Manvantars & The Supercontinent Cycle

Rishi_L · February 2, 2008

Does anyone here think that there's some kind of connection between manvantars and the 'supercontinent cycle' postulated by modern mainstream geologists? Personally, I definitely think that there’s a valid correlation between a manvantar cycle and a supercontinent cycle. First of all, one complete manvantar cycle is 306,720,000 Earth years in duration. The last supercontinent, Pangaea, formed approximately 300 million years ago. Coincidence? I think not! I don’t believe that there’s such a thing as a so-called ‘coincidence’, to me EVERYTHING happens for a reason (whether we can comprehend that ‘reason’ or not!). We live in an utterly purposeful universe.

There’s yet another rough similarity between manvantar cycles and supercontinent cycles. The previous supercontinent, Pannotia/Greater Gondwanaland, formed approximately 600 million years ago. I admit that there are a few discrepancies here and there, but these discrepancies are relatively minor. If the mathematical calculations I've just done are correct, then Vaivasvat Manu’s reign over our current 7<SUP>th</SUP> manvantar began 306,289,094 years ago from the present day! Once again, this is a duration of time roughly in line with when Pangaea formed according to modern mainstream geologists. However, most geologists also state that beyond the original formation of the supercontinent Pannotia, the time span between supercontinents becomes more irregular. For example, the supercontinent before Pannotia, Rodinia, existed 1.1 billion to 750 million years ago - a mere 150 million years before Pannotia. The supercontinent before this was Columbia: 1.8 to 1.5 billion years ago. And before this was Kenorland: 2.7 to 2.1 billion years ago. Ur existed 3 billion years ago and Vaalbara 3.6 to 2.8 billion years ago. One complete supercontinent cycle is said to take 300 to 500 million years to occur. But nevertheless, it’s NOT known for certain how long a supercontinent cycle is. Perhaps each supercontinent cycle is 306,720,000 years long, the length of a manvantar cycle! Notice that there are names for 7 distinct supercontinents. As I’ve already stated, we are currently living during the 7<SUP>th</SUP> manvantar. At the commencement of each manvantar, there could be only ONE giant landmass on Earth (ie. a supercontinent) and as each manvantar moves forward in time, this supercontinent breaks itself into smaller continents scattered over our planet. This process of supercontinents splitting themselves to form smaller continents is known as continental rifting. Since most of our current 7<SUP>th</SUP> manvantar has elapsed, it makes SENSE that we have 6 continents on Earth now! Also, geological studies have shown that continental rifting causes substantial inundations by water. Could continental rifting be the cause of the flood Vaivasvat Manu endured in Southern India? Furthermore, the ancient Vedic writings tell us that we currently live in the 7th manvantar which is ruled by Vaivasvat Manu. I think it is fascinating that modern paleontology tells us that there have been 6 major extinction events since the beginning of life on Earth approximately 2 billion years ago. The Vedic texts also state that life began on Earth approximately 2 billion years ago as well (during this particular cycle). Since we are supposedly in the 7th manvantar, this means that 6 manvantars have already elapsed. It is said that a global cataclysm wipes out much of the life on Earth at the end of each manvantar. Then at the start of the next manvantar, the Earth becomes repopulated with life again from the organisms that remain. I think they’re known in Sanskrit as ‘sishtas’ (please correct me if I’m wrong!). So I think that's an incredible 'coincidence' between what modern paleontology tells us and what the ancient Vedic texts are saying. The major difference between what modern paleontology is saying and what the ancient Vedic texts are telling us is that in the ancient Vedic texts, humans (and, by extension, human civilisations) have existed in each of the 6 previous manvantars before each of the 6 major extinction events occurred. According to the Vedic timeline, we are currently living towards the end of the 7th manvantar (as I've already mentioned) but there is a similar statement contained in ancient Hebrew texts. The ancient Hebrew texts have described 'six past Earths' and state that the '7th Earth' is the present Earth. From such statements, it can be inferred that each 'Earth' that is being referred to is related to different supercontinent cycles that our planet periodically undergoes. The break-up of a supercontinent causes increased sea-floor spreading and continental flooding. Truly a deluge global in scale! However, most mainstream scientists in general would not recognise such intense flooding as being the 'great flood' (or at the very least, a 'great flood', merely one out of SEVERAL!) described in virtually ALL cultures on Earth because it would've occurred SO far back in antiquity that it would've been impossible for human life to have existed during those ancient times (in their opinions). Yet in the Puranas, there are descriptions not only of humans living back then, but of human life flourishing.

