Time and the Pañcāṅga
The scriptures measure time on a vast scale, from the blink of an eye to the ages of the universe. The pañcāṅga, the traditional calendar, tracks the tithi (lunar day), nakshatra (lunar mansion), and the positions of the grahas (planets) to find the right times for festivals and sacred work. Below, we explain how time is counted and understood.
Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛshi teaches King Vajra jyotisha: the sixty-year cycle, the devatās of every unit of time, the divisions of the lagna, and planetary signs.
Jyotisha in the Vishṇu Dharmottara PurāṇaChapters 166–174 of the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa record Brahmā teaching Bhṛgu Ṛshi the full science of jyotisha, the study of the lights of the sky.
Kāla-Māna in the Vāyu PurāṇaChapter 57 of the Vāyu Mahā Purāṇa sets out how time is measured, from the blink of an eye to cycles of thousands of years, for humans, pitṛs and devas.
Kālamāna in the Vishṇu Dharmottara PurāṇaThe Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa's teaching on time: kinds of months, units from nimesha to mahākalpa, the yugas, pralaya, and Mārkaṇḍeya's vision of the divine child.
The Four YugasThe four yugas, Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali, are the great ages of the world. The Purāṇas describe their length, their dharma and how life changes in each.
The Nine Nakshatra VīthīsThe Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa groups the nakshatras into nine vīthīs, or paths in the sky: three northern, three middle and three southern.