The Golden Spiral
Chapter Twenty Two
What is Time?
How was "Time" measured by our ancients?
Our ancient masters have told us that time is ‘ever-permanent’ and pre-eternally existent. The same is attributed to vedas also. Time as we all know is neither cyclic nor linear, as it never moves. It is in fact we who are moving and in relation we often describe this as “Time is mobile.”
As per the Hindu mythologies, the earth has been termed as 1,955,889,031 years old.
(In words: The earth is 1.955 billion years old.) This also corresponds to the theory of a great astronomer from Cambridge university, Sir James Jeans. He said that the ‘Mysterious Universe’ was brought into existence due to a ‘rare’ event of a collision that took place some 2,000,000,000 years ago. (2 billion years.)
Time on the other hand has been given a detailed history of calculations by our mythologies. Let us see how this has evaluated by itself from the time of Srishti or creation. Firstly, there was only that Hiranyagarbha or Bramhaanda that was and it had its own Kundalini entwining itself in the form of a huge snake like figure. The head of this Snake was called Raahu (Dragon’s head) and the tail was called Shikhi (Dragon’s tail). When the Nirguna or the un-manifested, undifferentiated supreme reality or the formless wanted to manifest itself with its own creative power, which was suddenly brought to its cognizance by its own ego to be powerful enough to create, the Nirguna wanted to first get an evidence for its action. In other words Nirguna wanted a ‘witness’ for its action. Hence it pronounced ‘Let I become you’.
The created was thus called Saguna and hence was the first witness to what the Nirguna could do. This manifestation of the formless into the formed state of being was the first creation. But there was one thing that was bothering the Nirguna and Saguna. The first was not able to get out of the ecstasy that ‘It’ had in reality created itself. The second was still in a dizzy state. Then the Nirguna asked the Saguna, “Who created you?” The Saguna replied, “You created me.” Here started the Dwayeeta or duality.
Once the Saguna heard the word ‘created’ from the Nirguna the former (Saguna) got the idea to create as well. So Saguna said, “Let I be many.” Hence, Saguna Brahma as we call Him started to manifest himself in that is created, being created or shall be created. Here I would be doing the readers a big injustice by not explaining that fact which remains “Lupta” or hidden for them.
There are basically three planes in time for all that has been ever created or shall be created. Firstly, when there is only the Nirguna or formless, there is one plane. Then as it just thinks of a creation the created enters the second plane of a womb or a Garbha. Here that the lord has been very kind to allow the created to write its own history for the third plane i.e. out into the physical world we live in. It is a little difficult thing to understand for us “lesser-mortals” that the Nirguna actually allows us to write our own history for another plane of consciousness. So, the child (or the created) starts to write it's own history so as to make its life happier and fulfilling, at the second plane or more appropriately the next plane. The third plane is the mysterious for all that is created, as this is the plane all creations reach after either death or destruction. (In fact it is again that plane where the Nirguna first thought of itself being manifested into two or many.)
Man is too foolish to even think that he can in fact change his history at another plane by his actions on the preceding plane. The thought that, “If we commit more sins we shall reach ‘hell’ and if we do more good work then we shall certainly get into ''heaven”, is in fact very much incomplete by itself. Nature never allows anything that has been created to function the same ways at two different planes of consciousness. Hence, the ignorance factor about liberation and Mokshaa theories.
The concept of originals and reproductions has a strong bearing here. The Nirguna actually always perceives and creates all that is original and the Saguna does for the reproductions. Let us observe in an example what are these factors that I wish to elaborate about these two conditions? Somebody, tells another person about the taste of a sweet food item and how it actually tastes. Then the second person also tastes that sweet item and tries to assimilate the tastes by keeping in view the taste of the person who originally coaxed the second to. The first one actually tastes the original taste and the second a reproduction. Similarly in all aesthetics arts and sciences Bhaava (original feeling) precedes the Rasa (duplicated feeling).
