Understanding Our Time: Kali Yuga or Dwapara Yuga?
To understand which Yuga we live in today — Kali Yuga or Dwapara Yuga — we must begin with a story from the year 1894.
In that year, Swami Sri Yukteshwar, then known as Priya Nath Karar, attended the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. There, he met the great Mahavatar Babaji.
Babaji gave him the title of Swami and a sacred task – to write a book showing the essential unity of all religion.
Babaji's Sacred Assignment to Yukteshwar
Babaji entrusted this assignment to Sri Yukteshwar because he understood Yukteshwarji’s deep wish to help the people of Europe and America discover the essential truth that leads to Self-realization.
Sri Yukteshwar saw that they possessed great intelligence and were capable of walking the spiritual path, yet lacked access to the sacred knowledge and techniques available to the people of subcontinent of Bharat-India.
He felt a profound compassion for them, but also recognized a major obstacle—their inability to perceive the underlying oneness that unites all religions.
To understand why Babaji entrusted this mission to Sri Yukteshwar at that specific time, we must first understand the Yuga humanity was entering—whether it was Kali Yuga or Dwapara Yuga—and how this transition influenced his divine decision.
The Cosmic Background
In the introduction of The Holy Science, Yukteshwarji explained a cosmic phenomenon — the movement of the Earth and the Sun around the galactic center and its effect on human intelligence and consciousness.
He showed that human intelligence rises and falls in rhythm with cosmic movements.
When intelligence rises, man becomes capable of perceiving higher truth and attaining Self-realization.
Let us look deeper into this cosmic movement as explained in ancient Indian astronomy.
The Solar System’s Cycle of 24,000 Years
According to oriental astronomy, a science known in Bharat since ancient times, the moons revolve around their planets, the planets around the Sun, and the Sun itself, along with its system, revolves around a distant dual star.
This journey takes 24,000 Earth years.
Ancient seers referred to this vast cycle to explain the rise and fall of human consciousness.
The Sun also has another grand movement. It revolves around the cosmic center known as Vishnunabhi — the seat of Brahma, the creative power that sustains the universe.
Brahma governs Dharma, the inner spiritual virtue in humanity.
When Dharma is strong, man perceives the cosmic truth. When Dharma weakens, he loses this perception and sees only the outer material world.
The Real Meaning of Dharma
Dharma, as commonly understood, is not merely about moral values or social rules and regulations.
True Dharma means the ability to perceive truth — to sense the Divine essence behind creation.
When this understanding is fully awakened within a person, it leads to self-knowledge—Atmajnanam—the state of Self-realization.
The Cycle of Spiritual Awakening in Humans
To simplify the astronomical concept—there comes a time when the Sun, in its movement around the Vishnunabhi, the seat of Brahma, comes closest to it.
At that point, the Sun and its planets receive powerful rays of divine magnetism of enlightenment. Humanity then lives in full awareness of God.
As the Sun moves away, these rays weaken. Dharma begins to fade.
At the farthest point, human consciousness becomes darkened. Man can no longer perceive the Spirit.
It takes 12,000 Earth years for the Sun to move from the nearest to the farthest point from Vishnunabhi — and another 12,000 years to return.
This cycle of 12,000- earth year cycle is called a Daiva Yuga or Divine Year.
During this journey, both the external world and human intellect and spiritual awareness undergo great transformation.
The Four Yugas – Stages of Material and Spiritual Evolution
The development of Dharma through this cosmic cycle is gradual.
It is divided into four stages — the four Yugas.
1. Satya Yuga – The Spiritual Age
The first stage, when the Sun is closest to the Vishnunabhi, is when Dharma is fully established and humanity lives in a state of God-realization and complete knowledge.
This stage is known as Satya Yuga, or the Spiritual Age, lasting 4/20th of 12,000 years, i.e. 4,800 Earth years.
During this time, Dharma stands firmly on four legs, symbolizing perfect harmony and righteousness.
Humanity is spiritually awakened, living in deep attunement with nature and the Divine. Communication is mostly internal—telepathic and intuitive—since all beings are in direct communion with Spirit. External speech is almost unnecessary.
2. Treta Yuga – The Mental Age
The second stage is Treta Yuga, or the Mental Age, lasting 3,600 Earth Years (3/20th of 12,000).
