DIVINE INFORMATION 2-30 .Matsya Purana part…20
Postedby: "DILIP KUMAR RAVINDRAN" [email protected] prdili Wed Sep 22, 2010 8:51 am (PDT) The Measurement of Time The smallest unit of time is a nimesha; this is theamount of time it takes to blink.Fifteen nimeshas make one kashtha and thirty kashthas are one kala. Thirty kalas one muhurta and there are thirty muhurtas in onedinaratra (one day). Fifteen muhurtas constitute the day andfifteen muhurtas make up thenight. Onemonth for humans is one day for the ancestors (pitri). Shuklapaksha is the lunar fortnight duringwhich the moon waxes and krishnapaksha is the lunar fortnight during which themoon wanes. Shuklapakshacorresponds to night for the ancestors and krishnapaksha corresponds to day. Thus,thirty human months are merely one month for the ancestors. Three hundred and sixty humanmonths are one year for the ancestors. Onehuman year is one dinaratara for the gods. The human year is divided into twoayanas, each consisting of six months.These are known as uttarayana and dakshinayana. Uttarayana is day for the gods and dakshinayana is night. Thirty human years are one month for the godsand three hundred and sixty human yearsare one year for the gods. Time is divided into four yugas (eras). Theseare known as satya yugaor krita yuga, treta yuga, dvapara yuga and kali yuga. The lengthsof these yugas are defined interms of years of the gods. Satya yuga has four thousand yearsof the gods, tretha yuga three thousand, dvapara yuga two thousand and kali yuga one thousand. A cycle of satya yuga, tretha yuga,dvapara yuga and kali yuga is known asa mahayuga. Thus, amahayuga would seem to consist of ten thousand years of the gods. But this is notquite correct. In between any twoyugas are intervening periods, known as sandhyamshas. For example,the sandhyamsha for satya yuga isfour hundred years, for teta yuga three hundred years, for dvapara yuga two hundred years and for kali yugaone hundred years. Once one addsthe sandhyamshas, a mahayuga adds up to twelve thousand years of the gods. Alittle over seventy-one yugas constitute one manvantara. Fourteensuch manvantaras are one kalpa. A kalpa is merely one day for Brahma. At the end of Brahma’s day, the universe isdestroyed. It is then created afreshwhen a new day dawns for Brahma. The Characteristics of the Yugas asone progressively moves down the scalefrom satya yuga to kali yuga, the power of righteous diminishes and evil startsto triumph. In tretha yuga people were righteous. The system of varnashrama dharma goes back to trethayuga. This is typified in the principle of four varnas (classes) and four ashramas (stages of life). The four varnas are brhamanas,kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudreas. Each class has its proper place, each itsassigned occupations as determined bythe principles of division of labour. The four ashramas are brhamacharya(celibate student hood). Garhasthya (householderstage), vanaprastha (forest-dwelling stage and sannyasa (hermithood) . Everyone followed the tenets ofvarnashrama dharma intretha yuga. Individualswere equally handsome and equally wealthy. Poverty and disease were unknown. The weather wasclement and, initially, there was noneed to build houses. Cities and villages were not known. People lived freely in the mountains and on theshores of the oceans. But as people became evil, the weather turned inclement.Houses had to built so the people mightbe protected from the heat and the cold. Cities and villages were planned andconstructed. Evil became even more prevalent in dvapara yuga. In somecases, individuals began to practice that which was against the dictatesof varnashrama dharma. To bringmen back to the righteous path, the knowledge of the sacred Vedas had to bedisseminated amongst humans. To this end, the great Veda Vyasa divided theVedas into four. Various other shastras(sacred texts) were also composed in dvapara yuga. These include ayurveda (medicine), jyotisha(astronomy) and arthashastra (economics). Hatred, jealousy, warfare and other evils firstoriginated in dvapara yuga. Individuals did not stick totheir own classes while marrying, andcross-breeds started to be born. But some remnants of righteousness could still be found, so thataverage life expectancies amounted to two thousand years. Kali yuga is the worst of the four