Cosmic Time
Hindu cosmology describes time on a scale so vast it makes modern astrophysics pause. From the blink of a Nimisha to the eternity of a Brahma's day — let's travel through it all.
Each arc is proportional to the actual duration. Hover/tap a segment for details.
The Golden Age
Age of truth, virtue & divine consciousness. 40% of the Mahayuga cycle.
years
The Silver Age
Virtue declines by ¼. Age of Rama. Sacrificial fires & Vedic rituals flourish.
years
The Bronze Age
Virtue halved. Age of Krishna. Vedas compiled by Vyasa. Wars & duality rise.
years
The Iron Age
We live in this age. Virtue reduced to ¼. Began ~3102 BCE. Darkness & opportunity.
years
| Unit | Sanskrit | Duration (Human Years) | Equivalence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paramanu | परमाणु | ~16 milliseconds | Smallest time unit |
| Truti | त्रुटि | ~29.6 µs | 2 Paramanus |
| Nimisha | निमिष | ~0.2 seconds | A blink of an eye |
| Muhurta | मुहूर्त | 48 minutes | 30 Muhurtas = 1 Day |
| Kali Yuga | कलि युग | 432,000 | Shortest Yuga ← We are here |
| Dvapara Yuga | द्वापर युग | 864,000 | 2 × Kali Yuga |
| Treta Yuga | त्रेता युग | 1,296,000 | 3 × Kali Yuga |
| Satya Yuga | सत्य युग | 1,728,000 | 4 × Kali Yuga |
| Mahayuga (Chaturyuga) | महायुग | 4,320,000 | Sum of 4 Yugas |
| Manvantara | मन्वन्तर | 306,720,000 | 71 Mahayugas |
| Kalpa (Brahma's Day) | कल्प | 4,320,000,000 | 14 Manvantaras |
| Brahma's Full Day+Night | अहोरात्र | 8,640,000,000 | 2 Kalpas |
| Brahma's Year | ब्रह्म वर्ष | 3,110,400,000,000 | 360 Brahma's days |
| Brahma's Lifespan (Mahakalpa) | महाकल्प | 311,040,000,000,000 | 100 Brahma years |
Each Manvantara is ruled by a Manu — the progenitor of humanity for that era. We are currently in the 7th Manvantara, ruled by Vaivasvata Manu. Each Manvantara has its own Indra (king of gods), seven rishis (sages), and avatars of Vishnu.
per Kalpa
(Vaivasvata)
Manvantara
across Kalpas
A Kalpa is one day in Brahma's life. Creation begins at dawn (Srishti) and ends at dusk (Pralaya) when the universe dissolves back into unmanifest potential. The current Kalpa is called Shveta-Varaha Kalpa.
Note: The present age of Earth (~4.5B years) fits remarkably within a single Kalpa.
"काल: पचति भूतानि काल: संहरते प्रजाः"
— Time ripens all beings; Time withdraws all creation. (Mahabharata)