In Hinduism, there is a concept of “yugas,” which are cycles of time that repeat in a specific order. According to Hinduism, there are four yugas, each with a decreasing level of righteousness and morality. These four yugas are:
- Satya Yuga: Also known as the “Golden Age,” the Satya Yuga is the first and the longest yuga, lasting for 1,728,000 years.
- Treta Yuga: The Treta Yuga follows the Satya Yuga and lasts for 1,296,000 years.
- Dwapara Yuga: The Dwapara Yuga follows the Treta Yuga and lasts for 864,000 years.
- Kali Yuga: The Kali Yuga is the current and the shortest yuga, lasting for 432,000 years.
After the completion of one cycle of the four yugas, which lasts for a total of 4,320,000 years, the cycle repeats itself, with the Satya Yuga beginning again. This cycle is known as a “mahayuga” or “chaturyuga.” It is said that 1,000 mahayugas make up a “kalpa,” which is the longest yuga, lasting for 4.32 billion years. This number is the biggest number ever mentioned by any ancient civilization.
A hidden message
How did the ancients come up with these large, specific numbers? What is the underlining pattern?
The fact is that they depict a ciclical process, so I wondered what would happen if I represent these four yugas in a circle.
If we represent the four yugas in a circle, with the Satya Yuga starting at the top, the Treta Yuga to the right, the Dwapara Yuga at the bottom, and the Kali Yuga to the left, the proportion of the circle that each yuga takes would be based on its duration.
To calculate the proportion, we can use the following formula:
proportion = duration of yuga / total duration of all yugas
The total duration of all four yugas is:
1,728,000 + 1,296,000 + 864,000 + 432,000 = 4,320,000 years
So, the proportion of each yuga would be:
- Satya Yuga: (1,728,000 / 4,320,000) x 360° = 144°
- Treta Yuga: (1,296,000 / 4,320,000) x 360° = 108°
- Dwapara Yuga: (864,000 / 4,320,000) x 360° = 72°
- Kali Yuga: (432,000 / 4,320,000) x 360° = 36°
Therefore, if we represent the four yugas in a circle, the Satya Yuga would take up 144 degrees of the circle, the Treta Yuga 108 degrees, the Dwapara Yuga 72 degrees, and the Kali Yuga 36 degrees.
And these numbers are not coincidental. These are some of the most revered numbers of the ancient world.
Holy numbers
Number 36
In ancient Babylonian, 36 was considered a sacred number and was used as a basis for their system of measurement, with 36 being equal to one “double hour” (which consisted of 18 “regular” hours). In ancient Egypt, the number was also sacred. 36 “decans” were a group of stars that were used to track time at night. The decans were divided into three groups of 12, each associated with one of the three seasons of the year. The number 36 was associated with the goddess Ma’at, who represented order and truth.
In ancient Greece, Pythagoras believed that the number 36 was a “perfect” number, as it was equal to the sum of its divisors (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, and 18). Pythagoras also believed that the number 36 represented the sum of the four elements (fire, air, water, and earth) and the four qualities (hot, cold, wet, and dry). Pythagoras must have been on to something, as in physics, the number 36 is related to the number of quarks in the universe. Quarks are elementary particles that combine to form protons and neutrons, which make up the atomic nucleus. There are six different types of quarks, and each type can have one of two possible spin states. This means that there are a total of 36 possible combinations of quarks and spin states.
In Judaism, the number 36 is associated with the “Lamed-Vav Tzadikim,” or the 36 righteous people who, according to tradition, are always present in the world at any given time to maintain its balance and prevent its destruction. In Buddhism, the 36 “dharmas” are a list of principles or teachings that are considered essential to the practice of Buddhism.
Similarly, the number 36 appears in various other cultures, from China to Mesoamerica, often related to astronomy.
Number 72
- The ancient Egyptians and Babylonians divided the sky into 36 constellations, each spanning 10 degrees of arc along the ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun across the sky). The number 72 was associated with this system because it is twice 36, and represents the number of years it takes for the equinoxes to move one degree along the ecliptic due to precession. This period of time is known as a “Great Year” or “Platonic Year.”
- In ancient Egypt, the number 72 was seen as sacred and was associated with the god Thoth. It was also used in the design of the Great Pyramid of Giza, which has an angle of 72 degrees at its apex.
- In Christianity, the number 72 appears in the Bible in several contexts. For example, Jesus sent out 72 of his followers to spread his message, and there are also 72 generations listed in the genealogy of Jesus.