eras. Theft, hatred,falsehood, fraudulence and egotismbecome the norm. As a natural corollary to such evils, drought and famine recur again and again. Even the brahmanasare led astray. They do not study theVedas, nor do they perform yajnas. The brahmanas degenerate so much that they mix with shudras. As for the shudras, they become kings. Can anything moreridiculous be imagined? Shudras even start to study the Vedas. Evilalways has its effect. Disease becomes rampant and life expectancies go down. Matsyapurana Part 21. Postedby: "DILIP KUMAR RAVINDRAN" [email protected] prdili Sat Sep 25, 2010 7:42 am (PDT) Vajranaga No doubt you remember the Maruts. Indra hadkilled many of Ditis children, thedaityas. Diti had wishedto obtain a son who would kill Indra.But because she had not been able to adhere to the stipulated religious rites, the sons who had been bornhad become friends and companions ofIndra. But Indra continued to attack and kill the demons. Diti therefore prayed to her husband Kashyapa yet again that she might have a son who would defeat Indra. "Your wish will be granted," said Kashyapa. "But you willhave to meditate hard for ten thousandyears". Indras weapon is the vajra and the son whowill be born will have a body (anga)that is as tough as the vajra will be able to do him no harm. Diti meditated for ten thousand years and in due course,gave birth to this powerful son.Vajranga was invincible. When Vajranga grew up, Didti toldher son, "Indra has killed many of my sons. I am thirsting for revenge. Go and kill Indra." Vajranga set for heaven. Hedefeated Indra very easily and tied him up. He then brought Indra home to his mother and prepared to killthe king of the gods. Indra’sdeath would have been a great calamity and Brahma and Kashyapa rushed there."Vajranga," they said. "Please do not kill Indra. Let him go. If someone who deserves respect isinsulted, that is like death for him.Indra has been defeated by you. He has therefore been insulted and is as good as dead. There is no need to physicallykill him. Moreover, the very fact that you are letting Indra go at our request will be knownto all. Even if he lives, everyone is going to regard him as dead. Listen to our request and let him go." "I am not averse to that suggestion at all," replied Vajranga."I have no intention of killingIndra. I was merely obeying my mothes instructions. How can I refuse two such revered individuals like you? One of you is the creator of thewhole universe and the other one is my own father. I will let Indra go. But please grant me a boon. Grant me the boon that I may be able to perform a lotof tapasya." This boon was readily granted. In addition, Brahma created a beautiful woman named Varangi and married her off to Vajranga. Vajranga went to the forest tomeditate. For a thousand years, he stood with his arms raised up towards the sky. And in this posture, he meditated. He then stood on his head for athousand years more and meditated. As afinal part of the tapasya, he wished to meditate under the water for a thousandyears more. When Vajrangaentered the water, his wife Varangipatiently waited for her husband to return. And all the while, she too meditated. But Indra was not going to let sleeping dogs lie. He adopted the formof a monkey and uprooted all the treesin Varangis hermitage. He next adopted the form of a sheep and ate up all the grass that was there.As a snake, he tried to bite the lady.Finally, he adopted the form of a cloudand drenched the hermitage in torrents of rain. SinceVarangi was meditating, she was in noposition to retaliate or protect herself. She had to bear all these depredations. When the thousand years were over,Vajranga returned. He was shocked to learn of the tortures that his wife had been subjected to by Indra. Hebegan to meditate again. Thistime, he wished for a son who would kill Indra. Brahma appeared and granted Vajranga the desired boon. "You will have a son who will be thescourge of the gods," said Brahma. He will be called Taraka". For athousand years Varangi bore the baby inher womb. When Taraka was born, the earth trembled and tidalwaves were created in the ocean.Fierce storms started to rage. Wild animals rejoiced and the sages shuddered.In due course, Taraka was crowned the king of the demons. 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