The different states of matter are guided by eternal kala (time), which repeats general events ranging from a moment to the lifespan of the universe, which is cyclically created and destroyed.
- Prakriti (primal matter) remains mixed for a maha-kalpa (life of Brahma) of 311.04 trillion years, and is followed by a maha-pralaya (great dissolution) of equal length.
- The universe (matter) remains manifested for a kalpa (day of Brahma) of 4.32 billion years, and is followed by a pralaya (partial dissolution, a.k.a. night of Brahma) of equal length.
- Each kalpa has 15 sandhya (junctures of great flooding) and 14 manvantara (age of Manu, progenitor of mankind), each manvantara lasting 306.72 million years.
- Each kalpa has 1,000 and each manvantara has 71 chatur-yuga (epoch, a.k.a. maha-yuga), each lasting 4.32 million years and divided into four yugas (dharmic ages):
- satya-yuga,
- treta-yuga,
- dvapara-yuga and
- kali-yuga, of which we are currently in kali-yuga lasting 432,000 years.