| Shri. Dharampal rightly explained the influence of Kala on the Chitta (manas) or the psyche of people of Bharatavarsha as follows<ref>Dharampal. (2000) ''Dharampal Collected Writings. Volume 5 : Essays on Tradition, Recovery and Freedom.'' Goa : Other India Press</ref><blockquote>''The universe once created passes through a number of cycles of growth and decay, and at the end is drawn back into Brahman. This cycle of creation of the universe from Brahman and its disappearance into Him is repeated again and again according to the predefined flow of time. Within this large cycle, there are a number of shorter cycles, at the end of each of which the universe gets destroyed, and created again at the beginning of the next. Thus the universe keeps on passing through repeated cycles of creation and destruction, and there are series of cycles within cycles.''</blockquote><blockquote>''The terms ‘creation’ and ‘destruction’ are probably not wholly appropriate in this context. Because, at the time of creation, it is not something external to Him that Brahman creates. He only manifests Himself in the varied forms of the universe, and at the end He merely contracts those manifestations into Himself, and thus there is in reality nothing that gets created or destroyed. The universe, in a sense, is a mere play of Brahman, a cosmic game of repeated expansion and contraction of the ultimate essence of the universe. But it is a game that is played according to well defined cycles of time. The universe is play, but the play is not arbitrary. Even Brahman is governed by kala. He manifests and contracts according to a definite flow of time that even He cannot transcend.''</blockquote><blockquote>''Every Indian is probably aware of this Indian view of the universe as the play of Brahman. Every Indian is also aware of the supremacy of kala in this play. Many Indians may not know the very detailed arithmetic of the various cycles of time that is given in the Puranas. But the thought that the universe is a play that had no beginning and will have no end, and that this play of Brahman proceeds according to the inexorable flow of kala, is deeply etched on the chitta of the people of India.''</blockquote> | | Shri. Dharampal rightly explained the influence of Kala on the Chitta (manas) or the psyche of people of Bharatavarsha as follows<ref>Dharampal. (2000) ''Dharampal Collected Writings. Volume 5 : Essays on Tradition, Recovery and Freedom.'' Goa : Other India Press</ref><blockquote>''The universe once created passes through a number of cycles of growth and decay, and at the end is drawn back into Brahman. This cycle of creation of the universe from Brahman and its disappearance into Him is repeated again and again according to the predefined flow of time. Within this large cycle, there are a number of shorter cycles, at the end of each of which the universe gets destroyed, and created again at the beginning of the next. Thus the universe keeps on passing through repeated cycles of creation and destruction, and there are series of cycles within cycles.''</blockquote><blockquote>''The terms ‘creation’ and ‘destruction’ are probably not wholly appropriate in this context. Because, at the time of creation, it is not something external to Him that Brahman creates. He only manifests Himself in the varied forms of the universe, and at the end He merely contracts those manifestations into Himself, and thus there is in reality nothing that gets created or destroyed. The universe, in a sense, is a mere play of Brahman, a cosmic game of repeated expansion and contraction of the ultimate essence of the universe. But it is a game that is played according to well defined cycles of time. The universe is play, but the play is not arbitrary. Even Brahman is governed by kala. He manifests and contracts according to a definite flow of time that even He cannot transcend.''</blockquote><blockquote>''Every Indian is probably aware of this Indian view of the universe as the play of Brahman. Every Indian is also aware of the supremacy of kala in this play. Many Indians may not know the very detailed arithmetic of the various cycles of time that is given in the Puranas. But the thought that the universe is a play that had no beginning and will have no end, and that this play of Brahman proceeds according to the inexorable flow of kala, is deeply etched on the chitta of the people of India.''</blockquote> |
| Kalapramana or the duration of time and measurements, are variously described in different texts. The calculations are based on nakshatras, suryodaya, chandra (moon), planetary transits for earthly time measurements. Thus we have nakshatramana, sauramana, chandramana etc ways to measure time. Astronomy and Astrology texts such as Surya Siddhanta, deal extensively with the topic of time and its calculations ranging from less than a second to trillions of years. Kala is classified into two according to Surya Siddhanta as follows <blockquote>लोकानामन्तकृत्कालः कालोन्यः कलनात्मकः । स द्विधा स्थूलसूक्ष्मत्वान्मू्र्त्तश्चामूर्त उच्यते॥ (Sury. Sidd. 1.10) (Page 5 of Book in Reference<ref name=":4">Mahaviraprasad, Shrivastav. (1982 2nd Edition) ''Surya Siddhanta with Vijnana Bhashya, Khanda One.'' Allahabad: Dr. Ratnakumari Svadhyaya Sansthan</ref></blockquote>Summary : Kala is (1) Anadi and Ananta (is continuous and endless) which destroys all animate and inanimate things (2) Kalanatmaka (that which can be known). The later kind of time which is measurable time is again of two kinds. (1) Sthula (2) Sukshma. Sthula time is that which can be measured hence called Murta, while Sukshma is (a small time scale) which cannot be measured (immeasurable due to its smallness) hence called Amurta.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">Pt. Bapu Deva Sastri (1861) ''Translation of the Surya Siddhanta from the Sanskrit.'' Calcutta : Asiatic Society of Bengal</ref> | | Kalapramana or the duration of time and measurements, are variously described in different texts. The calculations are based on nakshatras, suryodaya, chandra (moon), planetary transits for earthly time measurements. Thus we have nakshatramana, sauramana, chandramana etc ways to measure time. Astronomy and Astrology texts such as Surya Siddhanta, deal extensively with the topic of time and its calculations ranging from less than a second to trillions of years. Kala is classified into two according to Surya Siddhanta as follows <blockquote>लोकानामन्तकृत्कालः कालोन्यः कलनात्मकः । स द्विधा स्थूलसूक्ष्मत्वान्मू्र्त्तश्चामूर्त उच्यते॥ (Sury. Sidd. 1.10) (Page 5 of Book in Reference<ref name=":4">Mahaviraprasad, Shrivastav. (1982 2nd Edition) ''Surya Siddhanta with Vijnana Bhashya, Khanda One.'' Allahabad: Dr. Ratnakumari Svadhyaya Sansthan</ref></blockquote>Summary : Kala is (1) Anadi and Ananta (is continuous and endless) which destroys all animate and inanimate things (2) Kalanatmaka (that which can be known). The later kind of time which is measurable time is again of two kinds. (1) Sthula (2) Sukshma. Sthula time is that which can be measured hence called Murta, while Sukshma is (a small time scale) which cannot be measured (immeasurable due to its smallness) hence called Amurta.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">Pt. Bapu Deva Sastri (1861) ''Translation of the Surya Siddhanta from the Sanskrit.'' Calcutta : Asiatic Society of Bengal</ref> |