Yuga

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For the 2006 film, see Yuga (film).
For the cycle, see Yuga Cycle.

A yuga, in Hinduism, is generally used to indicate an age of time.[1][2]

In the Rigveda, a yuga refers to generations, a long period, a very brief period, or a yoke (joining of two things).[3] In the Mahabharata, the words yuga and kalpa (a day of Brahma) are used interchangeably to describe the cycle of creation and destruction.[4]

The names "Yuga" and "Age" commonly denote a [[Yuga Cycle| IAST (IAST: IAST)

]] (pronounced Chatur Yuga), a cycle of four world ages, for example, in the Surya Siddhanta and Bhagavad Gita (part of the Mahabharata), unless expressly limited by the name of one of its minor ages: Krita (Satya) Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, or Kali Yuga.[1][5][lower-alpha 1]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

Yuga (Sanskrit: 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, IAST (IAST: IAST)

, and yuge, derived from yuj (Sanskrit: युज्, lit. 'to join or yoke'), believed derived from Template:PIE (Proto-Indo-European: Template:Lit. 'to join or unite').[8]

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).[9]

See also[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ The general word " IAST (IAST: IAST) " is sometimes used instead of the more specific word "

    IAST (IAST: IAST)

    ". A kalpa is described as lasting 1,000

    IAST (IAST: IAST)

    in Bhagavata Purana 12.4.2 ("

    IAST (IAST: IAST)

    ")[6] and Bhagavad Gita 8.17 ("

    IAST (IAST: IAST)

    ").[7]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Template:Dictionary.com
  2. ↑ Sundarraj, M. (1997) [1st ed. 1994]. "Ch. 4 Asvins⁠—Time-Keepers". In Mahalingam, Dr. N. (ed.). RG Vedic Studies. Coimbatore: Rukmani Offset Press. p. 219. It is quite clear that the smallest unit was the 'nimisah' ['winking of eyes'], and that time in the general sense of past, present and future was indicated by the word 'yuga'.
  3. ↑ Kane, P. V. (September 1936). Sukthankar, Dr. V. S.; Fyzee, A. A. A.; Bhagwat, Prof. N. K. (eds.). "Kalivarjya (actions forbidden in the Kali Age)". Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. The Asiatic Society of Bombay. 12: 1–2. The word yuga occurs at least thirty-eight times in the Rgveda, but the meaning is rather doubtful. In a few places yuga means yoke ... In many places it appears to refer to a very brief period ... Generally yuga appears to mean in the Rigveda 'generation' (lessening the life of human generations) ... In other places 'yuga' must be given the sense of a 'long period of time' ...
  4. ↑ González-Reimann, Luis (2018). "Cosmic Cycles, Cosmology, and Cosmography". In Basu, Helene; Jacobsen, Knut A.; Malinar, Angelika; Narayanan, Vasudha (eds.). Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Vol. 2. Leiden: Brill Publishers. p. 415. doi:10.1163/2212-5019_BEH_COM_1020020. ISBN 978-90-04-17641-6. ISSN 2212-5019. The cycle [of creation and destruction] is either called a yuga (MBh. 1.1.28; 12.327.89; 13.135.11), a kalpa, meaning a formation or a creation (MBh. 6.31.7 [= BhG. 9.7]; 12.326.70; 12.327.23), or a day of the brahman, or of Brahmā, the creator god (MBh. 12.224.28–31). Sometimes, it is simply referred to as the process of creation and destruction (saṃhāravikṣepa; MBh. 12.271.30, 40, 43, 47–49).
  5. ↑ Burgess, Rev. Ebenezer (1935) [1st ed. 1860]. Gangooly, Phanindralal (ed.). Translation of the Surya-Siddhanta, A Text-Book of Hindu Astronomy; With notes and an appendix. University of Calcutta. p. 9. The period of 4,320,000 years is ordinarily styled Great Age (mahayuga), or, as above in two instances [1.15-16], Quadruple Age (caturyuga). In the Surya-Siddhanta, however, the former term is not once found, and the latter occurs only in these verses; elsewhere, Age (yuga) alone is employed to denote it, and always denotes it, unless expressly limited by the name of the Golden (krta) Age.
  6. ↑ "Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) 12.4.2". Bhaktivedanta Vedabase. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
    catur-yuga-sahasraṁ tu brahmaṇo dinam ucyate ।
    sa kalpo yatra manavaś caturdaśa viśām-pate ॥ 2 ॥     (IAST: catur-yuga-sahasraṁ tu brahmaṇo dinam ucyate ।
    sa kalpo yatra manavaś caturdaśa viśām-pate ॥ 2 ॥)
    (2) One thousand cycles of four ages [

    IAST (IAST: IAST)

    ] constitute a single day of Brahmā, known as a kalpa. In that period, O King, fourteen Manus come and go.     {{cite web}}: External link in |quote= (help); line feed character in |quote= at position 5 (help)
  7. ↑ "Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 8.17". Bhaktivedanta Vedabase. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
    sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ ।
    rātriṁ yuga-sahasrāntāṁ te 'ho-rātra-vido janāḥ ॥ 17 ॥     (IAST: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ ।
    rātriṁ yuga-sahasrāntāṁ te 'ho-rātra-vido janāḥ ॥ 17 ॥)
    (17) By human calculation, a thousand ages [

    IAST (IAST: IAST)

    ] taken together form the duration of Brahmā's one day. And such also is the duration of his night.     {{cite web}}: External link in |quote= (help); line feed character in |quote= at position 5 (help)
  8. ↑ "युग (yuga)". Wiktionary. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
    "yuga". Wiktionary. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
    "Yuga". Wisdom Library. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
    "युज् (yuj)". Wiktionary. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
    "*yeug-". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  9. ↑ Lewis Ph. D., Charlton T. (1879). A Latin Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 1016. ISBN 0198642016. Jugo: in general, to join, connect. Jugum: [kindred to sanskrit yuga from yug-, jungere; v. jungo], a yoke for oxen, a collar for horses.

External links[edit | edit source]

Template:Calendars Template:Time in religion and mythology Template:Brahmanda

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