In Hinduism, time is cyclical. Also, some stories in the Hindu texts prove that ancient Hindus were aware of the fact that time is different on different lokas (planets). In Sanskrit, time is called Kala, which also means death. Lord Yama is considered the god of death. Lord Shiva is called Mahakala, which means “Beyond the time”.
How was the Time Created?
This universe was born from Hiranyagarbha, the golden egg. Before Creation, there was no time. After trillions of years, this universe will cease to exist (Mahapralaya). Then there will be no time. After some time, the universe will be reborn and so will be time. This is a never-ending cycle. Therefore, time is cyclical in Hinduism.
The Time Cycle: Srishti, Sthiti, and Laya:
Each time cycle is broadly divided into three parts, viz. Srishti, Sthiti, and Laya. Hindus have three main gods, collectively known as Trimurti; Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. It is believed that these three gods control the cycle of time.
Srishti means creation. Lord Brahma creates the universe and hence the time.
Sthithi means preservation or continuation. It is Lord Vishnu who protects the universe and makes sure everything works smoothly.
Laya means dissolution. Lord Shiva destroys the universe and paves the way for a newer one. Therefore, he is the destroyer of the universe and hence the time.
Time is Different on Different Planets.
Hindu scriptures mention that one day of Lord Brahma equals 8.64 billion human years. Also, one divine year (a year of gods) equals 360 human years.
| Unit | Human | Pitri | Deva | Manu | Brahma |
| Brahma Year | 3,110,400,000,000 y | 103,680,000,000 y | 8,640,000,000 y | ~1,014,084.51 y | 1 y |
| Manu Year | 3,067,200 y | 102,240 y | 8520 y | 1 y | 30.67 s |
| Deva Year | 360 y | 12 y | 1 y | ~1.01 h | 3.60 ms |
| Pitri Year | 30 y | 1 y | 1 mo | ~5.07min | 300 μs |
| Human Year | 1 y | 12 days | 1 day | ~10.14 s | 10 μs |
The Story of Revati in the Bhagavata Purana:
Once there was a king named Kakudmi with a beautiful daughter named Revati. When she attained marriageable age, the king started looking for an eligible man to be her husband. But he could not find anyone of her caliber. So, he went to Brahmaloka (the planet of Lord Brahma) to meet Lord Brahma for advice about a suitable husband for her daughter. When they reached there, Lord Brahma was listening to a musical performance, so they had to wait for some time. Then he told Lord Brahma about why he came to see him. Lord Brahma laughed loudly and explained that 27 Chatur-Yugas (116,640,000 years) had passed on the Earth while they were waiting for him to appear. And they were told that all the qualified people had been dead by that time. (SB 9.3)
The Units of Time:
The smallest unit of time per Hinduism is paramanu, which equals 60750th of a second, and the largest unit of time is Mahakalpa, which equals 311.04 trillion human years.
| No. | Name of the Unit | Time in Old Units | Time in Modern Units |
| 1 | Paramanu | 60750th of a second | |
| 2 | Truti | twinkle of an eye | 29.63 μs |
| 3 | Renu | 60 Truti | ≈ 18 μs |
| 4 | Lava | 60 Renu | ≈ 1080 μs |
| 5 | Leekshaka | 60 Lava | ≈ 64.8 ms |
| 6 | Lipta/Vipala | 6 Leekshaka | ≈ 0.3888 s |
| 7 | Prana | 10 Lipta/Vipala | ≈ 3.888 s |
| 8 | Pala/Vighati/Vinadi | 6 Prana | ≈ 24 s |
| 9 | Ghati/Nadi/Danda | 60 Pala/Vighati/Vinadi | ≈ 24 m |
| 10 | Muhurta | 2 Ghati/Nadi/Danda | ≈ 48 m |
| 11 | Yama | 7.5 Ghatis | ≈ 24 hours or 1 day |
| 12 | Nakshatra Ahoratram | 60 Ghati/30 Muhurta | ≈ 24 hours or 1 day |
| 13 | Tithi | ≈ 1 day (19-26 hours) | |
| 14 | Paksha | 15 Tithis | ≈ 15 days |
| 12 | Masa | 30 ahoratram | ≈ 1 month |
| 13 | Ritu | 2 Masa | ≈ 2 months |
| 14 | Ayana | 3 Ritu | ≈ 6 months |
| 15 | Samvatsara/Varsha | 2 Ayana | ≈ 1 year |
A Human Year Per the Hindu Calendar:
The Hindu calendar uses the lunisolar system and considers the movements of both the Sun and the Moon.
