Yugams. How the Puranas have segregated the state of mind into distinct phases

The Puranas segregate events into Yugams. 

The Yugams are spans of Time during which there were common characteristics  (mental) displayed by (all or almost all) the people.

Modern science focuses on the evolution of the physical world. So the equivalent of yugams in the scientific world are the Ice Age, the Bronze Age, the Industrial Age etc.  

Yugams are not seperated by  Physical world characteristics such as the as modern science is prone to do.

Yugams are also not seperated by the types of Plant and Animal life that inhabited the planet at those times. So the Yugam concept is not to be confused with the linear progresssion of evolution. 

Yugams differentiate between the times when truth was the most dominant characteristic (Satya Yugam), when morality was the dominant attribute (Tretha Yugam), when Dharma, which is righteousness and justice was dominant (Dvapara Yugam), and finally the destructive and undesirable attributes of modern times (Kamam, Krodham, Moham etc.).

There is a fixed sequence of progression. Evolution/creation is seen as beginning in the Satya Yuga with TRUTH and ending with all that is false and despicable, in the Kali Yugam.

Sri Rama appeared in the Treta Yugam.  Sri Krishna appeared in the Dvapara Yugam. 

In thje Kali Yugam, we do not see anymore avatarams of the Paramathma in human form. The Avatara that will appear at the end of Kali Yugam is expected to be the Kalki Avataram after which there is expected to be Maha Pralayam or complete destruction of the universe, only to begin all over again.  Kalki Avatar of the Paramathma is portrayed as riding on a Horse and wielding the sword of destruction. 

The tenor with which the Yugams are referenced in the Scriptures, implies that it impacts the entire humanity and people have little or no option in going through these phases. 

The characteristic of untruth in this, the Kali Yugam is evident to all of us passing through the era that falsehood pervades everywhere and everything, including within ourselves. We are also so engaged in self sustaining activities to keep the pace of material wealth acquisition that we have little time to devout to the actual real task on hand, which is to obtain Moksham. 

These dominant forces take away all our energies, leaving little time or inclinination to pursue higher objective of attaining the feet of the Paramathma. Although we may be aware of the forces at play in the Kali Yugam, it would be an uphill task to actually overcome and subdue them.  

So each yugam has a dominant attribute that the entire population is subject to.  

Yugams play a very large part in defining the attributes of life. The challenges and the sacrifices required in each yugam from man was different.  Mans capabilities were also different. So in each yugam, man is given certain abilities and certain challenges. In the KaliYugam, man has been given the abilities of the intellect rather than physical strength and physical skills which were prominent in earlier yugams. The intellect carries the challenges of confusion, dominance of the self and the insatiable appetite for material wealth, and physical pleasure.  

Just as the physical universe is born from nothing, expands and collapses into nothing, consciousness emerges, expands and then is completely destroyed in the different phases of its existence, which are essentially the different yugams.

Are the Yugams a fixed cycle that apparantly seems to be beyond Human Control? 

If the forces of creation and destruction are closely linked to Mankind's mental attitude, does it not imply that Man's intellect and learning have no real role to play in the process of evolution and that Karmic forces determine the path of life?

is the mental attitude, then is it not subject to change? 

The answer is that this change and move from one Yugam to another is possible through evolution of the mind, which is why the focus of all our Puranas is the human mind.

Can a person transition form one Yugam to another based only on his/her state of mind (which is different from the general population)?  This can happen in isolated instances, as demonstrated by the modern Rishis of the highest caliber such as the Sringeri Jagadgurus Chandrasekara Bharathi and Abhinava Vidya Theertham, and Maha Periyava of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Not to leave out Ramana Maharishi, Satya Sai and Shirdi Sai as the other highly evolved personlities of this yugam.

We are supposed to be 5000 years into the Kali Yugam, So even though we become aware of our own untruthful life, there is apparantly nothing we can do about this.  Being born in the Kali Yugam, all of us are very well aware of the daily challenges to sustain ourselves and also being pulled by the powerful forces of Kali such as greed, ambition, lust etc.  

Transitioning is a very very difficult proposition for one who is steeped in everyday life in the Kali Yugam.

Srimad Bhagavatham has this to say;

“It is the state of the Earth, ridden with Kali, that has made us dread the future”, said Shaunaka. “Man is no longer assured of his 100 years of life. Disease rob him of his youth and his death is premature. His physical well-being is threatened by many ills: His Mind is clouded by Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Matsarya,  the six arch enemies of Man. These in their turn, are attended by smaller evils. Man’s intellect is clouded by ignorance. If he has to emerge out of this illusion called Maya, if he has to save his soul from this sinful life on Earth, he will have to study the Dharma Shastras, the Puranas and the Vedas. But the Man of today has neither the time nor the inclination to study what is Good for him. Please therefore let us know about a single Kavya, a single great work, a single poem studying which Man can become pure and Good and be freed from the bondage of Karma.

“KRISHNA, the incarnation of Lord NARAYANA, was on Earth during Dvapara. He left us and went away: and with him went Dharma – righteousness. People are groping in the darkness called ignorance. It is upto you, My Lord, to tell us my Lord where Dharma has found refuge after the disappearance of KRISHNA.”

Ugrashrava was pleased with their question. He smiled at them and said: “I will tell you where righteousness has found refuge after KRISHNA left the Earth. The sun has risen: the Sun will dispel  the inner darkness in the Mind of Man during this sinful Kali Yuga.  That Sun is the great Bhagavata Purana composed by Sri Veda Vyasa. The Bhagavata tells you the story of the Lord and the many Avataras He took to establish Dharma on the Earth. He is the infinite, the incomprehensible, not bound by anything: not by the chain of cause and effect which makes the ordinary Man live through Janma after janma in an endless cycle. He is beyond all this. But Man is not Good enough or great enough to realise Him. He can see only through Human Eyes, perceive only through the senses and perceive things only through the Human Intellect.  We approach Him with the Eyes of Man born of Woman. We ascribe to Him qualities which we have, and try to guage Him by our standards.  Knowing all this, the Lord, in His infinite kindness has, in the past, assumed  forms of Living beings so that we could see Him. Through these descents into the World of Men the Lord has helped Man again and again.  He has established Dharma  whenever there was a threat of it being eclipsed.

“Contemplating on the absolute will not be possible for Man today, ridden as he is by besetting sins. But even the worst sinner can be saved if he listens to the stories of the Lord, His many Avataras. The Bhagavata is just that. The path to the Lord is devotion, the Bhakti Marga.  It is Bhakti  which we see as the Golden Thread running through all the Avataras.  The Bhagavata is a string of beads which like a Japamala,  helps you to realise the Lord and reach Him. Vyasa composed this Purana as His last contribution for the Good of this World. I will tell you how it came about.”