Summarized by Shivkumar Natarajan:
We began the class with a review of the last class
• We then read verses 17,18 and 19
• We then discussed a few basic concepts about time from Sanatana Dharma
• Time has been perceived to flow in great cycles called yugas.
• Time is circular in nature . As described in the Puranas a kalpa is regarded as a day of Brahma. A Kalpa equals 4.32 Billion years
• A Mahakalpa is 100 years of Brahma. Each Kalpa has 1000 mahayugas.
• There are four yugas : Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga that follow in a circular nature
• Each yuga is of different duration. The nature of people is different in different yugas. There is a slow decline in mans virtue as the yuga progress. We are currently in beginning of the Kali Yuga that began at the end of Mahabharata.
• Each kalpa has 14 Manvantara's
• A manvantara, is a cyclic period of time identifying the duration, reign, or age of a Manu, the founder of mankind. In each manvantara, seven Rishis, certain deities, an Indra, a Manu, and kings (sons of Manu) are created and perish. Each manvantara is distinguished by the Manu who rules/reigns over it, of which we are currently in the seventh manvantara of fourteen, which is ruled by Vaivasvata Manu.
• A pralaya is described to be an equal length of time, referred to as a night in the life of the deity. This form of the dissolution is caused by the sleep of Brahma, and is hence named after him. It is called
• Brahmapralaya or Mahapralaya
• After the completion of 1,000 four-age cycles or a kalpa, a great flood is unleashed on Bhumi, the earth, by Prakriti, the personification of nature. This is called as Prakritapralaya. At the end of which Prakriti fuses with Purusha, assimilating Buddhi, becoming Brahman.
• We even touched upon the fact that each of the deities are in fact a post earned by individuals due to their Purusharthas and upon completion of their tenure they get replaced
• A fact mentioned on the TV serial and book Cosmos by the author Carl Sagan was mentioned where Of all the religions of the world only one religion came close to the scale of the universe was Hinduism
• A question comes to ones mind as to when did all this begin. We expect a space or time when the entire creation began. But this is a illogical question. Creation continues to happen every moment and every time
Theme
• Why was all this discussed by Krishna
• Krishna is giving a bigger picture that helps us understand the pair of opposites and how we need to treat the same
• Microcosm level
○ Avyukta : Unmanifest level : Deep sleep state where vasanas are dormant
○ Vykta : Manifest State: Waker and dreamer state where vasanas are manifested
• Macrocosm Level: This same philosophy applied to the entire creation
• We need to treat the pair of opposites with equipoise. Why worry about other opposites ?
• Thus Brahmas day starts with Satya Yuga (manifesting) and ends with Kali Yuga (unmanifesting)
• Same witness exist in all of us. We feel age of body but otherwise we don’t feel any different from within
• We need to stop using creation/destruction as the true behaviour is that of manifesting and unmanifesting that happens
• We then continued watching Gurudev's videos from 214 to 217
214
• Saturday and Sunday we feel time fly by us in no time
• During weekday we experience time crawls
• Even though time moves in same way it’s the experience of time that causes it to seem different
• When we are in sorrow we feel time crawl
• In heaven thousands of years where the devas are happy it may seem like 1 day for them.
• Time is subjective . Depends on mental mood of person
• Bramhmaji's day is Shashrayuga i.e 1000 of years of time
• When the cosmic mind is tired it rests (similar to how we are exhausted after a days work). Nature then folds the equipment to rest. Similar to our rest in the macrocosm rest happens. As per the knowledge folks they defined the time when deluge/pralay happens
215
• The moths have a very small lifespan . 1.5 hrs. They come when rain happens and 1000's are born at same time and they die in very short span as per mans chronological timespan. And when they die they become fodder to ants.
• Similar to human looters that come when there is a disaster
• Thus to a moth he has lived a lifespan but for a human it’s a very short time
• In the same way in a macrocosmic life the time flies so fast that as compared to their single day to us it is eons that have passed
216
• We need to understand macrocosm via our own life (microcosm)
• In the night when tired of the world outside the equipment's are tired and our resting as they cannot function with efficiency. At that time our private world: Name , family, friends, status, wealth all disappear. And next day the moment we get up the entire yesterday's world nothing is removed nor added but present over there in perfect continuation.
• From the manifest where we have direct experience of body/mind and intellect it goes to unmanifest (sleep) into you and then it goes back to all vasanas being manifest in perfect continuity. This is called creation
• Thus every day we create the world and at night we have deluge where our private world is folded
• It is not the creator desiring
217
• Entire world of names and forms are helpless. They manifest in the day and unmanifest in the night. It is the question of the play of the mind. When you look through your mind in morning everything is there
• When I look through colored glass there is color everywhere and when removed there is no color. The color is not in the object outside nor in color of my eyes. It is the medium/misinterpretation through which I am seeing outside
• So one who has folded the mind and gone beyond the mind sees the world as it is and not misinterpreted by the mind by seeing the world through their vasanas
• On the other hand you/I are helpless and we cant protest against it. This is how we are playing in the world . World coming and going rhythmically . All this is the play of the mind
Subjective Analysis : Nothing in creation is permanent
