Hindu cosmology

Hindu cosmology is the description of the universe and its states of matter, cycles within time, physical structure, and effects on living entities according to Hindu texts. Hindu cosmology is also intertwined with the idea of a creator who allows the world to exist and take shape.

Matter

All matter is based on three inert '' gunas'' (qualities or tendencies):James G. Lochtefeld, Guna, in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M, Vol. 1, Rosen Publishing, , pages 224, 265, 520Theos Bernard (1999), ''Hindu Philosophy'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pages 74–76
* ''sattva'' (goodness)
* '' rajas'' (passion)
* '' tamas'' (darkness)

There are three states of the ''gunas'' that make up all matter in the universe:
* '' pradhana'' (root matter): ''gunas'' in an unmixed and unmanifested state (equilibrium).
* '' prakriti'' (primal matter): ''gunas'' in a mixed and unmanifested state (agitated).
* '' mahat-tattva'' (matter or universal womb): ''gunas'' in a mixed and manifested state.

''Pradhana'', which has no consciousness or will to act on its own, is initially agitated by a primal desire to create. The different schools of thought differ in understanding about the ultimate source of that desire and what the ''gunas'' are mixed with (eternal elements, time, '' jiva-atmas'').

The manifest material elements (matter) range from the most subtle to the most physical (gross). These material elements cover the individual, spiritual '' jiva-atmas'' (embodied souls), allowing them to interact with the material sense objects, such as their temporary material bodies, other conscious bodies, and unconscious objects.

Manifested subtle elements:
* ''ahamkara'' (ego)
* '' buddhi'' (intelligence)
* ''citta'' (mind)

Manifested physical (gross) elements ( '' pancha bhoota'' or 5 great elements) and their associated senses and sense organs that manifest:
* space/ether > sound > ear
* air > touch > skin
* fire > sight/form > eye
* water > taste > tongue
* earth > smell > nose

Time

Time is infinite with a cyclic universe, where the current universe was preceded and will be followed by an infinite number of universes. The different states of matter are guided by eternal '' kala'' (time), which repeats general events ranging from a moment to the lifespan of the universe, which is cyclically created and destroyed.

The earliest mentions of cosmic cycles in Sanskrit literature are found in the '' Yuga Purana'' ( 1st century BCE), the ''Mahabharata'' ( 3rd century BCE – 4th century CE), and the ''Manusmriti'' ( 2nd – 3rd centuries CE). In the ''Mahabharata'', there are inconsistent names applied to the cycle of creation and destruction, a name theorized as still being formulated, where '' yuga'' (generally, an age of time) and '' kalpa'' (a day of Brahma) are used, or a day of Brahma, the creator god, or simply referred to as the process of creation and destruction, with ''kalpa'' and day of Brahma becoming more prominent in later writings.

'' Prakriti'' (primal matter) remains mixed for a '' maha-kalpa'' (life of Brahma) of 311.04 trillion years, and is followed by a '' maha-pralaya'' (great dissolution) of equal length. The universe (matter) remains manifested for a '' kalpa'' (day of Brahma) of 4.32 billion years, where the universe is created at the start and destroyed at the end, only to be recreated at the start of the next ''kalpa''. A ''kalpa'' is followed by a '' pralaya'' (partial dissolution, night of Brahma) of equal length, when Brahma and the universe are in an unmanifested state. Each ''kalpa'' has 15 ''manvantara-sandhyas'' (junctures of great flooding) and 14 '' manvantaras'' (age of Manu, progenitor of mankind), with each ''manvantara'' lasting for 306.72 million years. Each ''kalpa'' has 1,000 and each ''manvantara'' has 71 '' chatur-yugas'' (epoch, ''maha-yuga''), with each ''chatur-yuga'' lasting for 4.32 million years and divided into four ''yugas'' ('' dharmic'' ages): '' Satya Yuga'' (1,728,000 years), '' Treta Yuga'' (1,296,000 years), ''Dvapara Yuga'' (864,000 years), and ''Kali Yuga'' (432,000 years), of which we are currently in ''Kali Yuga''.

Life

The individual, spiritual '' jiva-atma'' (embodied soul) is the life force or consciousness within a living entity. ''Jivas'' are eternal; they are not created or destroyed, and are distinctly different from the created unconscious matter. The '' gunas'' in their manifest state of matter, cover the ''jivas'' in various ways based on each ''jiva's'' ''karma'' and impressions. This material covering of matter allows the ''jivas'' to interact with the material sense objects that make up the material universe, such as their temporary material bodies, other conscious bodies, and unconscious objects.

The material creation is called ''maya'' ("that which is not") due to its impermanent (non-eternal), temporary nature of sometimes being manifest and sometimes not. It has been compared to a dream or virtual reality, where the viewer (''jiva'') has real experiences with objects that will eventually become unreal.

Through the interactions with the material sense objects, a ''jiva'' starts to identify the temporary material body as the true self, and in this way becomes influenced and bound by ''maya'' perpetually in a conscious state of nescience