From New Dawn Special Issue Vol 18 No 1 (Feb 2024)
In the years leading up to 2012, when there was considerable global consternation over the approaching end of the Mayan Calendar, I became interested in the Yuga Cycle doctrine of ancient India.
I decided to take a closer look at the available data and philosophical speculations to determine the possible ending of the Kali Yuga or Iron Age – the current age of greed and lies, discord and violence, that we live in.
When I dove into the details, however, I realised that a few errors and omissions had crept into the ancient texts over time during our long passage through the darkness of the Kali Yuga. The original formulation of the Yuga Cycle was completely forgotten.
Most ancient cultures subscribed to the belief that human civilisation and consciousness move in grand cycles, from the Golden Ages of illumination and harmony to the Dark Ages of ignorance and strife.
The guiding principle that I adopted to help me work out the Yuga Cycle framework was that there could not have been different Yuga Cycles for different cultures. There was only one Yuga Cycle for the entire world that governed the periodic rise and fall of consciousness. To stitch together the original framework, delineating the common threads that run through the different traditions was of utmost importance. I also figured that I needed to keep tabs on the latest archaeological, anthropological and historical findings, for any Yuga Cycle framework needs to be backed up with as much scientific data as possible.
In July 2012, I published an article in which I put forward what, in my opinion, was the original Yuga Cycle timeline, that indicated the Kali Yuga was due to end in 2025. I discussed the rationale for the proposed timeline in the article, and I have treated the matter with a lot more rigour in my new book.
Without going into the nitty-gritty, let me present some of the essential building blocks of this framework.
- The complete Yuga Cycle is 24,000 years in duration and is comprised of an ascending cycle of 12,000 years, when human consciousness, in tandem with our lifespan and physical size, gradually increases, followed by a descending cycle of 12,000 years when such qualities gradually diminish.
- Each 12,000-year half-cycle is comprised of four Yugas of equal duration of 3,000-years each. The actual duration of a Yuga is 2,700 years, and it is followed by a transitional period of 300 years before the qualities of the subsequent Yuga are manifested. The Yuga Cycle was tracked using the “Calendar of the Seven Sages” or “Saptarshi Calendar” of ancient India, which has a 2,700-year cycle called a “Saptarshi Yuga.”
- As per the historical records, one of the starting points of the Saptarshi Calendar was in 6676 BCE, which denotes the beginning of the Dwapara Yuga (Bronze Age) in the descending cycle. Using this date as an anchor point, the entire Yuga Cycle timeline gets unravelled, as shown below. For those who are not familiar with the Sanskrit terms: Satya Yuga is Golden Age, Treta Yuga is Silver Age, Dwapara Yuga is Bronze Age and Kali Yuga is Iron Age.
The Yuga Cycle framework reveals that the descending cycle of consciousness began in 9676 BCE, around the same time that the last Ice Age came to a rather abrupt end. The same date has been indicated in the ancient texts as the time when Atlantis sank into the ocean, and Ahura Mazda re-created the world and initiated the World Cycle of 12,000 years. Over the past 5,700-odd years, we have been living in two back-to-back Kali Yugas – the descending Kali Yuga followed by the ascending Kali Yuga. These two Yugas of ignorance and discord span most of recorded history, starting with the Bronze Age civilisations in Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.
We now approach the end of ascending Kali Yuga in the year 2025. The term “ascending” tends to convey the wrong impression that we are in a “higher Yuga,” and that our civilisation may be on an upward trajectory of virtue and progress. Far from it. In the ascending Kali Yuga, only the material circumstances of life begin to improve, along with an increase in our lifespan and physical stature, but the degradation of human consciousness and the proliferation of vices in society continues unabated throughout the entire duration of the Kali Yuga.
This is why we have ended up with an out-of-balance society characterised by a massive “matter-spirit gap” that is highly destabilising and responsible for much of the misery and injustices we see around us. The need of the hour is to reduce our attachment to material acquisitions and focus our energies on the other dimensions of life, particularly on cultivating mental and spiritual awareness to restore the much-needed balance, harmony and sanity in our lives.
There is no doubt that we are living in times of momentous changes, which will begin to unfold as we get closer to 2025 and enter the period of transition. Not only are we about to emerge from the dense, materialistic vibrations of the Kali Yuga, but we are also at the cusp of the entire descending cycle of consciousness that began in 9676 BCE.
The events of the past few years have revealed that human consciousness has plunged into utter depravity, and all means, however despicable, are now considered legitimate for the acquisition of money and influence and the enslavement of the people. The spectre of hatred, war and unrestrained violence is spreading across the world, while the frequency and ferocity of extreme weather phenomena such as floods, landslides and wildfires have dramatically increased over the past few years. All of these are precursors of the planetary-scale changes that lie ahead of us.