A Hindu year consists of 12 months and is 354 days long, but an extra month is added after every three years, so the average year length equals 365 days. This extra month is called Adhik Maas, Malamaas, or Purushottam Maas.
The names of months in the Hindu calendar are Chaitra, Vaishakha, Jyaistha, Ashadha, Shravana, Bhadra, Ashvina, Kartika, Margashirsha, Pausha, Magha, and Phalguna.
Panchanga:
Panchanga literally means five parts/aspects. It is a Hindu calendar and almanac that follows traditional units of Hindu timekeeping. The five parts of Panchang are Vaar, Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga, and Karana.
Samvatsara Chakra – 60-year cycle:
Samvatsara is a Sanskrit term for a “year” in Vedic literature such as the Rigveda and other ancient texts. In medieval-era literature, a samvatsara refers to the “Jovian year”, a year based on the relative position of the planet Jupiter, while the solar year is called varsha. A jovian year is not equal to a solar year based on the relative position of Earth and the Sun.
A samvatsara is defined in Indian calendars as the time Brihaspati (Jupiter) takes to transit from one sign of the Hindu zodiac (i.e. rashi) to the next relative to its mean motion. The ancient text Surya Siddhanta calculates a samvatsara to be about 361 days, marginally short of a solar year. Hence, one complete orbit of Jupiter through all the 12 signs of the zodiac will approximately equal 12 solar years. Five such orbits of Jupiter (i.e., 12 times 5 = 60 samvatsara) are called a samvatsara chakra. Each samvatsara within this cycle has been given a name. Once all 60 samvatsara are over, the cycle starts over again.
This cycle of 60 samvatsara is based on the relative positions of Jupiter and Saturn in the sky. The orbital periods of Jupiter and Saturn are approximately 12 and 30 solar years respectively. The least common multiple of these two orbital periods is ~60 solar years. Every 60 years, both planets will be positioned at nearly the same sidereal coordinates where they started 60 years before, thus forming a 60-year cycle.
Divine Year:
Hindus believe that gods live on another planet named Svarga, and their time is different from that of humans. In Hindu cosmology, a divine year is a year of gods. One day of gods equals approximately one human year, and one divine year equals 360 human years.
Mahayuga (Yuga Cycle):
In Hindu cosmology, a yuga cycle is an age or epoch of 4,320,000 years. A Yuga cycle consists of four yugas, viz. Satya/Krita, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali. Each yuga has three main parts: dusk, proper, and dawn.
| Yuga | Length | Dawn | Proper | Dusk |
| Satya/Krita | 1,728,000 | 144,000 | 1,440,000 | 144,000 |
| Treta | 1,296,000 | 108,000 | 1,080,000 | 108,000 |
| Dvapara | 864,000 | 72,000 | 720,000 | 72,000 |
| Kali | 432,000 | 36,000 | 360,000 | 36,000 |
Manavantara:
Manvantara literally means the time period equal to the lifespan of a Manu (the progenitor of humanity). One Manvantara consists of 71 Mahayugas which equals 306,720,000 solar years. In a Kalpa, there are a total of 14 Manvantaras. Per the Puranas, we live in the seventh Manvantara (Vaivasvata Manvantara) of Shvetavaraha Kalpa.
Kalpa:
A kalpa is a long period of time in Hindu cosmology, which equals 4.62 billion solar years (12-hour day of Brahma). Each Kalpa consists of 14 Manavantaras.
Pralaya:
A Kalpa is followed by a Pralaya of equal length. Pralaya equals a 12-hour night of Brahma. Pralaya means dissolution.
