A ''yuga'', in
Hinduism, is generally used to indicate an age of time.
In the ''
Rigveda'', a ''yuga'' refers to generations, a long period, a very brief period, or a
yoke (joining of two things). In the ''
Mahabharata'', the words ''yuga'' and ''
kalpa'' (a day of
Brahma) are used interchangeably to describe the cycle of creation and destruction.
The names "''Yuga''" and "Age" commonly denote a
(pronounced ''Chatur Yuga''), a cycle of four world ages, for example, in the ''
Surya Siddhanta
The ''Surya Siddhanta'' (; ) is a Sanskrit treatise in Indian astronomy dated to 505 CE,Menso Folkerts, Craig G. Fraser, Jeremy John Gray, John L. Berggren, Wilbur R. Knorr (2017)Mathematics Encyclopaedia Britannica, Quote: "(...) its Hindu inven ...
'' and ''
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...
'' (part of the ''Mahabharata''), unless expressly limited by the name of one of its minor ages: ''
Krita (Satya) Yuga'', ''
Treta Yuga'', ''
Dvapara Yuga
''Dvapara Yuga'' ( Dwapara Yuga), in Hinduism, is the third and third best of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded by ''Treta Yuga'' and followed by ''Kali Yuga''. ''Dvapara Yuga'' lasts for 864,000 years (2,400 divine y ...
'', or ''
Kali Yuga
''Kali Yuga'', in Hinduism, is the fourth and worst of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Dvapara Yuga'' and followed by the next cycle's '' Krita (Satya) Yuga''. It is believed to be the present age, which is ...
''.
Etymology
''Yuga'' ( sa, युग) means "a
yoke" (joining of two things), "generations", or "a period of time" such as an age, where its archaic spelling is ''yug'', with other forms of ''yugam'', , and ''yuge'', derived from ''yuj'' ( sa, युज्, , to join or yoke), believed derived from ' (
Proto-Indo-European: 'to join or unite').
In the
Latin language, ''juga'' or ''jug'' is used from the word ''jugum'', which means "a yoke used to connect two oxen" (e.g. ''cali-juga'' = ''
kali-yuga'').
See also
*
Hindu units of time
**
Kalpa (day of
Brahma)
**
Manvantara (age of
Manu
Manu may refer to:
Geography
*Manú Province, a province of Peru, in the Madre de Dios Region
** Manú National Park, Peru
**Manú River, in southeastern Peru
* Manu River (Tripura), which originates in India and flows into Bangladesh
*Manu Temp ...
)
**
Pralaya (period of dissolution)
**
Yuga Cycle (four yuga ages):
Satya (Krita),
Treta,
Dvapara, and
Kali
*
List of numbers in Hindu scriptures
Notes
References
External links
{{Brahmanda
Hindu astronomy
Hindu philosophical concepts
Time in Hinduism
Units of time