The Puranic Division of Time

The three main divisons of time employed in the Hindu Scriptures. These will now be described-There are four yugas, which together extend to 12000 divine years. The dissolution of exciting beings is of three kinds; incidental, elemental and absolute. The first is occasional , incidental, the destruction of creatures, though not of the substance of the world, occurring during the night. The second is the general resolution of the elements into their primitive source, and occurs at the end of Brahma life. The third, the absolute or final is individual annihilation for ever from future existence. The process of destruction is described as follows: At the end of a thousand periods of four ages the earth is for the most part exhausted. A total death then ensues, which lasts a hundred years, and in consequence of the failure of food all beings become languid and examinate, and at last entirely perish. The eternal Visnu then assumes the charcter of Rudra, the destroyer, and descends to reunite all his creatures with himself. He enters into seven rays of the sun, drinks up all the waters of the globe, and causes all moisture whatever, in living bodies or in the soil, to evaporate, thus drying up the whole earth. The seas, the mountain- torrents, and spring are all the waters of patala the regions below the earth. Thus fed, through his intervation, with abundant moisture, the seven suns, whose radiance glows above, below and on every side, and sets the three worlds on fire. The three worlds, consumed by three suns, become rugged and deformed throughout the whole extent of their mountains, rivers, and seas; and the earth, bare of verdure and destitute of moisture , alone remains, resembling in appearance the back of a tortoise.