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Etymology

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{{About||the 2006 '''film'''|Yuga (film)}}
{{short description|Age in Hinduism: Chatur, Krita, Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali Yuga}}
{{Hinduism small}}

A '''yuga''' ({{lang-sa|युग||age}}), in Sanatan Dharma ( [[hinduism]] ) , is a large period of time, as it relates to the past, present and future<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Sundarraj |author-first=M. |year=1997 |orig-year=1st ed. 1994 |editor-last=Mahalingam |editor-first=Dr. N. |editor-link=N. Mahalingam |chapter=Ch. 4 Asvins⁠—Time-Keepers |title=RG Vedic Studies |url=https://archive.org/details/rigvedicstudiessundarrajm.ed.mahalingamn._202003/page/n252/mode/1up |location=[[Coimbatore]] |publisher=[[Sakthi Group|Rukmani Offset Press]] |page=219 |quote=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'.}}</ref>. It is mostly used to describe one of the four [[Dharma#Hinduism|dharmic]] ages - ''[[Satya Yuga]]'', ''[[Treta Yuga]]'', ''[[Dvapara Yuga]]'' or ''[[Kali Yuga]]'' -, or a cycle of the four ages, ''[[Yuga Cycle|Chatur Yuga]]''<ref>{{Dictionary.com|yuga|accessdate=2020-05-23}}</ref><ref>A ''[[Kalpa (aeon)|kalpa]]'' is described as lasting 1,000 ''catur-yuga'' in [[Bhagavata Purana]] 12.4.2 ("''catur-yuga''") and [[Bhagavad Gita]] 8.17 ("''yuga''"): * {{cite web |title=Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) 12.4.2 |url=https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/12/4/2/ |website=Bhaktivedanta Vedabase |access-date=2020-05-10 |quote=One thousand cycles of four ages [catur-yuga] constitute a single day of Brahmā, known as a kalpa. In that period, O King, fourteen Manus come and go.}} * {{cite web |title=Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 8.17 |url=https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/8/17/ |website=Bhaktivedanta Vedabase |access-date=2020-05-10 |quote=By human calculation, a thousand ages [yuga] taken together form the duration of Brahmā’s one day. And such also is the duration of his night.}}</ref>.

Depending on context, it can refer to one of the [[Ritu (Indian season)|seasons]], generations, reigns, ''[[Kalpa (aeon)|kalpas]]'' (days of [[Brahma]]), stages of creation ([[srishti|manifest]], [[sthiti|maintain]], [[pralaya|unmanifest]]), or 1,000 year periods<ref>{{cite journal |author-last=Kane |author-first=P. V. |author-link=Pandurang Vaman Kane |date=September 1936 |editor-last1=Sukthankar |editor-first1=Dr. V. S. |editor-link1=Vishnu Sitaram Sukthankar |editor-last2=Fyzee |editor-first2=A. A. A. |editor-link2=Asaf Ali Asghar Fyzee |editor-last3=Bhagwat |editor-first3=Prof. N. K. |title=Kalivarjya (actions forbidden in the Kali Age) |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.281640/page/n199/mode/1up |journal=Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |volume=Vol. 12 |publisher=[[The Asiatic Society of Mumbai|The Asiatic Society of Bombay]] |pages=1-2 |quote=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' ... In other places 'yuga' must be given the sense of a 'long period of time' ...}}</ref>.

==Etymology==
The archaic form of the [[Sanskrit]] word "''yuga''" is "''yug''". Other forms are "''yugam''", "''yugānāṃ''" and "''yuge''". In Latin, "''juga''" or "''jug''" are used from "''jugum''" meaning "[[yoke]]", used to connect two oxen (e.g. ''cali-juga'' = ''kali-yuga'')<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Lewis, Ph.D. |author-first=Charlton T. |author-link=Charlton Thomas Lewis |year=1879 |title=A Latin Dictionary |url=https://archive.org/details/latindictionaryf00andr/page/1016/mode/1up |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=1016 |isbn=0198642016 |quote=Jugo: In general, to join, connect. Jugum: [kindred to Sanskrit yuga from yug-, jungere; v. jungo], a yoke for oxen, a collar for horses.}}</ref>. The word "''yuga''", as well as "''[[yoga]]''", are derived from {{lang-sa|युज्|[[wikt:युज्|yuj]]|to join or yoke}}, believed to be derived from [[Proto-Indo-European language]]: yeug, 'to join or unite'<ref>Hypothetical source of [https://www.etymonline.com/word/*yeug- yeug].</ref>.