Here, Dharma stands on three legs, with one leg lost to Adharma—delusion.
In this period, human beings still possess highly evolved mental and intuitive abilities but are slightly veiled by Maya (illusion).
Communication takes place through mental telepathy. Memory and intellect remain strong, so written language is unnecessary.
It is believed that towards the end of Treta Yuga, as memory began to decline—possibly during the early Dwapara Yuga—the need for written script arose.
The sage Valmiki is said to have composed the Ramayana during this time, which was likely transmitted orally before being written down later.
During the Ascending Treta Yuga, the opposite occurs — human mental faculties expand, and spiritual power begins to awaken once again.
3. Dwapara Yuga – The Energy Age
The third stage is Dwapara Yuga, or the Energy Age, lasting 2,400 Earth Years (2/20th of 12,000).
During this time, Dharma stands on two legs, and Adharma grows stronger.
The veil of Maya thickens—man can no longer directly perceive God or manifest spiritual powers.
His focus shifts to mastering technology. Early technology blends Mantra (sound vibration) and Yantra (sacred geometrical forms), but as spiritual awareness declines, dependence on material instruments grows.
Eventually as his mental virtues declined, he become dependent only on instruments or tools made of matter and needed power from nature in various forms – like electricity from atomic, solar, power from hydraulic, stream, coal etc. Source of power devolving as the solar sytem went further and further away from the Vishnunavi.
During the Ascending Dwapara Yuga, the opposite happens — human intelligence and spiritual awareness begin to evolve once again. This age starts with simple forms of technology, which gradually become more advanced over time. As Dwapara Yuga progresses, technology becomes increasingly refined, eventually aligning with the higher mental and intuitive abilities that mark the beginning of the Ascending Treta Yuga.
4. Kali Yuga – The Material Age
The fourth stage is Kali Yuga, the Material Age, lasting 1,200 Earth Years (1/20th of 12,000).
Here, Dharma stands on only one leg, while Adharma dominates.
Humanity becomes almost completely unaware of the Divine and relies solely on the five senses for knowledge.
Mental and spiritual faculties are at their lowest point. Memory weakens, so people depend entirely on writing to retain information—but even then, they often misinterpret higher truths.
Most advance technologies are lost, and humanity reverts to primitive tools, relying on physical and animal power.
This is the darkest and most material phase of the cycle, when the light of Dharma is nearly extinguished.
After Kali Yuga reached its lowest point in 499 AD, humanity slowly began to regain intellectual strength. We started to see the reemergence of basic technologies—such as the use of wheels, chariots, and simple innovations using available materials. By the end of the Ascending Kali Yuga in 1699 AD, the first signs of progress appeared—initiatives that would eventually lead to the remarkable technological and spiritual awakening we witness today.
The Descending and Ascending Cycles
The 24,000-Earth Year Yuga Cycle has two halves.
The descending cycle moves away from Vishnunabhi — Dharma declines, human intelligence devolves
The ascending cycle moves back toward Vishnunabhi — Dharma increases, human intelligence evolves
By observing the constellations, one can calculate our current stage.
Swami Sri Yukteshwar explains this precisely in the book – The Holy Science.
Our Present Age – Ascending Dwapara Yuga
According to Sri Yukteshwar, Kali Yuga reached its lowest point in 499 AD.
From that time, the solar system began its ascending journey back toward the cosmic center, Vishnunavi.
Adding 1,200 Earth Years (Kali Yuga’s span) gives 1699 AD, the beginning of Dwapara Yuga.
In 2025, we are now 326 earth years into Ascending Dwapara Yuga.
Signs of the Dwapara Yuga Around Us
Since 1700 AD, human progress has accelerated rapidly. Scientific discovery, technological innovation, and deeper understanding of energy and matter have exploded.
At the same time, human consciousness has expanded. More people are drawn to meditation, yoga, and spiritual awakening. The awareness of intuition and the unseen world is returning.
This is not accidental. It is the result of rising Dharma — the growing magnetic influence of Brahma’s divine light.
Our intellect is awakening.
Our hearts are opening.
Humanity is remembering its divine origin.
Amrita Ghosh
YogiEvolve
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