Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Adi-lila
Once in a day of Brahmā, He descends to this world to manifest His transcendental pastimes.
Seventy-one divya-yugas constitute one manv-antara. There are fourteen manv-antaras in one day of Brahmā.
First Lord Kṛṣṇa appears at the close of the Dvāpara-yuga of the twenty-eighth divya-yuga, and then Lord Caitanya appears in the Kali-yuga of the same divya-yuga. Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya appear once in each day of Brahmā, or once in fourteen manv-antaras, each of seventy-one divya-yugas in duration.
From the beginning of Brahmā’s day of 4,320,000,000 years, six Manus appear and disappear before Lord Kṛṣṇa appears. Thus 1,975,320,000 years of the day of Brahmā elapse before the appearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa. This is an astronomical calculation according to solar years.
The Lord Viṣṇu who lies in the ocean of milk incarnates Himself in various forms to maintain the laws of the cosmos and annihilate the causes of disturbance. Such incarnations are visible in every manv-antara (i.e., in the course of the reign of each Manu, who lives for 71 x 4,320,000 years). Fourteen such Manus take their birth and die, to yield a place for the next, during one day of Brahmā.
CC Madhya-lila
These twenty-five Personalities of Godhead are known as līlā-avatāras. Because they appear in each day of Brahmā, or in each kalpa (millennium), they are sometimes known as kalpa-avatāras. Of these incarnations, Haṁsa and Mohinī are neither permanent nor very well known, but They are listed among the prābhava-avatāras.
One day of Brahmā consists of the four yugas multiplied a thousand times—or, according to solar calculations, 4,320,000,000 years—and such also is the duration of his night. One year of Brahmā’s life consists of 360 such days and nights, and Brahmā lives for one hundred such years.
CC Madhya 20.320, Translation:
In one day of Brahmā, there are fourteen changes of the Manus, and during the reign of each of those fourteen Manus, an incarnation is manifested by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
CC Madhya 20.321, Translation:
There are 14 manvantara-avatāras in one day of Brahmā, 420 in one month, and 5,040 in one year.
Because we cannot see what is going on in other universes, it is a little difficult for us to understand how Kṛṣṇa is eternally manifesting His pastimes. There are fourteen Manus in one day of Brahmā, and this time calculation is also taking place in other universes. Kṛṣṇa's pastimes are manifested before fourteen Manus expire.
CC Antya-lila
The kalpa is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.17): sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ. One day of Brahmā is called a kalpa. A yuga, or mahā-yuga, consists of 4,320,000 years, and one thousand such mahā-yugas constitute one kalpa. The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta says that if one does not take advantage of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he cannot be delivered for millions of such kalpas.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Teachings of Lord Caitanya
Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 7:
Because almost all of these twenty-five līlā-avatāras appear in one day of Brahmā, which is called a kalpa, they are sometimes called kalpa-avatāras. Out of these, the incarnation of Haṁsa and Mohinī are not permanent, but Kapila, Dattātreya, Ṛṣabha, Dhanvantari and Vyāsa are five eternal forms, and they are more celebrated. The incarnations of the tortoise Kūrma, the fish Matsya, Nara-nārāyaṇa, Varāha, Hayaśīrṣa, Pṛśnigarbha, and Balarāma are considered to be incarnations of vaibhava.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 8:
After describing the Līlā and guṇa-avatāras, Lord Caitanya explains the manvantara-avatāras to Sanātana Gosvāmī. He first states that there is no possibility of counting the manvantara-avatāras. In one kalpa, or one day of Brahmā, fourteen Manus are manifest.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 8:
One day of Brahmā is calculated at 4 billion 320 million years, and Brahmā lives for one hundred years on this scale. Thus if fourteen Manus appear in one day of Brahmā, there are 420 Manus during one month of Brahmā, and during one year of Brahmā there are 5,040 Manus.
Nectar of Devotion
We get an idea of Brahmā's day from the following statement of Bhagavad-gītā (8.17): "By human calculation, a thousand yuga cycles taken together is Brahmā's one day. And such also is the duration of his night.
Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Once upon a time while Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were living peacefully in Their great city of Dvārakā, there was the rare occasion of a full solar eclipse, such as takes place at the end of every kalpa, or day of Brahmā. At the end of every kalpa the sun is covered by a great cloud, and incessant rain covers the lower planetary systems up to Svargaloka.
