Chatur yug (चतुर्युग)
A Chatur Yug is one complete cycle of Sat, Treta, Dvapar, and Kali Yug, after which the four-age sequence begins again.
Chaturyug (चतुर्युग | caturyuga) means a cycle of four Yugs, or ages. One Chatur yug consists of Satya Yug, Treta Yug, Dwapar Yug, and Kali Yug, occurring in that order.
The four Yugs are not equal in duration or in the degree to which Dharma is manifested. Their relative durations follow the proportion 4:3:2:1, with Satya Yug being the longest and Kali Yug the shortest. As the cycle progresses from Satya to Kali, the general spiritual and moral condition of the world declines.
The Four Yugas
- Satya Yug — the first and longest age of the cycle.
- Treta Yug — the second age.
- Dwapar Yug — the third age.
- Kali Yug — the fourth and final age of the cycle.
Together these four ages form one complete Chatur yug.
Why Is It Called a Cycle?
Kali Yug does not mark the permanent end of the sequence. At the end of Kali Yug, God restores the condition of the world so that Satya Yug begins again.
The same four-age sequence therefore repeats:
Satya → Treta → Dwapar → Kali → Satya …
This repeating four-Yug sequence is what is meant by Chatur yug.
How Does Chatur yug Relate to Larger Vedic Time?
A Chatur yug is one unit within the much larger system of Vedic cosmic time. Those larger measures belong to the broader subject of Kaal, rather than to the definition of Chatur yug itself.
Go Deeper
JKP Literature
JKP Literature
JKP Literature
