Minute Divisions of Time in the Mahabharata
In Hindu tradition, time is not only counted in years,
months or days. Very small units were also known and named. A kshana is the
time of one twinkling of the eye, and it is taken as four-fifths of a second. A
lava is smaller, being one-sixth of a kshana. A truti is smaller still, equal
to half of a lava. So the ancient Hindus were looking at moments which nobody
can see or feel in daily life.
The Story in the Astika Parva
This idea of time is found in the Astika Parva, which is
part of the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata. The story begins with a quarrel
between two sisters, Kadru and Vinata. Vinata lost a bet and became the servant
of Kadru. Garuda, the son of Vinata, then carried the sons of Kadru, the nagas,
on his back to a faraway island.
Garuda flew very high, near the sun. The nagas started to burn in the heat and became weak. Kadru, seeing her children suffer, prayed to Indra, the god of rains, to send clouds and water. In her prayer she praised Indra in many forms. She joined him with the different divisions of time, such as kshana, lava and truti, to show that Indra is present in every part of time, big or small. After this prayer, Indra covered the sky with clouds and the rain cooled the nagas.
Meaning of Each Unit
Each unit teaches something. The kshana is the moment we can
just about notice, like a blink. It shows that life changes even when we do not
pay attention. The lava is a moment which the eye cannot catch anymore, so it
points to things that exist but are hidden from us. The truti is the most
subtle of the three, and it shows that there is no end to how deeply we can
look into creation. When Kadru names all three, she is saying that nothing in
time is outside God's control.
Time as a Divine Power
The Mahabharata again and again shows time (Kala) as a great
power. In the Bhagavad Gita, which is in the Bhishma Parva, Bhagavan Krishna
says in chapter 10, verse 30, that among those who count and measure, He is
Time. In chapter 11, verse 32, He shows Himself as Time, which brings the end
of all the worlds. So the prayer of Kadru and the teaching of the Gita agree
with each other. Time is not just a number on a clock. It is a form of the
Divine.
Importance and Lesson for Us
This concept also has a practical side. Hindu texts use
exact units of time for rituals, for the calendar, for the yugas and for
astrology. Some other texts, such as the Bhagavata Purana in its third canto,
give even longer lists, going from the atom up to the life of Brahma. They show
the same habit of thinking, that everything is measured from the smallest to
the biggest.
The lesson is simple. If even a truti is sacred, then no moment of our life should be wasted. Every small action, every thought, and every second belongs to a bigger order. This is why Hindu teachings ask us to be careful and aware in daily life.
The story of Kadru shows that ancient Hindus looked at both the visible and the invisible parts of the universe. Not only the big things like the sun, the rain and the worlds, but also the tiny units of time were part of their study. Even modern science finds this interesting, but for Hindus it was always a part of their dharma and their understanding of God.