Every time we go through the periods of transition between the Yugas, there is a cataclysmic obliteration of the existing civilisations (pralaya, in Sanskrit), which is followed by the re-emergence of a new wave of civilisations with different artistic, technological and cultural traits. The purging events purify our consciousness and restore all of nature to its original pristine state to support another round of evolution. The archaeological and geological evidence shows that every 3,000-odd years, a new wave of civilisations appears to miraculously emerge all over the world, built on the ashes of the previous civilisations.
It happened in c.9600 BCE, with the establishment of the settlements at Gobekli Tepe. We can be quite certain that similar settlements were springing up elsewhere at the same time, the evidence of which we have yet to uncover. In c.6500 BCE, new settlements emerged in Anatolia and Southeastern Europe with distinct cultural traits, but we don’t have much of an idea about what was happening in other parts of the world then. In c.3600 BCE, a bunch of new civilisations arose almost simultaneously in Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, Malta, and other places, while in c.600 BCE, the Iron Age cultures emerged at around the same time in the Eastern Mediterranean region, Persia, India, Mesoamerica etc.
The trend is distinct and unmistakable. The Yuga Cycle is not an article of faith but an important scientific doctrine that captures the cyclical nature of human civilisation. Not only does it give us a clear perspective of what had happened in the past, but it also tells us where our own decadent civilisation of the Kali Yuga is headed. In my new book, I take a closer look at the events of the last four Yuga-transitional periods, revealing that comet and meteor impacts inevitably play a crucial role in the periodic process of destruction and renewal.
The Degradation of the Human Race
One of the important topics I explore is an important tenet of the Yuga cycle doctrine. In tandem with the decline in our consciousness in the descending cycle, our lifespan and physical size also decline, and the environment becomes less favourable to us. You may be surprised to know that a host of scientific data published in reputed academic journals supports all of these contentions! Yet, how many times have you heard about this ongoing degradation of the human race being talked about in mainstream media?
On average, humans today are roughly 10% smaller than their Golden Age counterparts who lived in the late Palaeolithic period. Scientific studies reveal there was no food scarcity or diseases in the late Palaeolithic period (i.e. Golden Age), but throughout the Holocene period (i.e. descending Yuga Cycle), sources of food became increasingly scarce, many kinds of diseases became endemic, and incidences of violent deaths increased significantly.1
In addition, all over the world, human beings have lost nearly 10% of their cranial volume over the past 12,000-odd years, which is equivalent to the difference between the average cranial volume of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens!2 How do you explain that? When science writer Kathleen McAuliffe spoke to Christopher Stringer, a palaeoanthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London, about the 10% reduction in our cranial volume since the late Palaeolithic period, Stringer told her something quite stunning: “Scientists haven’t given the matter the attention it deserves. Many ignore it or consider it an insignificant detail.”3
Can you imagine that? This absolutely jaw-dropping piece of scientific data, which turns the Darwinian theory of gradual evolution on its head, is treated as an “insignificant detail.” If this is insignificant, what really is significant? Have our cranial volumes shrunk so much that we can no longer distinguish between what is truly important and what is not? That, unfortunately, is precisely what seems to be going on. Because of our declining cranial volume, most of us can no longer discriminate between the truth and the lies or determine what is harmful to us and what truly serves our evolution and happiness. Our declining cranial volume is the primary cause of the misery, injustices and violence of the Kali Yuga.
Population geneticists tell us that the progressive degeneration of the human race is happening due to the accumulation of harmful genetic mutations over the past 10,000-odd years. My proposition is that the Darwinian theory of linear evolution is patently wrong, and what is really happening is that both our physical size and cranial volume are fluctuating in a sinusoidal manner over the 25,800-year precession cycle or Yuga Cycle. This is why the cranial specimens of the Cro-Magnon, who had extremely large cranial volumes paralleling those of our Golden Age ancestors, straddle the peak of an earlier Golden Age at around 36,676 BCE!
Even though genetic mutations seem to be driving the sinusoidal fluctuation in physical size and cranial volume in tandem with the earth’s precession cycle, there must be an external electromagnetic source behind this, which is triggering the harmful and advantageous genetic mutations in a cyclical manner. What could be this source?
I tried to ascertain what Sri Yukteswar really meant when he wrote in The Holy Science that it is the creative power “Brahma” – located at the grand centre called “Vishnunabhi,” around which our sun revolves – who regulates the fluctuation of dharma or virtue in the course of the Yuga Cycle. Interestingly, the Buddhist and Chaldean philosophers of antiquity spoke of the “Great Central Sun” or “Hypercosmic Sun” located beyond the circle of fixed stars, which radiated “intellectual light” or “Inner Light.”