Coming
back to the first question of how our ancients measured time, I shall have to
first give a break-up of what is already available through various texts and
scriptures. As per the vedic texts, Time is subdivided into the following
categories:
1) 60 Tatparas = 1 Paras
2) 60 Paras = 1 Viliptaa
3) 60 Viliptaa = 1 liptaa
4) 60 Liptaa = 1 Vighatika
5) 60 Vighatika = 1 Ghatika
6) 60 Ghatika = 1 Day-night
7) 1 Day-night = 24 Hours (Or 24 X 60 Minutes = 14400 Minutes)
8) 60
Minutes = 60 X 60 Seconds = 3600 Seconds.
Hence one
second = 540,000 Tatparas, Since there are 46,656,000,000(46.6 Billion) Tatparas
in one day-night there are Fourteen Manawantras in all for this time. Each Manawantara is subdivided into Seventy one Maha Yugas. These Maha-yugas-comprise
of four Yugas known Sati-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dwaapara-yuga, and Kali-yuga. The
break-up of these four are given as below:
1) Sati-yuga = 432,000 X 4 = 1,728,000
2) Tretta yuga = 432,000 X 3 = 1,296,000
3) Dwaapara yuga = 432,000 X 2 = 864,000
4) Kali yuga = 432,000 X 1 = 432,000
Total ----Chatur Yuga =4,320,000 years.
(This is in concurrence with the facts provided by the geologists also about the first rocks that were found to be of around 4.5 Billion years old.)
Also in Fourteen Manawantara there are 1,728,000 x 15 years = 2,592,000 years.
(The fifteenth Manawantara of 1,728,000 years is the Pralaya-kaala or the time of Complete Absorption or the time taken by the gaps between the yugas.)
Further 1 Day-night of Brahma = 4,320,000,000 (Or 4.32 Billion years on earth.)
This has been arrived by the fact that: 4,320,000 (Mahayuga) x 1000 = Brahma’s day-night.
Hence Brahma’s age = 4,320,000,000 x 360 x 100, as 1 year of Brahma = 100 years of earth.
So Brahma’s age = 155,520,000,000,000. (155.52 Trillion years.)
Since, there are 14 Manawantaras and we are situated at the eighth Manawantara and also in the Kali-yuga of the 28th Maha-yuga of the Eighth Manawantara, we can say that we have completed six Manawantaras, 27 Maha-yugas and three Yugas. In Kali-yuga also we have already spent 3102 + 2003 = 5105 years as Kali-yuga was born at the 3102 BC, 18th Feb. Totally spent years in this Maanwantara = 27 x Maha-yuga or simply 27 x 4,320,000 = 116,640,000 years. Then the three Yugas that have finished total up to: 1,728,000 + 1,296,000 + 864,000 = 3,888,000 years. This plus the spent time of Kali-yuga = 5102 + 3,888,000 = 3,893,102 years.
Our solar system has in all nine planets. We also have a number of satellites for these planets and hence the number of objects is ever growing in space. Time is rightly termed as the creative energy and whatever is created is matter. As per our traditional texts man used to earlier breathe in a very different way. This was certainly slower than how we are now attuned to breath.
Yogis tell us even today that one must control and observe the breath in any form of Meditation. The number of Praanaas that we intake are precisely 10,700. The same number is also exhaled. This brings us to the fact that we are supposed to breath in and out a specific number of Praanaas in one Day-night or twenty-four hours. So, if we breathe 21,400 Praanaas in 24 x 60 minutes, then we breathe this number of Praanaas in exactly 1440 minutes. Further, since one minute = 60 seconds, 1440 x 60 seconds = 1 day-night. So, we have in one day-night 86,400 seconds. Hence in 86,400 seconds we use 21,400 Praanas. In one second we shall be using:
Or simply we have in One-day-night has 86, 400 seconds x 540000 Tatparas. This will mean we have 46,656,000,000 (46.6 Billion) Tatparas in a Day-night. Hence we must not feel that time is ‘Immeasurable’ in anyway. Our ancients have done this job without any external gadgets being used by them for this immaculate calculation of time. There have been many theories of how Time really began to be a factor in our life. The best ever explanation to this research has been done by Stephen Hawking in his book, "Á Brief History of Time".
