Changes

=== Virtues, qualities and life span of living beings before Satyayuga ===

=== Virtues, qualities and life span of living beings before Satyayuga ===

* Human beings

* '''Human beings:''' Satyayuga or Krtyuga is known as the first yuga in order of yugas. In this yuga humans were gifted with vitality equal to those of devatas. They were tremendously pure and unhampered in their powers to perceive the Supreme. The firmness and stability of their bodies were comparable to essence of rocky mountains. They had clear complexion and senses. Their movement, strength and valor were like those of wind. They had the most desirable physical characteristics like handsomeness, body-size, cheerfulness and corpulence. They were devoted to truth, honest behavior, compassion, charity, self-restraint, moral discipline, spiritual endeavor, fasting, continence, and religious vows. They were free from fear, desire, aversion, infatuation, greed, anger, despondency, pride, disease, sleep, indolence, fatigue, languor, sloth and spirit of acquisition; and lastly they were bestowed with longevity.

Satyayuga or Krtyuga is known as the first yuga in order of yugas. In this yuga humans were gifted with vitality equal to those of devatas. They were tremendously pure and unhampered in their powers to perceive the Supreme. The firmness and stability of their bodies were comparable to essence of rocky mountains. They had clear complexion and senses. Their movement, strength and valor were like those of wind. They had the most desirable physical characteristics like handsomeness, body-size, cheerfulness and corpulence. They were devoted to truth, honest behavior, compassion, charity, self-restraint, moral discipline, spiritual endeavor, fasting, continence, and religious vows. They were free from fear, desire, aversion, infatuation, greed, anger, despondency, pride, disease, sleep, indolence, fatigue, languor, sloth and spirit of acquisition; and lastly they were bestowed with longevity.  

* '''Crops and herbs:''' For the benefit of these people of noble minds, qualities and deeds, the crops grew with inconceivable rasa (taste), veerya (potency) and prabhava (specific effect), and the virtue of the earth during the dawn of this golden age was charged fully with all excellent qualities.  

* Crops and herbs

For the benefit of these people of noble minds, qualities and deeds, the crops grew with inconceivable ''rasa, veerya, vipaka,'' and ''prabhava'', and the virtue of the earth during the dawn of this golden age was charged fully with all excellent qualities.

==== End of Satyayuga ====

==== End of Satyayuga ====

At the end of the ''satyayuga'', however, some affluent people started gaining heaviness in their bodies due to over-indulgence in food. They started suffering from fatigue in lieu of this. Fatigue gave rise to laziness, and laziness made them to accumulate things; accumulation led to the attachment for these things and attachment resulted in greed.

At the end of the satyayuga, however, over-indulgence in food led to gaining heaviness in body in some affluent people. Consequently they started experiencing fatigue. Fatigue developed laziness and laziness in turn developed a tendency to accumulate things in them. The tendency of accumulation caused developed attachment for these things and it then gave rise to greed.  

=== Virtues, qualities and life span of living beings in Tretayuga ===

=== Virtues, qualities and life span of living beings in Tretayuga ===

Human beings

* '''Human beings:''' The humans in Tretayuga had already developed greed which then generated malice. Malice caused falsehood which then led to development of passion, anger, vanity, hatred, cruelty, aggression, fear, grief, anxiety, distress and the like. In this way, in Tretayuga, one-quarter of Dharma or righteousness in human beings disappeared. Subsequently life-span of humans reduced by a quarter.

With the onset of the ''tretayuga'', greed gave rise to malice in its wake, malice led to falsehood, and falsehood led to passion, anger, vanity, hatred, cruelty, aggression, fear, grief, anxiety, distress and the like. Symbolically, during ''tretayuga'', one-fourth of ''dharma'' (religious duties) disappeared, resulting in reduction of the life-span of human beings by a quarter.  

The changes occurring in environmental factors and life qualities of human beings led to change in lifestyle practices. This caused significant impact on Agni (the entity responsible for maintaining homeostasis in body) and Vata (the chief controller of bodily functions). Disturbance in functions of Agni and vata ultimately gave rise to development of various diseases. Diseases further reduced the life span of human beings.

In this way, in every succeeding yuga, the righteousness or dharma has reduced and thus there is consequent reduction in quality of life of human beings and also quality of plants.  

 

Similarly, there was reduction in the attributes of earth etc., by a quarter. Because of the reduction of these attributes there was diminution by one quarter of the unctuousness, purity, tastes (''rasa''), potency (''veerya''), post digestive effects (''vipaka''), prabhava and qualities of grains. In effect, this degradation impacted all aspects of living beings that were described to have existed in the ''satyayuga''.

 

 

There was an unusual change in the maintenance of equilibrium of tissue elements and there was vitiation of ''agni'' (''pitta'') and ''maruta'' (''vata'') by which, first of all, bodies of living beings got afflicted with diseases viz. ''jwara'' (fever) etc. Therefore the life-span of living beings underwent gradual diminution.

 

He states that in every succeeding yuga, the righteousness or dharma has reduced and thus there is consequent reduction in quality of life of human beings and also quality of plants.  

== Mrtyu a type of disease ==

== Mrtyu a type of disease ==