Time (Kala)

Vedic and Puranic texts describe units of Time (Kala) measurements, from Paramaṇu (about 17 microseconds) to Manvantara (311.04 trillion years). According to these texts, the creation and destruction of the universe is a cyclic process, which repeats itself forever. Each cycle starts with the birth and expansion (lifetime) of the Universe equaling 311.04 trillion years, followed by its complete annihilation (which also prevails for the same duration). This is currently 51st year of Brahma, and this is the "year" when the solar system was created according to Hindu astrology, and is the first Maha Yuga for humanity.

Various units of Time are used across the Vedas, Puranas, Mahabharata, Suryasidhanta etc. Especially, Nimesha's multiple, it varies to 3, 10, 15, 18, 20, 27, 30, 45, 48, 60. At the lower end, these are pretty consistent. The Complete Hindu metrics of time (Kāla Vyavahāra) can be summarised as below.

Among the Pitṛs:

• 1 human fortnight (15 days) = 1/2 day (light) or night of the Pitṛs.
• 1 human month (30 days) = 1 day (light) and night of the Pitṛs.
• 30 days of the Pitṛs = 1 month of the Pitṛs = (30 × 30 = 900 human days).
• 12 months of the Pitṛs = 1 year of the Pitṛs = (12 months of Pitṛs × 900 human days = 10800 human days).
• The lifespan of the Pitṛs is 100 years of the Pitṛs (= 36,000 Pitṛ days = 1,080,000 human days = 3000 human years)

Among the Devas:

• 1 day of the Devas = 1 human year
• 1 month of the Devas = 30 days of the Devas = 30 human years
• 1 year of the Devas (1 divine year) = 12 months of the Devas = 360 years of humans

Among the humans:

The Viṣṇu Purāṇa Time measurement section of the Viṣṇu Purāṇa Book I Chapter III explains the above as follows:

• 2 Ayanas (6-month periods, see above) = 1 human year or 1 day of the devas
• 4,000 + 400 + 400 = 4,800 divine years (= 1,728,000 human years) = 1 Satya Yuga
• 3,000 + 300 + 300 = 3,600 divine years (= 1,296,000 human years) = 1 Treta Yuga
• 2,000 + 200 + 200 = 2,400 divine years (= 864,000 human years) = 1 Dvapara Yuga
• 1,000 + 100 + 100 = 1,200 divine years (= 432,000 human years) = 1 Kali Yuga
• 12,000 divine years = 4 Yugas = 4,320,000 human years = 1 Maha Yuga
• 71 Maha Yugas=1 Manvantara=852,000 divine years=3.0672 billion human years
• Sandhikala following a Manvantara=4,800 divine years=1,728,000 human years
• 14 Manvantaras+15 Sandhikalas=1 Kalpa=12 million divine years = 4.32 billion human years

For Brahma:

• 1000 Maha-Yugas = 1 Kalpa = 1 day (day time) of Brahma (2 Kalpas constitute a day and night of Brahma, 8.64 billion human years)
• One half of a day of Brahma=1 Kalpa=1000 Maha Yugas = 12 million divine years = 4.32 billion human years
• 1 day (day+night) of Brahma=2 Kalpas = 2000 Mahā-Yugas = 24 million divine years = 8.64 billion human years
• 1 month (30 days) of Brahma = 60 Kalpas = 120,000 divine years = 259.2 billion human years
• 1 year (12 months) of Brahma = 720 Kalpas = 1.44 million divine years = 3.1104 trillion human years)
• 50 years of Brahma = 1 Parārdha
• 2 parardhas = 100 years of Brahma = 1 Para = 1 Mahā-Kalpa (the lifespan of Brahma) (311.04 trillion human years)

Currently, 50 years of Brahma have elapsed. The last Kalpa at the end of 50th year is called Padma Kalpa. We are currently in the first 'day' of the 51st year. This Brahma's day, Kalpa, is named as Shweta-Varaha Kalpa.

Within this Day, six Manvantaras have already elapsed and this is the seventh Manvantara, named as – Vaivasvata Manvantara (or Sraddhadeva Manvantara).

Within the Vaivasvatha Manvantara, 27 Maha Yugas (4 Yugas together is a Maha Yuga), and the Krita, Treta and Dwapara Yugas of the 28th Maha Yuga have elapsed. This Kali Yuga is in the 28th Maha Yuga.

This Kali Yuga began in the year 3102 BCE in the proleptic Julian Calendar.

Since 50 years of Brahma have already elapsed, this is the second Parardha, also called as Dvitiya Parardha.

The time elapsed since the current Brahma has taken over the task of creation can be calculated as: 432000 × 10 × 1000 × 2 = 8.64 billion years (2 Kalpa (day and night) 8.64 × 109 × 30 × 12 = 3.1104 trillion years (1 year of Brahma) 3.1104 × 1012 × 50 = 155.52 trillion years (50 years of Brahma) (6 × 71 × 4320000 ) + 7 × 1.728 × 10^6 = 1852416000 years elapsed in first six Manvataras, and Sandhi Kalas in the current Kalpa 27 × 4320000 = 116640000 years elapsed in first 27 Mahayugas of the current Manvantara 1.728 × 10^6 + 1.296 × 10^6 + 864000 = 3888000 years elapsed in current Mahayuga 3102 + 2016 = 5118 years elapsed in current Kaliyuga.

So the total time elapsed since current Brahma is:

155520000000000 + 1852416000 + 116640000 + 3888000 + 5115 = 155,521,972,949,117 years (one hundred fifty-five trillion, five hundred twenty-one billion, nine hundred seventy-two million, nine hundred forty-nine thousand, one hundred seventeen years) as of 2016 AD