Renunciation Through Wisdom
Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.7:
By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together form the duration of Brahmā's one day. And such also is the duration of his night. At the beginning of Brahmā's day, all living entities become manifest from the unmanifest state, and thereafter, when the night falls, they are merged into the unmanifest again.
Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.7:
Again and again, when Brahmā's day arrives, all living entities come into being, and with the arrival of Brahmā's night they are helplessly annihilated. Yet there is another unmanifest nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is.
Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.7:
At the end of Lord Brahmā's day, when night approaches, a partial dissolution inundates the universe up to the Svargaloka, the abode of the demigods. All the living entities of this world are created at the dawn of Lord Brahmā's day and annihilated at dusk, and this creation and annihilation go on in a continuous cycle.
Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.8:
This material creation is manifested and subsequently destroyed during Lord Brahmā's day and night. But beyond this material world is an eternal existence—the spiritual sky—which is untouched by creation and annihilation. That spiritual abode is known as the Vaikuṇṭha planets.
Renunciation Through Wisdom 5.1:
"By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together form the duration of Brahmā's one day." According to the Vedic calculation, one day of Brahmā sees the coming and going of fourteen Manus. Therefore, each Manu lives for seventy-one cycles of the four millenniums. At present we are in the period of Vaivasvata Manu, in the twenty-eighth cycle of the four millenniums, and it is the Kali-yuga.
Sri Isopanisad
All the material planets—upper, lower and intermediate, including the sun, moon and Venus—are scattered throughout the universe. These planets exist only during the lifetime of Brahmā. Some lower planets, however, are vanquished after the end of one day of Brahmā and are again created during the next day of Brahmā.
The four ages of earth (Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali) last only twelve thousand years according to the time scale of the upper planets. Such a length of time multiplied by one thousand constitutes one day of Brahmā, and one night of Brahmā is the same.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Lecture on BG 2.18 -- London, August 24, 1973:
Daiva-varṣa means year according to the demigods' calculation. Just like Brahmā's day, that is demigods' calculation. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). We have got information from Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says that they calculate the years of the demigods. Everyone's year is calculated.
Lecture on BG 2.18 -- London, August 24, 1973:
Sahasra-yuga-paryantam. So so many years, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahaḥ. Ahaḥ means day. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). This is the one day of Brahmā. One day means morning to evening. Forty-three hundred thousands of years your calculation.
Lecture on BG 2.26 -- Los Angeles, December 6, 1968:
So there are so many sons. Brahmā was the original living being. So he created so many sons, and they created so many sons. In this way the population of the whole universe has increased. So Manu is one of the sons. There are fourteen Manus in one day of Brahmā.
Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:
Actually this is exhibited when Kṛṣṇa came. Kṛṣṇa comes here, God in His original form, in one day of Brahmā. These are very long, long narration, but first of all try to understand yourself. What is your nature? Then you will understand God automatically. Or if you are so advanced that you can understand God, then you can understand your nature also.
Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969:
Although the Lord appears on schedule, namely at the end of the Dvāpara-yuga, or the twenty-eighth millennium of the eighth Manu in one day of Brahmā, still He has no obligation to adhere to such rules and regulations because He is completely free to act in many ways at His will. He therefore appears by His own will whenever there is a predominance of irreligion and a disappearance of true religion.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, March 12, 1970:
Just like Brahmā's time. You cannot calculate one day of Brahmā because your time and his time is different. Similarly, a small microbic animal, his time and your time is different. So he cannot calculate your time. So time is relative.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Madras, February 14, 1972:
He comes in one day of Brahma after millions of years. These have been described in the śāstra. But unfortunately, although Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead explains Himself, we unfortunate creature, we take Him as ordinary person. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). That we should know. That is taught by Kṛṣṇa Himself in the form of Lord Caitanya.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 13, 1972:
The paramparā system begins from Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Fourth Chapter: imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: (BG 4.1) "I spoke first to the sun-god." It is not said, "First." Many times He has said to many predominating deities. But in this era... This is called the age of Vaivasvata Manu. There are fourteen Manus in one day of Brahmā. So Vaivasvata Manu is the eighth Manu.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 13, 1972:
There is fourteen Manus in one day of Brahmā, and this era is called Vaivasvata Manu, because he is the son of Vivasvān. And that Vivasvān is given reference in the Fourth Chapter: imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). So if you simply calculate the age of Manu it becomes forty millions of years.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, January 13, 1973:
This is, this age is Vaivasvata Manu age. There are so many things we have to learn, but we are neglecting. In one day of Brahmā, there are fourteen Manus, and each Manu's age is forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by seventy-two. So now it is the age of Vaivasvata Manu.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, December 20, 1975:
So Kṛṣṇa is so kind that he comes, in, once in..., we were calculating yesterday, what is, how many years after? You were there? Aḥ, some billions of years after. We can calculate from the śāstra because He comes once in the day of Brahmā.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, December 20, 1975:
Forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by a thousand becomes twelve hours of Brahmā, and similarly twelve hours at night, that is one day and night. Such thirty times makes one month, such twelve times makes a year, and similarly one hundred years is the duration of life of Brahmā. So according to śāstra we understand, once in the day of Brahmā, Kṛṣṇa appears.
