Treta Yuga

''Treta Yuga'' (IAST: ''Tretā-yuga'') (Devanagari: त्रेतायुग), in Hinduism, is the second and second-best of the four '' yugas'' (world ages) in a '' Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Krita (Satya) Yuga'' and followed by '' Dvapara Yuga''. ''Treta Yuga'' lasts for 1,296,000 years (3,600 divine years).

''Treta'' means 'a collection of three things' in Sanskrit, and is so called because during the ''Treta Yuga'', there were three Avatars of Vishnu that were seen: the fifth, sixth and seventh incarnations as Vamana, Parashurama and Rama, respectively. The bull of Dharma symbolizes that morality stood on three legs during this period. It had all four legs in the ''Satya Yuga'' and two in the succeeding ''Dvapara Yuga''. Currently, in the immoral age of ''Kali'', it stands on one leg.

Etymology

'' Yuga'' (), in this context, means "an age of the world", where its archaic spelling is ''yug'', with other forms of ''yugam'', , and ''yuge'', derived from ''yuj'' (), believed derived from (Proto-Indo-European: 'to join or unite').

''Treta Yuga'' () means "the age of three or triads", where its length is three times that of '' Kali Yuga''. During this period, the ''Dharma'' bull, which symbolizes morality, stands on three legs; (), () and ().

''Treta Yuga'' is described in the ''Mahabharata'', ''Manusmriti'', '' Surya Siddhanta'', '' Vishnu Smriti'', and various Puranas.

Duration and structure

Hindu texts describe four '' yugas'' (world ages)⁠ in a '' Yuga Cycle'', where, starting in order from the first age of '' Krita (Satya) Yuga'', each ''yuga's'' length decreases by one-fourth (25%), giving proportions of 4:3:2:1. Each ''yuga'' is described as having a main period ( ''yuga'' proper) preceded by its (dawn) and followed by its (dusk)⁠, where each twilight (dawn/dusk) lasts for one-tenth (10%) of its main period. Lengths are given in divine years (years of the gods), each lasting for 360 solar (human) years.

''Treta Yuga'', the second age in a cycle, lasts for 1,296,000 years (3,600 divine years), where its main period lasts for 1,080,000 years (3,000 divine years) and its two twilights each lasts for 108,000 years (300 divine years). The current cycle's ''Treta Yuga'' has the following dates based on '' Kali Yuga'', the fourth and present age, starting in 3102BCE:

''Mahabharata'', Book 12 ( Shanti Parva), Ch. 231:

''Manusmriti'', Ch. 1:

'' Surya Siddhanta'', Ch. 1:

Characteristics

Vamana, Parashurama, and Rama are believed to have lived during the ''Treta Yuga''.

See also

* Hindu units of time
** Kalpa (day of Brahma)
** Manvantara (age of Manu)
** Pralaya (period of dissolution)
** Yuga Cycle (four yuga ages): Satya (Krita), Treta, Dvapara, and Kali
* Itihasa (Hindu Tradition)
* List of numbers in Hindu scriptures
* Vedic-Puranic chronology

Explanatory notes

References

{{Brahmanda

Four Yugas
Shabda