Kalpa Concept and Big Bounce Theory

This post is of the type of previous post. This one is a bit simpler.

Big Bounce : Almost all of you may have heard of Big Bang. It is most commonly known and accepted theory of creation in Astrophysics. According to it, creation started with nothing. There was nothing and suddenly there was an expansion of space at tremendous speed. Universe is still expanding every second. Now, according to some Scientists, Universe will not expand forever. At one point, it will stop expanding and will start collapsing, it’s size will start reducing, till it becomes zero, void, once again. This is called Big Crunch. Then again, there will be a Big Bang and this cycle will continue till eternity. This is Big Bounce theory in a nutshell. Although not 100% proved, but neither disproved.

Kalpa : A rough idea of time division by our texts is as follows. The biggest unit of time is Kalpa. A Kalpa has 14 Manvantars, each has 71 Mahayugs and Sandhi kaal (like interval). A Mahayug or Chaturyug has 4 yugs (Sat, Treta, Dwapar, Kali). Anyways, Shiv and Shakti start creation at beginning of Kalpa. At end of every Yug, Mahayug, Manvantar, there is a minor Pralaya. Universe doesn’t gets completely destroyed. It is at the end of Kalpa, Mahakaal does the Mahatandav which leads to Maha Pralaya, the great dissolution. He is destroyer of Kalpa – “कल्पनाशक‌”‌. Lalita Sahasranama says, “महेश्वर-महाकल्प-महाताण्डव-साक्षिणी”, “महाप्रलय-साक्षिणी” – She is witness of Maheshwara’s Maha Tandav and Maha Pralaya. After end of Kalpa, universe is again created and this cycle goes on. In his book Ancient Science of Mantras, Swami has beautifully described the Maha Tandav. Some excerpt is as follows, 

“…The Mahakala undid his damaru tied to the trident … he began playing his damaru at a slow tempo. With every strike, at a great distance, Devi would hear sounds of rumbling, roaring and loud explosions. … Shiva’s body began to expand beyond proportions anyone could fathom. Countless planets went right into his growing form as he continued to grow. He became the Universal body. … there was no end to Shiva’s vistara, expansion or his samhara, dissolution. Raising his right hand up in the air, vigorously playing damaru, he lifted his left leg. … From Shiva’s body, she saw the dissolution of the entire universe that went on for four million years more. Shiva stayed in his form of Nataraja, the sovereign dancer, the universal body for ages. Over the next few million human years, countless planets  released from his body like arrows from a bow. Transformed, new planets. Creation was taking place again. All this while, Devi lived in Shiva bearing witness to what all had transpired. …”

So you see, it is the same cycle of Creation-Destruction-Recreation that our Sages, texts and Yogi’s like Swami have talked about.

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