Ancient Astronomy and the Kaliyuga

[Virendra]

Dwapar yuga began in 1699ad as per the swami who first proposed the 24000 year solar cycle

That is on basis of the decreasing yuga durations, which is not found anywhere else in the world, even though multiple sources and cultures (like Zoroastrians and Mexiacan 'Codex Rios') have spoken of Yugas and cycles.
Most are silent about relative durations of yugas and those that do mention, have said them to be of equal length.
Yukteshwar himself has said that discrepancies have crept into the Yuga cycle doctrine.
Taking Surya Siddhanta as the basis, a precessional year is exactly of 24,000 years.

Regards,
Virendra

 

[civfanatic]

What were the environmental catastrophes that took place between 976 and 676 B.C.E. and why did only Greece, a cultural backwater at the time, decline? Mesopotamia flourished during this time under the Neo-Assyrian Empire, for which we have ample historical evidence.

 

[drkrn]

it is said during transition phase only 1/7 of world population of all species survive,rest will perish

any comments

 

[Virendra]

What were the environmental catastrophes that took place between 976 and 676 B.C.E. and why did only Greece, a cultural backwater at the time, decline? Mesopotamia flourished during this time under the Neo-Assyrian Empire, for which we have ample historical evidence.

This is what the author says, again from the article itself. I suggest you to complete your reading of the article :

However, this was not just a collapse of the ancient Greek civilization; there was a worldwide collapse of civilizations during this period. The Hittites suffered serious disruption and cities from Troy to Gaza were destroyed. Egypt too lost control over its kingdom. The period from 1070 BC – 664 BC is known as the "Third Intermediate Period" of Egypt, during which time Egypt was run over and ruled by foreign rulers, and there was political and social disintegration and chaos. Egypt was increasingly beset by a series of droughts, below-normal flooding of the Nile, and famine. In India, the Indus Valley civilization finally ended at around 1000 BC. Catastrophe also struck the ancient Olmec civilization of Mesoamerica at this time. The first Olmec center, San Lorenzo, was abandoned at around 900 BC. A wholesale destruction of many San Lorenzo monuments also occurred in c.950 BC, and scholars believe that drastic environmental changes may have been responsible for this shift in Olmec centers, with certain important rivers changing course.

Once again we don't know what may have triggered this calamitous turn of events across the world. Historians speculate about a combination of catastrophic climatic events. Egyptian accounts tell us that, "something in the air prevented much sunlight from reaching the ground and also arrested global tree growth for almost two full decades until 1140 BC."[29] One proposed cause is the Hekla 3 eruption of the Hekla volcano in Iceland, but the dating of that event remains in dispute. However, since the descending and ascending Kali Yuga are not so different in terms of their qualitative aspects, the level of devastation during this transitional period was perhaps not as severe as the previous one, as a result of which some aspects of civilization survived.

When the ascending Kali Yuga began in 676 BC, much of the knowledge, traditions and skills from the descending Kali Yuga were lost. In Greece, the construction of monumental architecture ceased. The cavalry was replaced by foot soldiers. Pottery styles were simplified. In India, the use of Sanskrit as the means of communication was replaced by the language of the common masses – Pali and Prakrit. Knowledge of the ancient scriptures, sciences and arts had been all but forgotten. Possibly in response to this grave social crisis, a number of philosophers and prophets appeared at this time, trying to re-discover the lost wisdom, and spread it amongst the ignorant masses. Among them were Buddha (623 BC), Pythagoras (570 BC), Zoroaster (600 BC), and Mahavir Jain (599 BC).

People were so perturbed by the calamities of the previous centuries that they began a vigorous attempt to finally document the ancient scriptures, which were till then being transmitted in a purely oral fashion. It was in this grave social and cultural milieu that the Mayans re-calculated and re-calibrated their calendric system at Izapa sometime after 400 BC. And a few centuries later Aryabhatta and others attempted to fix the beginnings of the Kali Yuga. Such an effort would have been quite un-necessary if the cataclysms of the previous centuries had not disrupted the flow of the rich oral traditions. However, much of the knowledge from the previous epoch was irretrievably lost. For instance, the original Vedas were comprised of 1,180 sakhas (i.e. branches), of which only 7 or 8 sakhas (less than 1 %) are remembered now. As a result, it is only natural to expect that even within the texts that were finally documented, various errors and omissions had crept in. The mistakes in the Yuga Cycle doctrine were some of them.

it is said during transition phase only 1/7 of world population of all species survive,rest will perish
any comments

I do not know of any sources explicitly mentioning this 1/7 fraction. Please share if you do.
A transition ought to be rough but that is all we know about it. IMO it doesn't necessarily have to knock out 6/7 population of the world.

Regards,
Virendra

 

[Bhadra]

That is on basis of the decreasing yuga durations, which is not found anywhere else in the world, even though multiple sources and cultures (like Zoroastrians and Mexiacan 'Codex Rios') have spoken of Yugas and cycles.
Most are silent about relative durations of yugas and those that do mention, have said them to be of equal length.
Yukteshwar himself has said that discrepancies have crept into the Yuga cycle doctrine.
Taking Surya Siddhanta as the basis, a precessional year is exactly of 24,000 years.