Ancient Zoroastrian texts mention something called a Karshvar. Karshvars are described as concentric circles one above the other. They described the present Karshvar - Hvaniratha - as the seventh one, above all the previous Karshvars. An ocean separated each Karshvar from another. Karshvars are either supercontinents or the supercontinent cycles related to them, I think. The global flooding of the continental regions after the break-up of a supercontinent is the ocean between each of the Karshvars. Sedimentary layers of each supercontinent cycle forms above the previous one. In your opinion, are manvantar cycles and supercontinent cycles directly related?

suchandra · February 2, 2008

If the mathematical calculations I've just done are correct, then Vaivasvat Manu’s reign over our current 7<sup>th</sup> manvantar began 306,289,094 years ago from the present day!

At 16108.com it says, "there are 14 Manus in one day of Brahma. Each Manu lives for about 311 million years. Currently we are in the age of Vaivasvata Manu. Manus, such a Svayambhuva Manu, are the progenitors of mankind. The Manus are also entrusted by Lord Sri Krishna directly to impart the laws of dharma, the rules and regulations of how society should be governed."

At dandavats.com it says, "there are 1000 Treta-yugas in one day of Brahma, and it is calculated that we are presently in the 28th cycle of the four yugas (called divya-yugas, which is a cycle of the four yugas, Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dvapara-yuga, and then Kali-yuga) of Vaivasvata Manu, who is the seventh Manu in the series of 14 Manu rulers who exist in one kalpa or day of Brahma. Each Manu is considered to live for 71 such divya-yuga cycles. So, without getting too complicated about things, from the 24th Treta-yuga to the present age of this Kali-yuga, there is obviously a difference of millions of years when Lord Rama manifested here on earth. Of course, few people may believe this unless they are already familiar with the vast lengths of time that the Vedic literature deals with."

At http://indiaheritage.org/rendez/article1.htm#age it says,

Age of the Universe

Portion of Brahma’s day elapsed so far

(till say, 2000 A.D.) consists of

</td> <td align="left" height="21" valign="top" width="339">

Duration Table

</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="215" valign="top" width="412">

6 manvantara-twilights (6 x 4l )
6 manvantaras completed (6 x71 x10l )
1 manvantara-twilight before the 7th (4 l )
27 maha-yugas past in this manvantara (27 x 10l )
elapsed yugas in this maha-yuga ((4 + 3 + 2) l )
5102 years in kali-yuga

This adds up to 4567 l + 5102 =

1,972,949,102 human years

This is the present (as of 2000A.D.) age of the universe in this day of Brahma

</td> <td align="left" height="0" valign="top" width="339">Duration of Kali-yuga (l ) =

432,000 (human years)

Duration of Dvapara-yuga (2l )

Duration of Treta-yuga (3l )

Duration of Satya-yuga (4l )

Duration of maha-yuga:

(l + 2 l + 3 l + 4l ) = 10l

Duration of manvantara: 71 x 10l

Duration of one manvantra- twilight : 4l

<small>(one before every manvantara) </small></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </center>

Duration of Brahma’s day

One day of Brahma is of duration equivalent to 1000 mahayugas. His night is equally long. At the beginning of every day creation starts. At the end of the day all that was created merge in the Absolute and Brahma ‘sleeps’ as it were. 360 such days and nights make one year of Brahma. According to the Puranas, He has spent 50 years like this and this day is the first day in his fifty-first year!