==Yuga characteristics==
There are a total of four yugas : ''[[Satya Yuga]]'', ''[[Treta Yuga]],'' ''[[Dvapara Yuga]], and'' ''[[Kali Yuga]]'', each having 1/4th less duration and [[dharma]] than the previous (''Satya'' most, ''Kali'' least). The descending yugas see a '''gradual decline'''{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}} of dharma, wisdom, knowledge, intellectual capability, lifespan, emotional and physical strength.

Within a yuga are ''Sandhis'', or a starting ''Sandhya'' and ending ''Sandhyansa'', both lasting 1/10th the main part of the yuga.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}} Most of the characteristic changes can occur in these ''Sandhyas'' and ''Sandhyansas'', especially if that change is from ''Kali Yuga'' to ''Satya Yuga'' (two extremes){{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.

* '''[[Satya Yuga]]''' (''Krita Yuga'', "the age of truth", or "[[Golden Age#Hindu|hindu golden age]]") : the first and best yuga. It is the age of truth and perfection. This yuga has no crime, and all humans are kind and friendly. The ''Krita Yuga'' is so named because there is one religion, and all people are saintly : therefore they are not required to perform religious ceremonies. Humans are long living, powerfully built, honest, youthful, vigorous, erudite and virtuous. The Vedas ''are one''. All mankind can attain to supreme blessedness. There is no agriculture or mining, as the earth yields those riches on its own. Weather is pleasant, and everyone is happy. There is no religious sect. There is no disease, decrepitude, or fear of anything{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}. Virtue reigns supreme. Human stature is 21 cubits (33 ft, 6 inches). Average human lifespan is 100,000 years{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.

* '''[[Treta Yuga]]''' : this is the second yuga in chronological order. "Treta" means the "third",there are 3 quarter virtues or truth and 1 quarter sin or untruth. In this age, virtue diminishes slightly. At the beginning of the age, many emperors rise to dominance and conquer the world. Wars become frequent and weather begins to change to extremities. People become slightly diminished, compared to their predecessors. Agriculture, labour and mining become existent{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}. There are 3 quarter virtues and 1 quarter sin. Normal human stature is 14 cubits (22 ft, 4 inches). Average human lifespan is 10,000 years{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.

* '''[[Dvapara Yuga]]''' : this is the third yuga in order. "Dvapara" means "two"/"second, there are 2 quarter virtues or truth and 2 quarter sin or untruth. In this age, people become tainted with qualities, and aren't as strong as their ancestors. Diseases become rampant. Humans are discontent and fight each other. Vedas are divided into four parts. People still possess characteristics of youth in old age. Average lifespan of humans is around a few centuries{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}. There are 1 half virtue and 1 half sin. Normal human stature is 7 cubits (11 ft, 2 inches). Average human lifespan is 1,000 years{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.

* '''[[Kali Yuga]]''' : the final age. It is the age of darkness and ignorance. People stop following [[dharma]], and lack virtue. They become slaves to their passions and are barely as powerful as their earliest ancestors in the ''Satya Yuga''. Society falls into disuse and people become liars and hypocrites. Knowledge is lost and scriptures are diminished. Humans eat forbidden and dirty food. The environment is polluted, water and food become scarce. Wealth is heavily diminished. Families become non-existent{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}. There is 1 quarter virtue, and 3 quarter sins. Normal human stature is 3.5 cubits (5 ft, 3 inches). Average human lifespan is 100 years{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.

==See also==
* [[Hindu units of time]]
* [[List of numbers in Hindu scriptures]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://veda.wikidot.com/vedic-time-system Vedic knowledge online, ''Vedic Time System '']
{{Time in religion and mythology}}
{{Brahmanda}}
{{Legendary progenitors}}

