Alan Watts
Kalpa
The Hindu theory is
Very odd
Every Kalpa in the Manvantara period whether it’s the manifested world
Is divided into 4
Subdivisions of time
Each one of which is called the Yuga
That means roughly an epoch or a era

There are 4 Yugas
And they are named after the different throws in the Indian game of dice
There are 4 such throws and the first is called Krita
That means
Kri, means to do
It’s when we say something is done
Truly done
It’s the perfect throw of four
The second is called Treta
Which is the throw of three
The next is called Dvapara
Which is the throw of two
And the final one is called Kali
Which means the worst throw
Which is the throw of one

Now each of these periods of the Kalpa
Are of different lengths
Krita is the longest
And Kali is the shortest
And so eranged
So that when the world is first manifested as in those dreams that I was mentioning to you
The world is in a golden age to begin with
It’s perfect
It’s perfect
And that is the longest period of time
And then when we get a little bit more adventurous you see
Treta means that, in this era a kind of disharmonious element enters into things
It's like a three-legged chair isn’t so secure as a four-legged chair
It's just a bit inclined to tip
And as it were a fly in the ointment
The snake in the garden

Then comes Dvapara
In which the forces of good and evil
Are equally balanced

And finally, Kali
Which is the shortest period
Where the forces of evil are triumphant
And the world is destroyed at the end
For then the Godhead appears
In the form of Shiva
Who represents the destructive
Aspect
Of the divine energy
Whereas Brahma is the creative
Vishnu, the preserver
Shiva, the destroyer

Shiva is always the destroyer in the sense of the liberated
The guy who breaks up the ruts
And he comes on with a blue body and ten arms
And a necklace of skulls
Indian gods have many arms
Because they are cosmic centipedes
They do all things without having to think about
Like the centipede doesn't have to think about how to manipulate its legs
Like you don't have to think how to grow your hair
And as Shiva dances what is called the Tandava
Which is the dance of destruction at the end of the cycle at the end of the Kalpa
You will see that his hands contain
Clubs and knives and bells
But one hand is like that
And that gesture means, don't be afraid
It's a big act
It is all
As it were the outflowing
Of your own consciousness
Of your own mind