One day of Brahma = 14 manvantaras + 15 manvantara twilights

(because there is an extra manvantara - twilight at the end of all the 14 manvantaras)

= 14 x 71 mahayugas + 15 x 4 l

= 994 mahayugas + 60 l

= 994 mahayugas + 6 mahayugas

= 1000 mahayugas

= 1000 x10 l = 4,320,000,000 human years.

<center> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="400"> <tbody><tr> <td>One ‘second’ of Brahma

= 4,320,000,000 / 12x60x60

= 100,000 human years</td> <td>‘Back to

the future’

Story</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </center>

Names of the remaining seven (future) manvantaras of this day of Brahma

8 Saavarni ------------------->
9 Daksha-saavarni
10 Brahma-saavarni
11 Dharma-saavarni
12 Rudra-saavarni
13 Deva-saavarni
14 Indra-saavarniafter which cosmic night will follow

</td> <td align="left" valign="top" width="426">The next Manu (i.e., the eighth) will be Saavarni. This promise was made by Mother Goddess to one King Suratha during the second Manvantara. To him (and another) the triple story of Mother Goddess is narrated in the Devi-bhagavatam ( also Chandi or Durg A-saptasati ). The story begins from a mythological event that happened after the end of the last kalpa (= day of Brahma) and ends up by forecasting the feats of Mother Goddess that are yet to happen in this kalpa. One such is the prediction that Suratha will be born as Manu Saavarni.</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </center>

BACK TO THE FUTURE

(Source: Srimad-Bhagavatam, IX - 3)

In the mid-satya-yuga of the first maha-yuga of the present manvantara i.e., around 115 million years ago there lived a King of the Solar dynasty, by name Kakudmi, and his beautiful daughter Revati. Not trusting the astrologers of his time, yet believing in the maxim ‘marriages are made in heaven’ Kakudmi took his daughter to the celestial world of Brahma the Creator (Note: in every satya-yuga such journeys are supposed to be possible) in order to ask the Creator Himself as to who would be the right marital match for his daughter. Kakudmi had somebody in his own mind. But Lord Brahma was available to him only after a twenty minutes or so of waiting time (by the standards of that world). When Kakudmi finally had the opportunity to ask Brahma his question, Brahma laughed and said:

My dear Kakudmi, from the time you came here your earthly world has passed through 27 maha-yugas and so none of whom you have in mind or their descendents are alive now. Right now people are enjoying the avatara (=descent) of Lord Krishna on the Earth. Go back and marry off your daughter to Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna’.

Thus it was that Kakudmi and Revati travelled ‘back to their future’ -- from the 1st mahayuga to the 27th -- and Revati was married to Balarama.

Note: 1 mahayuga = 43.2 ‘seconds’ for Brahma.

THE HINDU CONCEPT OF TIME

According to Hindu religion and cosmology the flow of Time is eternal. Creation and Dissolution are only two events in a long cyclic succession of Cosmic events. There is no beginning in the past and there is no end to the future. Creation is a manifestation in concrete terms of the Absolute. Dissolution is when all the created universe merges in the Absolute. And that is when the period of non-manifestation begins. The periods of manifestation and of non-manifestation alternate. These are the days and nights of Brahma.

Brahma Himself is a manifestation of the Absolute. He has a life of 100 years in His time.

Between one kalpa (technical name for Brahma’s day) and the next, the only thing that survive are, Brahma himself (who has to be ‘brought back to memory’, by the Absolute, after his ‘sleep’ !), the vedas in their latent form and the collected aggregate of vaasanaas (imprints of actions and thoughts) of all individual souls. Just as each kalpa is followed by another kalpa with an intervening Cosmic Night, so also one Brahma is followed by another Brahma.

Copyright Ó V. Krishnamurthy

According to the Puranas, Lord Brahma has spent 50 years like this and this day is the first day in his fifty-first year!

gHari · February 2, 2008

Yes, it's quite amazing that science could be so close about things so long ago.

krsna · February 3, 2008

Is it that 'modern' science aka nescience is loosing it's 'ne' (negation)to become a real honest to God (KRSNA) science wherein the Absolute Truth is the subject to be researched, studied and proven?