[[Category:Hindu astronomy]]
[[Category:Hindu philosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Units of time]]
[[Category:Theories of history]]
[[Category:Time in Hinduism]]
[[Category:Four Yugas| ]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{About||the 2006 '''film'''|Yuga (film)}}
+{{short description|Age in Hinduism: Chatur, Krita, Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali Yuga}}A '''yuga''' ({{lang-sa|युग||age}}), in Sanatan Dharma ( [[hinduism]] ) , is a large period of time, as it relates to the past, present and future<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Sundarraj |author-first=M. |year=1997 |orig-year=1st ed. 1994 |editor-last=Mahalingam |editor-first=Dr. N. |editor-link=N. Mahalingam |chapter=Ch. 4 Asvins⁠—Time-Keepers |title=RG Vedic Studies |url=https://archive.org/details/rigvedicstudiessundarrajm.ed.mahalingamn._202003/page/n252/mode/1up |location=[[Coimbatore]] |publisher=[[Sakthi Group|Rukmani Offset Press]] |page=219 |quote=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'.}}</ref>. It is mostly used to describe one of the four [[Dharma#Hinduism|dharmic]] ages - ''[[Satya Yuga]]'', ''[[Treta Yuga]]'', ''[[Dvapara Yuga]]'' or ''[[Kali Yuga]]'' -, or a cycle of the four ages, ''[[Yuga Cycle|Chatur Yuga]]''<ref>{{Dictionary.com|yuga|accessdate=2020-05-23}}</ref><ref>A ''[[Kalpa (aeon)|kalpa]]'' is described as lasting 1,000 ''catur-yuga'' in [[Bhagavata Purana]] 12.4.2 ("''catur-yuga''") and [[Bhagavad Gita]] 8.17 ("''yuga''"):<br>* {{cite web |title=Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) 12.4.2 |url=https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/12/4/2/ |website=Bhaktivedanta Vedabase |access-date=2020-05-10 |quote=One thousand cycles of four ages [catur-yuga] constitute a single day of Brahmā, known as a kalpa. In that period, O King, fourteen Manus come and go.}}<br>* {{cite web |title=Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 8.17 |url=https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/8/17/ |website=Bhaktivedanta Vedabase |access-date=2020-05-10 |quote=By human calculation, a thousand ages [yuga] taken together form the duration of Brahmā’s one day. And such also is the duration of his night.}}</ref>.
 Depending on context, it can refer to one of the [[Ritu (Indian season)|seasons]], generations, reigns, ''[[Kalpa (aeon)|kalpas]]'' (days of [[Brahma]]), stages of creation ([[srishti|manifest]], [[sthiti|maintain]], [[pralaya|unmanifest]]), or 1,000 year periods<ref>{{cite journal |author-last=Kane |author-first=P. V. |author-link=Pandurang Vaman Kane |date=September 1936 |editor-last1=Sukthankar |editor-first1=Dr. V. S. |editor-link1=Vishnu Sitaram Sukthankar |editor-last2=Fyzee |editor-first2=A. A. A. |editor-link2=Asaf Ali Asghar Fyzee |editor-last3=Bhagwat |editor-first3=Prof. N. K. |title=Kalivarjya (actions forbidden in the Kali Age) |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.281640/page/n199/mode/1up |journal=Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |volume=Vol. 12 |publisher=[[The Asiatic Society of Mumbai|The Asiatic Society of Bombay]] |pages=1-2 |quote=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' ... In other places 'yuga' must be given the sense of a 'long period of time' ...}}</ref>.
@@ Line 15: / Line 11: @@
 Within a yuga are ''Sandhis'', or a starting ''Sandhya'' and ending ''Sandhyansa'', both lasting 1/10<sup>th</sup> the main part of the yuga.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}} Most of the characteristic changes can occur in these ''Sandhyas'' and ''Sandhyansas'', especially if that change is from ''Kali Yuga'' to ''Satya Yuga'' (two extremes){{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.
-* '''[[Satya Yuga]]''' (''Krita Yuga'', "the age of truth", or "[[Golden Age#Hindu|hindu golden age]]") : the first and best yuga. It is the age of truth and perfection. This yuga has no crime, and all humans are kind and friendly. The ''Krita Yuga'' is so named because there is one religion, and all people are saintly : therefore they are not required to perform religious ceremonies. Humans are long living, powerfully built, honest, youthful, vigorous, erudite and virtuous. The Vedas ''are one''. All mankind can attain to supreme blessedness. There is no agriculture or mining, as the earth yields those riches on its own. Weather is pleasant, and everyone is happy. There is no religious sect. There is no disease, decrepitude, or fear of anything{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}. Virtue reigns supreme. Human stature is 21 cubits (33 ft, 6 inches). Average human lifespan is 100,000 years{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.
+*'''[[Satya Yuga]]''' (''Krita Yuga'', "the age of truth", or "[[Golden Age#Hindu|hindu golden age]]") : the first and best yuga. It is the age of truth and perfection. This yuga has no crime, and all humans are kind and friendly. The ''Krita Yuga'' is so named because there is one religion, and all people are saintly : therefore they are not required to perform religious ceremonies. Humans are long living, powerfully built, honest, youthful, vigorous, erudite and virtuous. The Vedas ''are one''. All mankind can attain to supreme blessedness. There is no agriculture or mining, as the earth yields those riches on its own. Weather is pleasant, and everyone is happy. There is no religious sect. There is no disease, decrepitude, or fear of anything{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}. Virtue reigns supreme. Human stature is 21 cubits (33 ft, 6 inches). Average human lifespan is 100,000 years{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.