WATCH OUT! The Taurid Meteor Stream
Finally, I come to the big question, and that is, what causes the cataclysmic obliteration of civilisation during the periods of Yuga transition? My study of the ancient texts and investigations into the events of the last four Yuga-transitions had already alerted me to the role played by comet and meteor impacts in the periodic reboot of civilisation. The work of astronomers Clube, Napier, Steel and their colleagues indicate that the Yuga-ending catastrophes, which occur like clockwork every 2,700 years, are caused by the passage of the earth through the “dense core” of the Taurid meteor stream – known as the “Taurid Resonant Swarm” – which contains a number of massive, dormant, comets and full-size asteroids, formed from the break-up of the Taurid progenitor comet. In an article in National Geographic, Australian astronomer Duncan Steel was quoted saying something that really made me sit up and take notice:
Every 2,500 to 3,000 years or so, the core of the Taurid stream passes near Earth and produces much more intense meteor showers for a few centuries…. A gap of a few centuries separates the era of intensity between Northern Taurids and Southern Taurids.4
This is an almost perfect explanation for the periodic Yuga-ending cataclysms! What I found most astonishing is that two of the giant comets hidden within the Taurid Resonant Swarm were known to the ancients and revered by them as the messengers or animal mounts (vahanas in Sanskrit) of their gods. The sacred texts and symbols of our ancestors provide specific information about the location, structure, and function of these two comets! The ancients seemed to believe that this periodic destruction and renewal of civilisation does not occur randomly but is divinely guided by inter-dimensional beings whom they regarded as their gods.
Since the Earth is due to pass through the centre of the Taurid Resonant Swarm in the years 2032 and 2036, it has ominous implications for our civilisation. These are likely to be events that finally pull down the curtains on the Kali Yuga.
Without going into too many details, let me just say there are strong indications that the years from 2025 to 2040 are the “end-times” the ancient texts tell us of. We are living in times of the fulfilment of the prophecies when our reality will be drastically altered, and we will be forced to introspect about our patterns of thought and our way of life.
We are standing at the doorstep of an extraordinary transformation that will change our life and our planet beyond our wildest imagination. The writing is on the wall: the Kali Yuga party is over and we need to sober up. The old ways will not work anymore, and the planetary vibrations are going to change very quickly post-2025.
As the Kali Yuga energies wane after 2025, the tyrants who control the affairs of the world may begin to find that their evil plans are no longer coming to fruition as easily as before, and they may face increasing opposition from people around the world. Humanity may become more polarised than ever before, leading to greater social and economic instability, taking us closer to the next World War. An eruption of insanity and large-scale violence typically happens during a Yuga-ending period, and it is unlikely to be any different this time. In tandem with the outbreak of wars and revolutions on a global scale, the intensity of various natural catastrophes – floods, cyclones, landslides, wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions etc. – may also increase exponentially.
So, it’s not just one thing that we have to reckon with, but a dreadful cocktail of wars, environmental catastrophes and comet impacts, all dished out to us while the fabric of society is torn apart by tyrannical governments and mega corporations bent on global enslavement, propped up by relentless media propaganda designed to brainwash the masses.
It’s going to be a tough challenge for any person to retain his sanity in the midst of this unfolding. But, if we reorient our thoughts and lifestyle and keep our psyche rooted in our soul vibrations, we can protect ourselves from the greatest suffering. In my new book, I share some thoughts on how we can deal with and navigate the chaos of the end times, although this is something that will probably become clearer with time as more and more people realise the enormity of the changes that are on the way and chime in with their intuitive feelings.
YUGA SHIFT: The End of the Kali Yuga & the Impending Planetary Transformation provides much-needed clarity and guidance to those who already sense this momentous shift. I trust you will join me on this epic journey across time and space to understand the significance of the Yuga Cycle and the coming Shift in the Ages – and how we can prepare for it.
Bibhu Dev Misra’s important book, YUGA SHIFT: The End of the Kali Yuga & the Impending Planetary Transformation, is available on Amazon.com in Kindle and paperback editions.
Footnotes
1. Michael Hermanussen, “Stature of early Europeans”, Hormones, 2003, Vol.2, No.3, 175-178, hormones.gr/pdf/Stature_europeans.pdf
2. Maciej Henneberg, “Decrease of Human Skull Size in the Holocene”, Human Biology, June 1988, Vol.60, No.3, 395-405, digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol60/iss3/5/
3. Kathleen McAuliffe, “If Modern Humans Are So Smart, Why Are Our Brains Shrinking?” Discover Magazine, 20 January 2011, discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/if-modern-humans-are-so-smart-why-are-our-brains-shrinking
4. John Roach, “Meteor Shower Promises Seven Shooting Stars an Hour”, National Geographic News, 7 November 2003, news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/11/1107_031107_taurids.html
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