Lecture on BG 8.15-20 -- New York, November 17, 1966:
Devotee: Swamiji, night and day... The day that's the birth of the universe and night, the dissolution, is that also Brahmā's day and night?
Prabhupāda: Just like day and night differs. Now, it... Suppose you take a small germ. At night... Of course, I do not see here. In India we find some small worms. Their duration of life is only a few hours in the night. They, they, they get their birth, they grow, and they beget children and in the morning you'll find so many worms, dead, you see, on the floor, in this month especially.
Lecture on BG 9.4-7 -- New York, November 24, 1966:
Each creation is called a kalpa. So there are many kalpas. We can, cannot calculate what is the age of one kalpa. One hint is there in the Bhagavad-gītā that in each kalpa the one day of Brahmā..., that sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ... (BG 8.17). Four hundred thousand, four hundred forty-three, forty-three hundred thousands of years into one thousand, that makes one day of Brahmā.
Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Hyderabad, April 19, 1974:
Just like we have got a fixed time for the sunrise. Everyone knows that in the morning at 6:30 there will be sunrise. That is certain. Similarly, in the śāstras there is description when Kṛṣṇa comes down, descends in this universe. In one day of Brahmā at the end of Dvāpara-yuga
Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Hyderabad, April 19, 1974:
Forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by one thousand becomes one day of Brahmā. So forty-three lakhs thousand times, add another forty-three lakhs times thousand—this is the period after which Kṛṣṇa comes.
Lecture on BG 18.67 -- Ahmedabad, December 10, 1972:
One yuga means forty-three lakhs of years. And multiply it by one thousand. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahaḥ. Now calculate. That duration is one day of Brahmā. One day means twelve hours. Similarly, another twelve hours, night. Day and night. Then again, thirty days, one month. Similarly, twelve months equal to one year. Such one thous..., one hundred years is the duration of Brahmā.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 18, 1971:
Prabhupāda: Yes. He is lord of universe. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). "I am the master of all universes."
Revatī-nandana: But His pastimes in His original form... He asked if Lord Kṛṣṇa's pastimes are displayed on planets all over the universe. So far the original form of Kṛṣṇa, that is only on one planet in one day of Brahmā. Is that correct? In one universe? I think I read somewhere that the Lord appears in His original form only once during the day of Brahmā in each universe, and that was on this planet just five thousand years ago.
Prabhupāda: Vṛndāvana.
Lecture on SB 1.3.15 -- Los Angeles, September 20, 1972:
So here is history also. This Vedic history is not that for one thousand years or two thousand years. No, not like that. One period. One millennium, Brahmā's one day, it is millions and millions of years. So just like there is night after day, day after night, similarly, the Brahmā's day, Brahmā's night, that is calculated. And one Brahmā's day.
Lecture on SB 1.3.15 -- Los Angeles, September 20, 1972:
Forty-three hundred thousands of years, little more. That is Brahmā's one day. And in that one day, 4300,000's of years, there are fourteen manus changing. So these are described here. The manu, Cākṣuṣa Manu, Vaivasvata Manu. There are fourteen manus. So the calculation is in one day of Brahmā, ah, in one month of Brahmā, there are about five thousand manus. So this calculation is taken in the duration of manu's life.
Lecture on SB 1.3.15 -- Los Angeles, September 20, 1972:
The Bhagavad-gītā was spoken long, long ago by Kṛṣṇa to the sun-god, Vivasvān. Vivasvān. They are trying to understand the historical dates. So how you can understand the historical date? It is beyond your calculation. You cannot calculate even one Brahmā's day. And in Brahmā's one day there are fourteen manus. So it is beyond your brain substance.