The
strangest of all that has been occupying the universe in a perfect orbital
motion is off course the Moon. Not only does it have an orbit different from all
other planets that go around a central figure called the Sun in each solar
system, the moon’s characteristics are also very much strange and the key to
many of the unanswered queries regarding the time and space. This axis of moon
is responsible for our behavior patterns and the number of changes brought forth
into the same person at various times. All the variants of the planetary effects
for any person is due its different relational combinations with moon. Hence the
axis of moon is of utmost importance. This is also the path of the creation in
the zodiac, which occupies only nine degrees on either side of the ecliptic. Our
solar system has in all 27 stars or Nakshatras that influence our lives on
earth. These are named in a particular order and have fixed degree values in the
zodiac. The names of these stars are as follows:
1. Aswini
2. Bharani
3. Krittika
4. Rohini
5. Mrigasheera
6. Thiru-Aarudra or Aarudra
7. Punarvasu or Punarpoosam
8. Pushyami or Poosam
9. Aslesha or Aahilyam
10. Makha or Magham
11. Poorva-Phaalguni or Pooram
12. Uttira-Phaalguni or Uttiram
13. Hastha
14. Chittirai OR Chittra
15. Swaati
16. Visaakhaa
17. Anuraadhaa OR Anusha
18. Jyeshthaa OR Kettai
19. Moola
20. Poorvaashaada or Pooraadam
21. Uttaraashaadaa OR Uttaraadam
22. Sravana OR Thiruvonam
23. Dhanishthaa OR Avittam
24. Satabhisha OR Sadayam
25. Poorva-Baadhra OR Poorattaadi
26. Uttara-Bhaadra OR Uttirattaadi
27.
Revathy
These
twenty seven stars are further subdivided into four each. Hence we arrive at the
unique number 108, which is used in almost all styles of Mantra japam rituals. The classification of these stars into 108 was further helpful to establish the Varnas viz. 1) Brahmana 2) Kshatriya and Kshudra.
This can be substantiated by the
fact that all that has been created, is being created and shall be created will
always bear one Nakshatra or birth star known as Varna. Hence we place the time
of birth of all creations as per the placements of all the planets and stars in
a perfect order and very uniquely for an individual creation. The Zodiac is
divided into TWELVE ‘houses’ or signs. These are:
1. Mesha or Aries
2. Vrishabha or Taurus
3. Mithuna or Gemini
4. Karnataka or Cancer
5. Simha or Leo
6. Kanya or Virgo
7. Thula or Libra
8. Vrishchika or Scorpio
9. Dhanusha or Sagittarius
10. Makara or Capricorn
11. Kumbha or Aquarius
12. Meena or Pisces.
Each of
these signs is ruled by what we call as a planet.
Aries/ Mesha and Scorpio/Vrishchika are ruled by the planet Mars,
Taurus / Vrishabha and Libra/ Thula are ruled by Venus,
Gemini / Mithuna and Virgo / Kanya are ruled by Mercury,
Sagittarius/Dhanusha and Pisces/Meena are ruled by Jupiter,
Capricorn/ Makara and Aquarius/ Kumbha are ruled by Saturn,
Cancer/
Karkataka is ruled by the Moon and Simha/ Leo is ruled by Sun.
There is another school of thought in the Indian AstrologicalL Traditions that Rahu or the Moon's north Node rules over Gemini / Mithuna and Kethu or the Dragon's tail or the southern node of moon, rules over PiscesS/ Meena. This apart, Uranus rules over Aquarius.
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