Regards,
Virendra

Yukteswara ayanamsa though are not considered to be correct. Hence there may be a little discrepancies in calculations.

 

[civfanatic]

This is what the author says, again from the article itself. I suggest you to complete your reading of the article

The author speculates on numerous points, and cherry-picks on others to try to support his point. The "great calamities" that supposedly took place during this "transitional period" (976-676 B.C.E) were by no means peculiar or strange and could be found in numerous other periods in history. Nor was there a "global collapse" in civilization; some civilizations were in decline while others were flourishing, just like any other period in history. The Greeks and Anatolians (among others) were in decline while the Assyrians and Nubians (among others) were flourishing. And when the author states that "the Indus Valley civilization finally ended at around 1000 BC", he is conjuring facts out of thin air, for the last vestiges of the IVC had already disappeared several centuries prior to the onset of the so-called "transitional period".

In short, the article is rather ludicrous and shows shabby scholarship. There's not much worth talking about, really.

 

[Virendra]

The author speculates on numerous points, and cherry-picks on others to try to support his point. The "great calamities" that supposedly took place during this "transitional period" (976-676 B.C.E) were by no means peculiar or strange and could be found in numerous other periods in history. Nor was there a "global collapse" in civilization; some civilizations were in decline while others were flourishing, just like any other period in history. The Greeks and Anatolians (among others) were in decline while the Assyrians and Nubians (among others) were flourishing. And when the author states that "the Indus Valley civilization finally ended at around 1000 BC", he is conjuring facts out of thin air, for the last vestiges of the IVC had already disappeared several centuries prior to the onset of the so-called "transitional period.

In short, the article rather ludicrous and shows shabby scholarship. There's not much worth talking about, really.

I will take the points to him, lets see how he gets back.

 

[dhananjay1]

Some curious similarities between Kaliyuga calender and Mayan calender are interesting.

 

[Virendra]

@civfanatic he has replied :

1. The Late Harappan Period extended from 1900 BC - 1000 BC. Check the Time Line on Harappa.com: Indus Civilization Introduction.

You can also check the IVC page on Wikipedia. The following observation has been made by Jim Shafer: "However, the Indus Valley Civilization did not disappear suddenly, and many elements of the Indus Civilization can be found in later cultures. Current archaeological data suggest that material culture classified as Late Harappan may have persisted until at least c. 1000-900 BCE and was partially contemporaneous with the Painted Grey Ware culture." (Shaffer, Jim (1993). "Reurbanization: The eastern Punjab and beyond".)

2. Check the Wikipedia Page for the Assyrian culture. This is what it says:

"The period from 1200 BC to 900 BC was a dark age for the entire Near East, North Africa, Caucasus, Mediterranean and Balkan regions, with great upheavals and mass movements of people.

Assyria and its empire were not unduly affected by these tumultuous events for some 150 years, perhaps the only ancient power that was not. However, upon the death of Ashur-bel-kala in 1056 BC, Assyria went into a comparative decline for the next 100 or so years. The empire shrank significantly, and by 1020 BC Assyria appears to have controlled only areas close to Assyria itself, essential to keeping trade routes open in eastern Syria, south eastern Asia Minor central Mesopotamia and north western Iran."

Therefore, Assryria suffered a sudden decline for a period of 100 years from 1056 BC - 9056 BC. It was the only ancient power that was not affected to a very large extent.

3. I have mentioned in the article that "The period from 1070 BC – 664 BC is known as the "Third Intermediate Period" of Egypt, during which time Egypt was run over and ruled by foreign rulers, and there was political and social disintegration and chaos. Egypt was increasingly beset by a series of droughts, below-normal flooding of the Nile, and famine". This can be easily fact checked by anyone having doubts.

4. The Olmec civilization also suffered major damages. Again check the Wikipedia page for the Olmec culture: This is what it states: "A wholesale destruction of many San Lorenzo monuments also occurred circa 950 BCE, which may indicate an internal uprising or, less likely, an invasion. The latest thinking, however, is that environmental changes may have been responsible for this shift in Olmec centers, with certain important rivers changing course."

5. All of this is in addition to the destruction and calamities in Greece, North Africa and Near East.

Clearly this was a worldwide collapse of civilization at around the same time i.e. c. 1000 BC, which coincides with the transition from the descending to the ascending Yuga Cycle.
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We can follow it up here if you like - Myths, Symbols and Mysteries: The end of the Kali Yuga in 2025: Unraveling the mysteries of the Yuga Cycle

Regards,
Virendra

 

[drkrn]

This is what the author says, again from the article itself. I suggest you to complete your reading of the article :




I do not know of any sources explicitly mentioning this 1/7 fraction. Please share if you do.
A transition ought to be rough but that is all we know about it. IMO it doesn't necessarily have to knock out 6/7 population of the world.