Lecture on SB 1.3.15 -- Los Angeles, September 20, 1972:
As I told you, there are fourteen manus within the day. Now out of that fourteen manus, this is the seventh manu. It is going on. This Vaivasvata Manu is the seventh manu. So another seven manus, when they will be finished, this one day of Brahmā will be finished, and there will be another devastation. This is the law of nature.
Lecture on SB 1.3.27 -- Los Angeles, October 2, 1972:
Kṛṣṇa said that "First of all I told to Vivasvān, the sun-god, and then he described, he handed over the knowledge to his son, Vivasvān, Vaivasvata Manu." This is the age of Vaivasvata Manu. So in one day there are fourteen Manus, in one day of Brahmā.
Lecture on SB 1.5.23 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:
Four point three billions of years this thing will go on. And then again, for... This is kṣaṇa-pralaya. (?) Kṣaṇa-pralaya means when Brahmā's day and night. But there is mahā-pralaya. That will stay we do not know how many millions of years. So this is called millennium. So Nārada Muni remembers this. Therefore he says, ahaṁ purā atīta-bhave.
Lecture on SB 3.25.41 -- Bombay, December 9, 1974:
So this knowledge, Kṛṣṇa is canvassing. He comes there occasionally. He comes once in the day of Brahmā, and the Brahmā's days is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). It means four, forty-three lakhs of years, add three zeros, some crores of years after, Kṛṣṇa comes once in Brahmā's days.
Lecture on SB 3.25.41 -- Bombay, December 9, 1974:
That is just like the sun rises early in the morning, say, after twelve years, er, twelve hours. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's coming here, there is calculation in the śāstra. He comes once in a day of Brahmā. Means some crores of years after He comes. So things deteriorate.
Lecture on SB 3.26.7 -- Bombay, December 19, 1974:
We cannot calculate even one Brahmā's day. Such one day means daytime, twelve hours; then night, twelve hours. In this one day, such month, such year, such hundred years, Brahmā lives. So this cosmic manifestation, brahmāṇḍa, universe, will stay up to that time. So there is no difference in the manipulation with this body and the Brahmā.
Lecture on SB 3.26.10 -- Bombay, December 22, 1974:
"When I appear..." There is time. In one day of Brahmā, Kṛṣṇa appears. Everything is there in the śāstra. That means some millions of years after, once Kṛṣṇa comes within this universe. And when He comes, He comes on this planet and in Vṛndāvana. Therefore Vṛndāvana is so important. This Vṛndāvana is replica of the original Vṛndāvana.
Lecture on SB 6.1.3 -- Melbourne, May 22, 1975:
Prabhupāda: So Kṛṣṇa comes after this period. (laughter) In one day, after one day of Brahma, He appears.
Devotee (8): Śrīla Prabhupāda, does Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu also appear every day of Brahma?
Prabhupāda: Yes, following Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa comes in the Dvāpara-yuga. There are four periods of each yuga: Sattva, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali. So Kṛṣṇa comes at the end of Dvāpara-yuga, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes in the Kali-yuga.
Lecture on SB 6.1.46 -- San Diego, July 27, 1975:
But we can calculate, as it is said, vivasvān manave prāhuḥ, that Vivasvān, he explained to Manu. So Manu's age we can calculate. Manu's age, there are seventy-two Manus in one day of Brahmā. And the one day of Brahmā means forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by one thousand and divided by seventy-two. Then we can immediately calculate what is Manu's age.
Lecture on SB 6.2.16 -- Vrndavana, September 19, 1975:
So Kṛṣṇa, out of His causeless mercy, He comes. At a certain interval during one day of Brahma, He comes. He exhibits His līlā, that "Anyone who desires to go back to home, back to Godhead, they can enjoy with Me like this." This is Kṛṣṇa's mission. "Come on. Why you are playing here and suffering this māyā's play? Come to the real play." This is Kṛṣṇa's mission.
Lecture on SB 7.9.5 -- Mayapur, February 25, 1977:
Just like Kṛṣṇa comes upon this earth once in Brahmā's day. So so many millions of years, Kṛṣṇa will appear again, if not personally, by His expansion, aṁśena. Caitanya Mahāprabhu will appear exactly in due course of time. Lord Rāmacandra will appear. So rāmādi mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan (Bs. 5.39). So this līlā, Nṛsiṁhadeva, that is also exactly in time.
