Both Egyptians and Greeks had their cycles, but in our opinion derived them from the Indian Sages. The Chinese always were a nation of astronomers, and have recorded observations reaching far back of the Christian era, but as they belong to an old race which is doomed to extinction—strange as the assertion may appear—their conclusions will not be correct for the Aryan races. On the coming of the Christian era a heavy pall of darkness fell on the minds of men in the West, and India was for many centuries isolated so as to preserve these great ideas during the mental night of Europe. This isolation was brought about deliberately as a necessary precaution taken by that great Lodge to which I adverted in Chapter I, because its Adepts, knowing the cyclic laws perfectly, wished to preserve philosophy for future generations. As it would be mere pedantry and speculation to discuss the unknown Saros and Naros and other cycles of the Egyptians, I will give the Brahmanical ones, since they tally almost exactly with the correct periods.
A period or exhibition of universal manifestation is called a Brahmanda, that is a complete life of Brahma, and Brahma’s life is made of his days and years, which, being cosmical are each of immense duration. His day is as man’s 24 odd hours long, his year 360 odd days, the number of his years is 100.
Taking now this globe—since we are concerned with no other—its government and evolution proceed under _Manu_ or _man_, and from this is the term _Manvantara_ or “between two _Manus_.” The course of evolution is divided into four _Yugas_ for every race in its own time and way. These _Yugas_ do not affect all mankind at one and the same time, as some races are in one of the _Yugas_ while others are in a different cycle. The Red Indian, for instance, is in the end of his stone age, while the Aryans are in quite a different state. These four _Yugas_ are: _Krita_, or _Satya_, the golden; _Treta_; _Dvapara_; and _Kali_ or the black. The present age for the West and India is _Kali Yuga_, especially in respect to moral and spiritual development. The first of these is slow in comparison with the rest, and the present—_Kali_—is very rapid, its motion being accelerated precisely like certain astronomical periods known to-day in regard to the Moon, but not fully worked out.