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Originally Posted by iamthat
inavalan asks on what Busby bases these assertions.
This is based on the Puranas of Indian philosophy which considers time periods beyond our imagination:
A Maha Yuga (the great age) is 4,320,000 of our years.
A Kalpa, or one day of Brahma, is 1,000 Maha Yugas - 4,320,000,000 years.
One day of Brahma plus one night of Brahma is 8,640,000,000 years.
A year of Brahma is 360 days and nights of Brahma - 3,110,400,000,000 years.
A Maha Kalpa is 100 years of Brahma - 311,040,000,000,000 of our years.
The universe periodically comes into manifestation (a manvantara) and goes out of manifestation (a pralaya). Science believes in the Big Bang, when everything started. Some scientists suggest there is a corresponding Big Crunch, when everything ends. The Puranas suggest that this process has happened countless times.
Theosophy describes the Life-wave or the evolutionary journey of monadic groups. This initially progresses through the three lower kingdoms of mineral, vegetable and animal, before becoming individual monads in the human kingdom, and then progressing onwards to the three superhuman kingdoms.
There are seven Cosmic planes, each divided into seven systemic planes, and we currently inhabit the lowest systemic planes of the lowest Cosmic plane (sometimes known as the Cosmic Physical).
Theosophy also puts forward a system of a planetary chain consisting of seven globes on varying planes. There are seven rounds as the evolutionary Life-wave passes through each globe, and each round has seven root-races of humanity. Each root-race marks a point of human development. We are currently at the fifth root-race of the fourth round of the fourth globe.
Seven planetary rounds takes a day of Brahma and this is a planetary manvantara. This is followed by a night of Brahma or planetary pralaya. Each round is also a mini-manvantara and between each round there are mini-pralayas.
As explanations of the universe go, this all seems as good as any!
Peace.
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