Lecture on SB 12.2.1 -- San Francisco, March 18, 1968:
Just like there are six seasons, or four seasons in a year, similarly, in one day of Brahmā there are one hundred cycles of four yugas. Four yugas means forty-three thousand..., forty-three hundred thousands of years. It is a very long period. That is the duration of four yugas.
Lecture on SB 12.2.1 -- San Francisco, March 18, 1968:
Similarly, one thousand yugas passes, then one day of Brahmā finished, twelve hours. It is a big calculation. Anyway, there are four yugas, this Satya-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, Tretā-yuga, and Kali-yuga. So in the previous chapter, some description of these yugas have been described.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.154-157 -- New York, December 7, 1966:
Just like when sun appears in your country it takes round of twenty-four hours, similarly, when Kṛṣṇa comes on this universe, it is only in one day of Brahmā, that is, some millions and millions of years after, He comes. He has got a scheduled time also, to appear in this universe. We get information from authentic scripture.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.172 -- New York, December 14, 1966:
And each Manu is also an incarnation, Manvantarāvatāra. And such Manu takes place, fourteen Manus take place, during one day of Brahma. So Manvantarāvatāra. Then yuga avatāra. Yuga avatāra... In each yuga, during that 4,300,000's of years, there are yuga avatāra. They are the incarnation. They come. They are called yugāvatāras. And then there is śaktyāveśa-avatāra. Śaktyāveśa-avatāra, they are counted just like Lord Buddha, Jesus Christ.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.318-329 -- New York, December 22, 1966:
" Asaṅkhya. Asaṅkhya means countless. Nobody can count how many manvantarāvatāras are there. How it is so? He is explaining. Brahmāra eka-dine haya caudda manvantara: "In one day of Brahmā, in one day of Brahmā..." That you have calculated according to Bhagavad-gītā: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17).
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.318-329 -- New York, December 22, 1966:
Within that 4,300,000,000's divide into fourteen. That is the duration of one Manu. Four billion, three hundred millions divide into fourteen. That will make... That one part is the duration of a Manu.
So anyway, fourteen Manus are taking place in one day of Brahmā.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.318-329 -- New York, December 22, 1966:
They are also incarnation of the Supreme Lord. Caudda eka dine, māse cāri-śata biśa. If in one day of Brahmā there are fourteen Manus, then in one month of Brahmā it comes to cāri-śata, 420. Thirty days a month. So 420 Manus in one month of Brahmā.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.330-335 -- New York, December 23, 1966:
In different millenniums there are different Manus, and the present Manu is Vaivasvata Manu. Out of the fourteen Manus, now it is, the eighth Manu is going on at the present moment. That means this is about one o'clock in the day of Brahmā, just past noon.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.385-394 -- New York, January 1, 1967:
There are fourteen Manus in one day of Brahmā. So kṛṣṇera līlā-maṇḍala caudda manvantare. So in the fourteen maṇḍalas, the, the I mean to..., the orbit of kṛṣṇa-līlā is, I mean to say, circumambulating. So He is..., He is seen in the Manu's life, in the fourteen Manu's life.
Festival Lectures
Sri Rama-Navami, Lord Ramacandra's Appearance Day -- Hawaii, March 27, 1969:
Ananta-rūpam means millions and millions. The Manu is also incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. So in one day of Brahmā there are fourteen Manus. So Brahmā lives for one hundred years. Just see how many incarnation of Manus are there even for one Brahmā, and there are innumerable Brahmās also.
Sri Vyasa-puja -- New Vrindaban, September 2, 1972:
Kṛṣṇa, He is the origin of everything. Therefore the knowledge of perfection is also coming from Him, and periodically-periodically means after millions and millions of years—Kṛṣṇa comes. He comes once in a day of Brahmā. So Brahmā's days, even one day, the span of one day, it is very difficult to calculate.
Sri Vyasa-puja -- New Vrindaban, September 2, 1972:
The Brahmā's one day means about 433,000,000's of years. So in each day of Brahmā, Kṛṣṇa comes, once in a day. That means after a period of 433,000,000's of years He comes. Why? To give perfect knowledge of life, how a human being should live to make his life perfect.
