Course XXXII - Teaching 10: Hindu Chronology

When Helen Petrovna Blavatsky says, “once more, the Absolute One, covered by His invisible clothes, slept during Seven Eternities”, “clothes” mean God as Manifestation. The Divine Manifestation –which really is not separate from the Unconditioned One– expresses Itself on the Universe divided into three great stages.
The first stage is the universal root, Spirit in Se, cause and root of the Universe; there the night still continues to the human mind. The Hindu call this Mulaprakriti.
The second stage is both Spirit and matter; life and existence; Spirit of the Universe and whole matter; Purusha and Prakriti; a blind man, of strong legs, carrying a crippled person that points him the way. Hes and Ahehia. Sleeping Mother and wakeful Mother.
The third stage is the Universal Soul, Mind of the Cosmos, Mahat; creative ideation, energetic movement and intelligent essence of matter.
Vedas name the Non-Manifestation’s period of time Great Pralaya, and Manifestation’s period of time, Manvantara. A cyclic period of time is one Kalpa, and a whole universal period of time is one Maha Kalpa.
The Hindu divide time as follows:
150 trutis (twinklings) = 1 second.
1 ghari = 24 minutes.
2 gharis= 1 mahurta = 48 minutes.
30 mahurtas = one day.
1 pitrya: 1 month.
1 daiva = 365 days, 5 hours, 30 minutes, and 31 seconds (one year).
1 “year” daiva = 360 daivas.
1 chatur yuga = 12,000 “years” daiva = 4,320,000 daivas.
One chatur yuga comprises:
1 satya yuga = 4,800 “years” daiva = 1,728,000 daivas.
1 treta yuga = 3,600 “years” daiva = 1,296,000 daivas.
1 dvapara yuga = 2,400 “years” daiva = 864,000 daivas.
1 kali yuga + 1,200 “years” daiva = 432,000 daivas.

12,000 “years” daiva = 4,320,000 daivas.
One Brahma-dina (Brahma’s day) = 1,000 chatur yugas = 4,320,000,000 daivas.
One Brahma ratri (Brahma’s night) = 4,320,000,000 daivas.
Brahma’s day, or time of manifestation, also is called Manvantara; it is opposite to Brahma’s night, or rest time, or Pralaya.
One kalpa (Brahma’s one day and one night) = 2,000 chatur yugas = 8,640,000,000 daivas.
One Brahma’s year = 360 kalpas = 3,110,400,000,000 daivas.
One hundred Brahma’s years = 36,000 kalpas = 311,040,000,000,000.