- In Islam, the number 72 is associated with martyrdom, as it is believed that there are 72 virgins waiting in paradise for those who die fighting in the cause of Allah.
- In Hinduism, the number 72 is associated with the chakras, which are energy centers in the body. There are said to be 72,000 nadis or energy channels in the body, and the chakras are located at the intersections of these channels.
- In Kabbalistic Judaism, the number 72 is associated with the “Shem HaMephorash,” a secret name of God that is said to consist of 72 letters. The name is derived from Exodus 14:19-21, which describes how God led the Israelites through the Red Sea using a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. The 72 letters are said to correspond to the 72 angels or “names of God” that are associated with each of the degrees of the zodiac.
Number 108
I already wrote a separate article on this number, so for the sake of brevity I will not repeat myself here.
Number 144
The number 144 has been significant in many ancient cultures, religions, and belief systems. Here are a few examples:
In Tibetan Buddhism, a mala typically consists of 108 beads, which are used to count the repetition of a mantra or prayer. However, larger malas with 144 beads are also used for longer or more complex practices. In traditional Chinese medicine, the human body is believed to contain 144 acupoints, or specific points on the body where needles can be inserted to stimulate the flow of qi (energy) and promote healing. In Revelation 21:17, the number 144 is used to describe the measurement of the wall of the New Jerusalem, which is said to be 144 cubits high. The Great Pyramid of Giza has a base perimeter of approximately 1,440 cubits, which is exactly 10 times the number 144.
In Revelation 7:4-8, the number 144,000 is mentioned as the number of people who will be sealed with the seal of God on their foreheads during the end times. Estimates suggest that there were originally around 144,000 casing stones that covered the entire surface of the pyramid of Gyza. In the Mayan calendar, 144,000 days make up one baktun.
Musical connections
Besides relating to the note A with the frequencies of 108 HZ and 432 HZ, the numbers 36, 72, 108, and 144 are Numbers 36, 72, 108 and 144 are great reference points for a musical tempo.
For example, in 4/4 time, which is one of the most common time signatures in Western music, a tempo of 36 BPM would mean that there are 36 quarter notes (or their equivalent) in one minute. This would be a very slow tempo, and is often used for ballads or other slow, contemplative pieces.
Similarly, a tempo of 72 BPM would mean that there are 72 quarter notes (or their equivalent) in one minute. This is a moderate tempo that is often used for pop songs, rock ballads, or other mid-tempo pieces.
A tempo of 108 BPM would mean that there are 108 quarter notes (or their equivalent) in one minute. This is a faster tempo that is often used for dance music, hip-hop, or other up-tempo pieces.
Finally, a tempo of 144 BPM would mean that there are 144 quarter notes (or their equivalent) in one minute. This is a very fast tempo that is often used for electronic dance music, punk rock, or other high-energy pieces.
Tetraktys
I’ve already discussed the general symbolism of Tetraktys in great detail, so we will now only see how these numbers reflect the same proportions.
As we saw, there are four yugas in total, and the shortsest one, the Kali yuga, lasts 432,000 years. If we assign this value to each of the dots, we get all of the other yugas. In the second row we will have 2 x 432,000, which equals to 864,000 years – the duration of the Dwapara yuga. In the similar way, we get the Treta yuga in row tree, and Satya yuga in the row four of the Tetractys.
This is interesting, because the concept of yugas predates Pythagoras for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
Similarly, if we repeat this process, but this time with a base of 36, we get the numbers 72, 108 and 144. And this is very intertesting for another reason. These numbers represent degrees of a circle, and they ammount to 360 degrees in total. We get the same number in Tetractys – 10 x 36.
In the Pythagorean geometry, the first raw of Tetractys represents a dot, the second a line, the third a triangle and the fourth a square. Only the circle was missing, until now.
Astronomical connections
It is clear that the durations of the four yugas are not some random numbers. They were obtained through advanced astronomical knowledge.
We already saw how it takes Sun 72 years to shift for one degree of the zodiac, in a phenomena called precession of the equinoxes. As each of the zodiac signs has 30 degrees, that means that it take 30 x 72, or 2,160 years for the Sun to move from one sign to another.
432,000 years of the Kali yuga equal to 200 such periods, as 200 x 2,160 = 432,000. In case of Dwapara yuga, the number is 400 x 2,160 = 864,000 and so on… In other words, one cycle is finished only after the Sun changes zodiac sign 2,000 times (2,000 x 2,160 = 4,320,000 year – the full cycle of the four yugas)
