laghus make a Nadika or danda, a couple of Nadika make a Muhurta, six or seven Nadikas (depending on the length of day or night) make a Prahara (one quarter of a day or night). A day comprises four Yamas (six hours period), fifteen days constitute a Paksh (fortnight), bright and dark alternately. Two months make a Ritu (season), six months constitute an Ayana, known southerly and northerly by turn, following the course of the sun, and two Ayanas constitute a year on earth.

On replicating these units on present time structure, one nadi or danda is equal to 24 minutes, one vinadi is equal to 24 seconds, one prana is equal to four seconds, one nimesha is equal to 88.889 milliseconds and one truti is equal to 29.6296 microseconds. It is really amazing that the ancient astronomers, without much scientific gadgets could conceive and obviously could measure such a small interval of time. It is also interesting to know that, one unit of prana is the time an average healthy man needs to complete one cycle of respiration. Truti is referred to as a quarter of the time of falling of an eye lid. Further, one muhurta equal to 48 minutes, one ghati equal to 24 minutes. From the system of units of time given above, one finds that 60 ghatis or nadikas make one day and night or ahoratra. (ah = day, ratra = night). Ancient Indian astronomer Varaha Mihira divided a day and night (ahoratra) into 24 horas. Many believe that from this Hora System, the entire world has adopted the present practice of dividing a day and night into 24 hours. Moreover, from this Sanskrit word hora, English word hour, Latin word hora and Greek word ora (ωρα) have been derived.

Why seven days make a week? And where from the names of these seven days have come? Indian astronomers dedicated each ghati of the day to a planet as its lord based on their planetary positions in relation to earth and derived the name of the day as per the lord of the first ghati of the day. The sun has been honoured to be the lord of first ghati of the first day of the week. Hence it is named Sunday. Proceeding in this manner, Moon is the lord of the first ghati of the following day and hence it is named Monday (Moonday). In this manner one finally arrives at Saturday (Saturnday) and the cycle of weeks start all over again.

Units of time larger than day and week are month and year. During the Vedic period people counted months and fortnights according to the phases of the moon. Samvatsara is a Sanskrit term for ‘year’ and there are 60 Samvatsaras, each of which has a name. Once all 60 samvatsaras are over, the cycle starts over again. The sixty samvatsaras are divided into three groups of 20 Samvatsaras each. Once the 60 names are finished, the next year starts with the first name again. This goes on in a cyclic manner.

Beyond this level there are four epochs or Yugas, namely Satya or Krita Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga and Kali Yuga. All these four Yugas together is called a Chatur-yuga, which means ‘four-epochs’ or also termed Maha Yuga that means ‘the great epochs’. Together a Chatur-yuga constitutes 4,320,000 human years and the lengths of each of the Yogas in Chatur-yuga follow a ratio of 4:3:2:1 that is Krita yuga for 1,728,000 years, Treta-yuga for 1,296,000 years, Dvapara-yuga for 864,000 years and Kali-yuga for 432,000 years. In this cyclic process of time, one thousand Chatur-yuga or Maha Yuga period is called a Kalpa and period of time is equal to a daytime for the Brahma, the creator of the universe. Another thousand Chatur-yuga makes up the night of Brahma which means two thousand Chatur-yoga or two Kalpa. Brahma lives for 100 years of 360 such days and his life span can be equate to 311,040,000,000,000 human years. This period in named as Maha Kalpa and a universe lasts only for one Maha Kalpa period. At the end of it the universe is completely destroyed (Pralay) together with the creator Brahma and a new universe would be created with a new Brahma. During the annihilation of the universe, energy is conserved to manifest again in the next creation. This cycles of creation and destruction goes on endlessly.

The scale of time as described or conceptualised in the Vedic system can be comprehended by relating it to present day assumptions or acceptances. As we know that a year is defined based on the revolution of the earth around the sun. A year is the time it takes the earth to make one revolution — a little over 365 days. We also know that the planets move at differing rates around the sun. While earth takes 365 days to make one circuit, the closest planet, Mercury, takes only 88 days and distant Pluto takes a whopping 248 years for one revolution. So spending a year in another planet like Pluto will be like having spend 248 years earth. We also know today that many stars we see in the skyare placed so far that they are already dead by the time the light they emit reaching us. Therefore, the concept of time described both in scale and range by the ancient Vedic scriptures has reasons to believe.