-* '''[[Treta Yuga]]''' : this is the second yuga in chronological order. "Treta" means the "third",there are 3 quarter virtues or truth and 1 quarter sin or untruth.  In this age, virtue diminishes slightly. At the beginning of the age, many emperors rise to dominance and conquer the world. Wars become frequent and weather begins to change to extremities. People become slightly diminished, compared to their predecessors. Agriculture, labour and mining become existent{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}. There are 3 quarter virtues and 1 quarter sin. Normal human stature is 14 cubits (22 ft, 4 inches). Average human lifespan is 10,000 years{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.
+*'''[[Treta Yuga]]''' : this is the second yuga in chronological order. "Treta" means the "third",there are 3 quarter virtues or truth and 1 quarter sin or untruth.  In this age, virtue diminishes slightly. At the beginning of the age, many emperors rise to dominance and conquer the world. Wars become frequent and weather begins to change to extremities. People become slightly diminished, compared to their predecessors. Agriculture, labour and mining become existent{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}. There are 3 quarter virtues and 1 quarter sin. Normal human stature is 14 cubits (22 ft, 4 inches). Average human lifespan is 10,000 years{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.
-* '''[[Dvapara Yuga]]''' : this is the third yuga in order. "Dvapara" means "two"/"second, there are 2 quarter virtues or truth and 2 quarter sin or untruth. In this age, people become tainted with qualities, and aren't as strong as their ancestors. Diseases become rampant. Humans are discontent and fight each other. Vedas are divided into four parts. People still possess characteristics of youth in old age. Average lifespan of humans is around a few centuries{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}. There are 1 half virtue and 1 half sin. Normal human stature is 7 cubits (11 ft, 2 inches). Average human lifespan is 1,000 years{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.
+*'''[[Dvapara Yuga]]''' : this is the third yuga in order. "Dvapara" means "two"/"second, there are 2 quarter virtues or truth and 2 quarter sin or untruth. In this age, people become tainted with qualities, and aren't as strong as their ancestors. Diseases become rampant. Humans are discontent and fight each other. Vedas are divided into four parts. People still possess characteristics of youth in old age. Average lifespan of humans is around a few centuries{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}. There are 1 half virtue and 1 half sin. Normal human stature is 7 cubits (11 ft, 2 inches). Average human lifespan is 1,000 years{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.
-* '''[[Kali Yuga]]''' : the final age. It is the age of darkness and ignorance. People stop following [[dharma]], and lack virtue. They become slaves to their passions and are barely as powerful as their earliest ancestors in the ''Satya Yuga''. Society falls into disuse and people become liars and hypocrites. Knowledge is lost and scriptures are diminished. Humans eat forbidden and dirty food. The environment is polluted, water and food become scarce. Wealth is heavily diminished. Families become non-existent{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}. There is 1 quarter virtue, and 3 quarter sins. Normal human stature is 3.5 cubits (5 ft, 3 inches). Average human lifespan is 100 years{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.
+*'''[[Kali Yuga]]''' : the final age. It is the age of darkness and ignorance. People stop following [[dharma]], and lack virtue. They become slaves to their passions and are barely as powerful as their earliest ancestors in the ''Satya Yuga''. Society falls into disuse and people become liars and hypocrites. Knowledge is lost and scriptures are diminished. Humans eat forbidden and dirty food. The environment is polluted, water and food become scarce. Wealth is heavily diminished. Families become non-existent{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}. There is 1 quarter virtue, and 3 quarter sins. Normal human stature is 3.5 cubits (5 ft, 3 inches). Average human lifespan is 100 years{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}.
 ==See also==
 * [[Hindu units of time]]
-* [[List of numbers in Hindu scriptures]].
+*[[Hindu units of time]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 31: / Line 28: @@
 ==External links==
 * [http://veda.wikidot.com/vedic-time-system Vedic knowledge online, ''Vedic Time System '']
-{{Time in religion and mythology}}
+*[http://veda.wikidot.com/vedic-time-system Vedic knowledge online, ''Vedic Time System '']
 {{Brahmanda}}
 [[Category:Hindu astronomy]]
 [[Category:Hindu philosophical concepts]]