Duties change according to the Yugas (ages)

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and all live for four hundred years. In the Treta, the period of life decreases

by a quarter. It has also been heard by us that, in the succeeding yugas, the

words of the Vedas, the periods of life, the blessings (uttered by Brahmanas),

and the fruits of Vedic rites, all decrease gradually The duties set down for

the Krita yugas are of one kind. Those for the Treta are otherwise. Those for

the Dwapara are different. And those for the Kali are otherwise. This is in

accordance with that decline that marks

every succeeding yuga. In the Krita, penance occupies the foremost place. In the

Treta, Knowledge is foremost. In the Dwapara, Sacrifice has been said to be the

foremost. In the kali yuga, only gift is the one thing that has been laid down.

The learned say that these twelve thousand years (of the deities) constitute

what is called a Yuga. A thousand such Yugas compose a single day of Brahma.

The same is the duration of Brahma’s night. With the commencement of Brahma’s

day the

universe begins to start into life. During the period of universal dissolution

the Creator sleeps, having recourse to Yoga-meditation. When the period of

slumber expires, He awakes. That then which is Brahma’s day extends for a

thousand such yugas. His nights also extends for a thousand similar Yugas. They

who know this are said to know the day and the night. On the expiry of His

night, Brahma, waking up, modifies the indestructible Chit by causing it to be

overlaid with Avidya. He then causes Consciousness to spring up, whence

proceeds Mind which is identical with the Manifest. Thank you Aravind

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