Yuga


A yuga, in Hinduism, is generally used to indicate an age of time.
In the Rigveda, a yuga refers to generations, a period of time, or a yoke. In the Mahabharata, the words yuga and kalpa are used interchangeably to describe the cycle of creation and destruction.
In post-Vedic texts, the words "yuga" and "age" commonly denote a Yuga Cycle|, a cycle of four world ages—for example, in the Surya Siddhanta and Bhagavad Gita —unless expressly limited by the name of one of its minor ages: Krita Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, or Kali Yuga.
The term "yuga" can represent the number 4. In early Indian astronomy, it referred to a five-year cycle starting with the conjunction of the sun and moon in the autumnal equinox.

Etymology

Yuga means "a yoke", "generations", or "a period of time" such as an age, where its archaic spelling is yug, with other forms of yugam,, and yuge, derived from yuj, believed derived from yeug-.

Explanatory notes