Sri Vyasa-puja -- New Vrindaban, September 2, 1972:
Now Brahmā's one day we are passing through the twenty-eighth millennium. No, twenty-eighth... In Brahmā's day there are seventy-one Manus, and one Manu lives for... That is also many millions of years, seventy-two millenniums.
General Lectures
Lecture -- Bombay, November 2, 1970:
You know Vṛndāvana-dhāma. When Kṛṣṇa comes... About forty-three crores of years interval, Kṛṣṇa comes. This estimation, these things are there. Kṛṣṇa comes in one day of Brahmā. The duration of Brahmā's day, you know. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17).
Lecture -- Bombay, November 2, 1970:
This means forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by one thousand. That is the duration of one day of Brahmā. And similarly, the duration of his night. So Kṛṣṇa comes in one day during that duration. So when Kṛṣṇa comes, He comes here the same place, Vṛndāvana. Therefore Vṛndāvana is held in so much estimation by the devotees.
Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972:
"I appear in every millennium." According to Vedic scripture, Kṛṣṇa appears on this planet in one day of Brahmā. And Brahmā's duration of life is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. It is a very, very long period. His one day, daytime, twelve hours, from morning to evening, is described sahasra-yuga-paryantam arhad yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17).
Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, January 14, 1973:
You know Vṛndāvana-dhāma. When Kṛṣṇa comes... About forty-three crores of years' interval Kṛṣṇa comes. This estimation, these things are there. Kṛṣṇa comes in one day of Brahmā. The duration of Brahmā's day you know, that is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17).
Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, January 14, 1973:
This means forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by one thousand. That is the duration of one day of Brahmā. And similarly, the duration of his night. So Kṛṣṇa comes in one day during that duration. So when Kṛṣṇa comes, He comes here the same place, Vṛndāvana. Therefore Vṛndāvana is held in so much estimation by the devotees.
Philosophy Discussions
Philosophy Discussion on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz:
Prabhupāda: Therefore at the end, Brahmaloka, it is stated that twelve hours of the day of Brahmā is incalculable by us. Immediately in the higher planets, suppose if one goes to the moon planet, he gets immediately ten thousand years duration of life, and their year, our six months is equal to their one day. Such years. So there are better, more comfortable situations than here in the higher planetary systems.
Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:
Prabhupāda: So millions and trillions and billions of years, that is not very astonishing to us, because it is not even one day of Brahmā. That Brahmā was born, and intelligent philosophy is still existing from the date of Brahmā's birth. Brahmā was first educated by God. That is our calculation.
Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:
Prabhupāda: After one day of Brahmā there is devastation. So Brahmā lives for one hundred years according to his calculation. So each day there is devastation. So so many devastation passes in one month of Brahmā, then such twelve months makes one year, and such hundred years will be. So there is no calculation of devastation, how many devastations.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation with Indonesian Scholar -- February 27, 1973, Jakarta:
Prabhupāda: Four billion years is twelve hours of Brahmā's life.
Scholar: Just one day only.
Prabhupāda: One day only. Similarly one night. Then one day.
Scholar: Eight billion years one day of Brahmā.
Prabhupāda;: Yes. So that is the calculation.
Prabhupāda: But because we are interested in Kṛṣṇa, we do not take very much care of this higher standard of life. So higher planetary system means many, many thousand times better standard of life. Many, many thousand times. Just like Brahmaloka, the one day of Brahmā, described, you cannot even calculate mathematically.
Prabhupāda: What is the purport? Read.
Śrutakīrti: The duration of the material universe is limited. It is manifested in cycles of kalpas. A kalpa is a day of Brahmā and one day of Brahmā consists of a thousand cycles of four yugas or ages, Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali.
Prabhupāda: In the higher planetary system also, the four rules, birth, death, old age and disease, they are also there. The life is long duration.
Morning Walk -- August 30, 1973, London:
Prabhupāda: Veda means knowledge. Vetti veda-vid jñāne. Jñāna means knowledge. That means the history of Veda means from the date of creation of this material world. Now find out the date of creation of the material world. Approximately, nobody can give what is the date of. We can, we cannot... Date of Brahmā, he got the, first of all, the Vedic knowledge. Now, one day of Brahmā you cannot calculate. One day of Brahmā. When Brahmā's night is there, there is devastation up to some extent. So again in the daytime of Brahmā, that creation takes place.