Maha-Kalpa:
It is perhaps the biggest unit of time in Hindu cosmology. One Maha-Kalpa consists of 36000 Brahma years. It is the lifetime of Brahma and hence the age of the universe. One Maha-Kalpa roughly equals 311.04 trillion human years.
Life of Brahma:
Per the Puranas, Lord Brahma has a life of 100 years. Each year has 360 days. One day of his life consists of 2 Kalpas (one day and one night). Each Kalpa consists of 1000 Maha-Yugas.
One Maha-Yuga consists of four Yugas as mentioned above.
Satya Yuga – 4800 divine years = 1728000 solar years
Treta Yuga – 3600 divine years = 1296000 solar years
Dwapara Yuga – 2400 divine years = 864000 solar years
Kali Yuga – 1200 divine years = 432000 solar years
Therefore, one Maha-Yuga has 4,320,000 solar years.
Each Kalpa has 1000 Maha-Yugas. Therefore, in human years each Kalpa has 4,320,000 * 1000 = 4,320,000,000 (4.3 billion) human years.
One day of his life consists of 2 Kalpas (one day and one night). Therefore, one day of Lord Brahma equals 8.64 billion solar years.
Therefore, Lord Brahma’s life in human years is 100 * 8,640,000,000 * 360 = 311,040,000,000,000 (311.04 trillion years).
Currently, 50 years of Lord Brahma’s life have passed, and we are on the first day of the 51st year.
Muhurat:
Per Hindu astrology, some times of a day are more auspicious than other times for doing a particular task. If you do the task at that particular time, it increases the probability of it being successful.
Most Hindus look for Muhurat before starting big ventures or doing important tasks, like starting a new business, getting married, special pooja, or buying new things like vehicles, homes, etc.
Three and a Half Muhurat:
Together, Gudi Padwa, Vijayadashami, Askhay Tritiya, and Kartik Shukla Pratipada are known as Saade-Teen Muhurta or three-and-a-half muhurta in Hindu astrology. Any time on these days is considered auspicious, and you can start any new venture or do any auspicious task.
Prahara:
Prahara was a popular unit of time measurement in ancient India. One Prahara equals three hours. Therefore, a day is divided into 8 praharas; 4 in the day and 4 at night. The names of the eight praharas are Purvanha, Madhyanha, Aparanha, Sayamkala, Pradosha, Nishitha, Triyama, and Usha.
Which Books Mention the Concept of Time in Hinduism?
Per some scholars, Manu Smriti is the earliest Hindu religious book to record the Hindu view of time. The concept of Hindu time is also mentioned in the Mahabharata and Puranas.
Sage Ganita is credited with calculating the four yugas into human years.
Mahabharata (Shanti Parva 231.12-20):
“The rishis, measuring time, have given particular names to particular portions [of time]. Five and ten winks of the eye make what is called a Kastha. Thirty Kasthas make what is called a Kala. Thirty Kalas, with the tenth part of a Kala, make a Muhurta. The 30 Muhurtas make one day and night. Thirty days and nights form a month, and twelve months form a year. Persons well-read in mathematical science say that a year comprises two solar motions, meaning the northern and southern.
The sun makes the day and night for men. The night is for the sleep of all living creatures, and the day is for work. A month of human beings is equal to a day and night of the departed manes [ancestors who have gone on to the subtle worlds]. That division consists of this: the light half of the month is their day which is for work, and the dark fortnight is their night for sleep. A year (of humans) equals a day and night to the gods.
This division consists of this: the half year for which the sun travels from the vernal to the autumnal equinox is the day of the gods, and the half year for which the sun moves from the latter to the former is their night. [Thus, an earth year is but a day for the Devas.] Calculating by the days and nights of human beings about which I have told you, I shall speak of the day and night of Brahma and his years also. In their order, I shall tell you the number of years that are for different purposes calculated differently, in the Krita, the Treta, the Dvapara, and the Kali yugas. Four thousand celestial years is the duration of the first or Krita age. The morning of that cycle consists of four hundred years and its evening is four hundred years.”
The concept of time in Hinduism appears to be complex at first, but it does not seem that difficult once you get used to it. It is, however, intriguing how Hindu sages calculated the units of time that range from a twinkle of an eye to trillions of years.