Regards,
Virendra

2012 and beyond...Prophecies(Kalagnanam),in English, of Sri Pothuluri Veera Brahmendra Swamy(Brahmamgari Kalagnanam),Pancha Maha Kalagnanamulu-by Pavuluri Sreenivasachary(Panchajanya Viswakarma)
no.80
heard this since when i am a kid

 

[Virendra]

2012 and beyond...Prophecies(Kalagnanam),in English, of Sri Pothuluri Veera Brahmendra Swamy(Brahmamgari Kalagnanam),Pancha Maha Kalagnanamulu-by Pavuluri Sreenivasachary(Panchajanya Viswakarma)
no.80
heard this since when i am a kid

Thanks for the reference.
Any idea how many of these predictions have come true till now?
Also, this is a recently discovered text right?

 

[drkrn]

Thanks for the reference.
Any idea how many of these predictions have come true till now?
Also, this is a recently discovered text right?

no theese texts are atleast 300 odd yrs old.some of them are still present as talapatra grantha at veerabrahmendraswamy mutt in a.p
most of these predictions(not all) from above link are also present in an old printed telugu edition book even now with my grand mother.i have read them.

 

[Singh]

That is on basis of the decreasing yuga durations, which is not found anywhere else in the world, even though multiple sources and cultures (like Zoroastrians and Mexiacan 'Codex Rios') have spoken of Yugas and cycles.
Most are silent about relative durations of yugas and those that do mention, have said them to be of equal length.
Yukteshwar himself has said that discrepancies have crept into the Yuga cycle doctrine.
Taking Surya Siddhanta as the basis, a precessional year is exactly of 24,000 years.

Regards,
Virendra

I had read Yukteshwar Giris Holy Science more than a decade back but i distinctly remember reading 1699 was the year that Dwapar Yuga began as per his calculations.

I remember this date because I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Khalsa panth was created by Guru Gobind Singh on the 1st day of the solar calendar in the year 1699.

I dont remember the ascending and descending cycle part, although I do remember him advocating vegetarian diet and explaining the similarities between Christianity and Hinduism.

I will hunt for the book again, its a smallish book.






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[Virendra]

I'm not saying that Yukteshwar was advocating equal yuga period. May be he also accepted/assumed the 4:3:2:1 ratio like others.
The discrepancies Yukteshwar pointed to, are like the Yugas spanning over millions of years.

 

[Singh]

I'm not saying that Yukteshwar was advocating equal yuga period. May be he also accepted/assumed the 4:3:2:1 ratio like others.

He is the one who proposed this 4:3:2:1 ratio iirc. His book was published a century back.


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[Virendra]

Very informative radio program -

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

I suggest, if anyone can get the BRAHMANDA PURANA, the calculation is given. There are some important words to remember in this calculation, which one has to give importance. They are KALPA, MANVANTRA, MAHA YUGA, YUGA. While performing a ritual, during the sankalpa, we say, SWETHA VARAHA KALPE, VIVASVATHA MANVANTRE, KALI YUGE, PRATHAMA PADHE, ...DWIPE(means continent), ..... khande(country), ...... nadhi thire (on the banks of so and so river). One can easily calculate the time by this.

So, First we have to know what is a KALPA, then MANVANTRA, then MAHA YUGA, then come to the YUGA and further calculations can be made.

Out of the ASHTADASHA PURANAS in SANATHANA DHARMA, BRAHMANDA PURANA speaks about the UNIVERSE AND ITS CREATION. The name itself suggests so. BRAHMANDA means THE UNIVERSE.

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

We have to know how many KALPAS are there. Then We have to know in which KALPA we are living, then we have to know how many MANVANTRAS are there, then we have to know in which MANVANTRA we are living in, then we have to come to the MAHA YUGA, we have to know what is the number of the MAHA YUGA in which this cycle of YUGA is going. It is said that one MAHA YUGA means 4 YUGAS. 72 MAHA YUGAS make one MANVANTRA. I think there are 7 SEVEN MANVANTRAS. Please give me some time. I am busy finding a job. I will post the names of the KALPAS and MANVANTRAS and the calculation which I know and I have read in a telugu version of BRAHMANDA PURANA.

 

[pmaitra]

I'm not saying that Yukteshwar was advocating equal yuga period. May be he also accepted/assumed the 4:3:2:1 ratio like others.
The discrepancies Yukteshwar pointed to, are like the Yugas spanning over millions of years.

The 4:3:2:1 ratio of years should be related to the hypothesis that the Sun has a binary partner, and that they both revolve around a third point between them, and they are getting closer, and their "time" for one revolution is getting shorter, thus shortening the the length of time defined as a "Great Year." So, the current Great Year is shorter than the previous, which was shorter than the one before, and so on and so forth.

This video can be interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRHo9JS2s8k

 

[Virendra]

If the precession of equinoxes is really quickening, then 4:3:2:1 theory holds more water.
Difference of opinion is on locating the nearest yuga switch in past and future.
Some in west recognize 500 A.D as the lowest point (dark ages) where precession was longest.
Others over here in India say (like Yukteshwar in 1894 A.D.) that we came out of lowest point at around 1700 A.D.
Some like Bibhudev Mishra today suggest we'll switch instead on 2025 A.D.
Most of the scholars are placing milestones around their own times. Coincidence or agenda?