Morning Walk -- December 10, 1973, Los Angeles:
Svarūpa Dāmodara: But they calculate that it's only 4.5 billion year old, the earth.
Prabhupāda: Let them calculate, but who cares for that? They cannot calculate even one day of Brahmā.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: So we do not accept this?
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: We do not accept this.
Prabhupāda: How can I accept it? Because in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ: (BG 8.17) "The Brahmā's one day is equal to one thousand combination of yugas." The combination of yuga means forty-three-hundred thousands of years. So such thousand times makes Brahmā's one day of twelve hours. Similar period, his night.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Morning Walk -- April 1, 1974, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: Now He explaining what is Brahmaloka. That one day of Brahmā, you cannot calculate. And still, you have to die.
Dr. Patel: Twelve hundred yugas is called one Brahmā.
Chandobhai: So our hundred years is nothing for...
Prabhupāda: It is nothing.
Morning Walk -- April 6, 1974, Bombay:
Yaśomatīnandana: 28th day of Brahmā. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...Yes. 28th or 27th. 27th Dvāpara-yuga. (break) Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). This is kṣatriya's business: to establish religious principles and to kill the demons. This is kṣatriya's business. And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He appeared as a brāhmaṇa. So He did not kill anybody. Although He was just about to kill Jagāi and Mādhāi, but Nityānanda Prabhu restrained that "In this incarnation You have promised not to kill."
Morning Walk -- June 13, 1974, Paris:
Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: I think we must be extraordinarily fortunate that Lord Kṛṣṇa, He appears once in a day of Brahmā, and He appeared just five thousand years ago. And then Lord Caitanya just appeared five hundred years ago, and we have an opportunity to associate with Them.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Always remember this grace of Lord and utilize it.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- March 1, 1975, Atlanta:
Rūpānuga: This other question. During the day of Brahmā at the end of every Manu there's a partial devastation of the planets up to earth and celestial, right? Now, at that time there's like a flood, and the animals that are in their particular stage of transmigration of the living entities, their bodies are all killed. Now, at that time, when the end of that period is over, how are the bodies manifest? This is a question Richard Prabhu was asking.
Prabhupāda: There is no body. They are reserved in the Viṣṇu's body. And again, when there is creation, they come out. And therefore matter comes from the spirit. Matter is there, creation, matter. So take advantage of the matter. Just like the cloth is there. You cut it according (to) your body, and there is a coat. The spiritual body is already there.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
'Life Comes From Life' Slideshow Discussions -- July 3, 1976, Washington, D.C.:
Sadāpūta: Are there different meanings, this day of Brahmā? Are there different creations and annihilations of species? Different Manus, they are sometimes flooding the whole earth.
Prabhupāda: There are different, when Brahmā goes to sleep, that is one kind of devastation, and when he dies there is one kind. And during Brahmā's days there are other devastations, manvantara.
'Life Comes From Life' Slideshow Discussions -- July 3, 1976, Washington, D.C.:
Prabhupāda: Different classes of devastation. There are many devastations during Brahmā's day, and there is another devastation during Brahmā's sleep, and another devastation when Brahmā dies.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: And during different Manus also.
Prabhupāda: That is day. Such devastation takes place during Brahmā's day. Fourteen Manus.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Do we know that in detail, Śrīla Prabhupāda? What type of species are extinct? Not all the species extinct. As it is during Brahmā's day, that partial annihilation, devastation, now some species are extinct?
Prabhupāda: No species extinct.
Room Conversation -- July 5, 1976, Washington, D.C.:
Rūpānuga: In the day of, one day of Brahmā, there are fourteen Manus. And in the course of creation, re-creation of the same species from the previous day—they are re-creating the same species—it takes, there's some time, maybe one Manu, there's some species that are finished, but the next Manu...
Prabhupāda: That doesn't mean time. What is this Manu?
Rūpānuga: No, no, I'm saying this is what really happened, right? So we were thinking that we could show one day, this is one day, one day of Brahmā...
Prabhupāda: No, you do not think what is actually there, you can say. You do not be a speculator.
Rūpānuga: No, no, but from the Bhāgavatam we have taken it, and broken down the day of Brahmā.
Prabhupāda: Whether they will accept it or not, that is the question.
Room Conversation -- July 5, 1976, Washington, D.C.:
Sadāpūta: The scientists say it goes back six hundred million years.
