Char Yuga
4 eras or ages
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Time in the yogee world is cyclical, not linear as in traditional physics.
Like the Mayans, ancient India's construct of time is recurring, cyclical and in years that go way beyong any of the other world's cultures. Time is considered a property of the universe, of Maya and Prakriti. Those who can learn to see past the illusions of Maya and Prakriti can see past, present and future all as part of one landscape. A commonly accepted belief existed that a kind of wide angle lense or bird's eye view could possibly be earned, even though it is quite tough to acquire in a single lifetime.
The creation of the infinite multiverses goes through phases of existence (when God was awake) and non existence(when God was asleep and all matter dissolved back into the primordial singularity, before busrting into existence with a Big Bang when God woke). Time was believed to remain in existence, even in the state of dissolution of all creation, counting to when Brahma would wake again. But the soul or spirit, the part of Purusha in Prakriti was timeless and does not experience or even perceive time at all.
During this stage of dissolution, or Pralay, the trigunas of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are in perfect balance and harmony, at which point matter as we know it cannot exist. All existence is based on imbalances between the trigunas which sets off the imperfections that create the material world.
The Four Eras
In the ratio of 4:3:2:1 descending down from Sat to Kali.
1. Sat Yug
4800 years
Golden Age
2. Treta Yug
3600 years
Silver Age
3. Dwapar Yuga
2400 years
Bronze Age
4. Kali Yug
1200 years
Iron Age