Prabhupāda: That is also imperfect. If we study Brahmā's day, it will be all... Brahmā's day is, one day equal to forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by thousand, that is Brahmā's one day. So thirty days, one month, and twelve months equal to year, such hundred years. Your mathematics will fail to figure out. Is it not? (laughter)
Rūpānuga: There is a slide of this, but we did not show you. The idea is that this is the beginning of Brahmā's day up to present, Vaivasvata Manu. This is the beginning of time according to them. They can't explain anything up to here. They say here, in the middle of the day of Raivata Manu, they begin their Cambrian Age.
Prabhupāda: No, why Raivata Manu? They are imperfect.
Morning Walk -- July 9, 1976, Washington D.C.:
Devotee: At the end of Manu's day, when there is flood?
Prabhupāda: End of the day of Brahmā. End of fourteen Manus.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation -- January 27, 1977, Puri:
Prabhupāda: Therefore this creation is another mercy of Kṛṣṇa. That I was reading this night. One creation, so many millions of years... There is calculation. One Brahmā's day, twelve hours, you cannot calculate. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). One yuga—forty-three hundred thousand years—one yuga, thousand times. Forty-three hundred thousand years equal to one yuga. Such thousand times. That is Brahmā's twelve hours. Then another twelve hours, night. That is also another trouble, when Brahmā's night. Everything merge into water, pralaya-payodhi-jale. Not all the planet. At least half the universe plunge into water.
Correspondence
1968 Correspondence
Letter to Aniruddha -- San Francisco 9 April, 1968:
So similarly in creation, there is different kinds of bodies for working, and whenever there is no creation they remain in their own spiritual body sleeping. No, there is no complete annihilation at the end of Kali yuga, there may be some disturbances, but not complete annihilation. There are thousands of Kali yugas in every day of Brahma, and they come and go just like seasonal changes.
Letter to Jadurani -- Montreal 9 July, 1968:
So, Krishna appears only once in a day of Brahma, and that takes a rotation of unlimited trillions of solar years. So some incidences take place in one day, and other incidents take place in another day. Just like we do something today, something else in a week, and we forget today's action tomorrow, and tomorrow's action after a week.
Letter to Tosana Krsna -- Seattle 7 October, 1968:
Regarding your question about this planet and Krishna's coming here, you may note that Krishna comes within this universe once in one day of Brahma. Duration of Brahma's day is very very long, it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita—432 crores of years forms the duration of 12 hours of Brahma's day.
1969 Correspondence
Letter to Charles McCollough -- Los Angeles 12 February, 1969:
For example, Brahma's day is calculated as thousands of our years. In one day of Brahma there are millions of our pasts, presents, and futures. So this is all relativity, whereas in the spiritual world, there is no such relativity. Therefore, time has no such influence in the spiritual world.
1970 Correspondence
Letter to Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 14 May, 1970:
Actually Krsna's planet and Krsna's pastimes are going on eternally, and the same is manifested before the conditioned souls at certain intervals, that is to say once in one day of Brahma, exactly as the sun is visible for 12 hours once in a 24 hour cycle of day and night. When the sun is visible it is called prakata, and when the sun is not visible that is called aprakata or unmanifested.
1972 Correspondence
Letter to Surasrestha -- Los Angeles 14 June, 1972:
Lord Mohammed is accepted by us as Saktyavesa Avatar, but we do not recognize the Bahai faith. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu appears once in the day of Brahma or whenever He is required to come. So far attending pujas at the houses of the Hindus there we can go and hold our kirtana but we should not take prasadam there. We can accept raw materials and take them to our temple but we should not accept any prasadam prepared by them.
Letter to Aksayananda -- Vrndavana October 27, 1972:
You can calculate how old is Lord Brahma. It is very difficult to say, but only one day of Brahma in which we are, that has not yet passed. We have come in the middle of his one day. We find in Bhagavad-gita that Brahma's one day is equal to 1000 times 400,300 years.
1977 Correspondence
Letter to VARIOUS -- Unknown Place Unknown Date:
You can calculate how old is Lord Brahma. It is very difficult to say but only one day of Brahma in which we are, that has not yet passed. We have come in the middle of his first day. We find in Bhagavad-gita that Brahma's one day is equal to 1000 times 400,300 years.
taken from here