The Worst Year in History (536 AD), the Yugas, and the Myths and Folklore
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The intention of this content is to expand awareness about certain places, myths and stories told at some point by humanity. Much of the information may not be scientifically supported or may contradict current theories. Knowledge, throughout history, is constantly updated, constructed or replaced when there is greater understanding. Therefore, we want to build a serious approach, within free thought, and in its use in a beneficial way for collective evolution. If you like this content, please consider to follow us on Instagram and Youtube for more.
In our brief existence on Planet Earth, we take food, pure water and even sunlight, so vital for existence, for granted.
But, this was not always the case. At certain moments in history, not because of wars or conflicts, but because of unpredictable events, man has gone through profound difficulties and necessary transformations to continue existing.
These moments were, to say the least, catastrophic for different civilizations, and, as far as we know, some came to an end. Even in the realm of the unknown, we have myths and legends told about floods, falling stars and fireballs, as well as recurring endings and beginnings.
In this content I want to shed light on this interesting subject, inspired by yet another Timeline documentary and bordered by science, without losing sight of folklore and oral history passed down by man for millennia. Embark with us on this journey into the unknown!
Why was 536 the worst year in history? Were there others?
536 is considered one of the worst years in recorded history, due to a series of natural disasters that caused widespread famine and death. It is hypothesized that a volcanic eruption in Iceland produced a huge ash plume that spread across Europe and Asia and blocked out the sun, leading to a severe and prolonged period of cooling known as the "536 Dust Veil". This caused crop failures and famine, leading to widespread death and suffering, particularly in Europe and the Mediterranean region.
In addition to the volcanic eruption, there were also several other natural disasters in 536, including earthquakes, severe weather, pests and locust plagues that further aggravated the already dire situation. The combination of these events had a profound impact on global civilization and triggered a decades-long period of instability and decline also known as the Dark Ages.
Overall, 536 is remembered as a turning point in history, marking the beginning of a dark period for much of the world and highlighting the fragility of human civilization in the face of natural disasters.
In his studies, John of Ephesus wrote:
"The sun was darkened and its darkness lasted 18 months".
Procopius, the Byzantine historian, stated:
“During this year a most terrible omen occurred. For the Sun gave its light without brightness, like the Moon, all this year, and looked very much like the Sun in eclipse, for the rays it shed were not clear.”
Scientific evidences and the possible existence of “other worst years”
There are many scientific evidences on historical dates. 536 is one of them, but there are several others, quite recent, like the explosion of the Krakatoa volcano that decimated the island in 1883; The explosion of the island of Santorini between 1650-1450 BC that threw chaos across Europe in the Bronze Age; And even some remarkable events like the supposed meteor that started the extinction of the dinosaurs tens of millions of years ago.
All these catastrophes are properly documented and are being especially elucidated in the last 50 years. What they have in common is that they are not so close and most of them have a limited effect on humanity.
Small catastrophes usually happen at shorter intervals. The Tunguska Impact, major Solar Storms and some massive earthquakes and eruptions have happened in the last 100 to 200 years. In windows of 1000 years, we will possibly have more terrible events, still under study, as the cause of the “worst year in history”.
But what about when we go 10000 years back? Can we count on true “reset” events? At this threshold, we have, scientifically, the end of an Ice Age and the mass extinction of several specimens of mega fauna and even small civilizations.
Drillings in glaciers across the globe show that a layer of soot and ash is present at this time like a fingerprint of a cataclysm. Furthermore, the flood myth and landscape scars in many places in the Americas and Europe show that this event could be as terrible as recounted in legends.
The reasoning follows from there. The big question is: When will the next one be and how big will it be?
Cycles (Yugas) of Yukteswar and existing myths
The Yukteswar Cycles or Yuga Cycles of Time are a very interesting tool that was “received” by Sri Yukteswar and was published in his work “The Sacred Science” in the 19th century.
There is a connection between the year 536 and several other events in the Yukteswar cycles. According to this map, humanity is believed to go through a repetitive cycle of creation and destruction, with each cycle lasting thousands of years. These cycles are known as Yugas, or the theory of Yugas.
The Cycle of Yugas According to Sri Yukteswar
In the Yukteswar system, there are four main yugas, each with a different duration and corresponding level of spiritual advancement. The shortest and darkest yuga is the Kali Yuga. According to this system, the year 536 falls exactly at the turning point of the Kali Yuga, which is considered a time of darkness, chaos and spiritual ignorance. There are other moments of rise and fall that also coincide with mysterious historical moments and other catastrophes present in oral traditions.
For example, something catastrophic happened in the eastern Mediterranean around 1200 BC. as the end of Dwapara approached (possibly the explosion of Santorini).
All prominent civilizations in the region collapsed in a very short window of time. Greece was thrown into a period of the Dark Ages, the Hittite empire of Anatolia (now Turkey) declined, the Mycenaean civilization collapsed, many kingdoms no longer existed. Those who survived, mainly the Egyptians, were greatly weakened. Many scholars have searched for a single cause without success. The only clue is that a series of earthquakes, uprisings, migrations, climate change, trade disruptions all contributed to this collapse. [1]
The Fall of Atlantis
Leaving the strictly materialist field, we have Plato's account in Timaeus and Critias with the fall of Atlantis. I have already discussed this point in another content and I will not dwell here. The point is that this iconic date (11500 BC) also coincides with the great rise and fall of the Satya Yuga, marked as an era of extreme wisdom, empowerment and contact with the gods.
It is scientifically known that around that date the Younger Dryas also happened, possibly caused by impacts from a large bolide that broke up when entering our atmosphere. [2] This event culminated in the end of the last ice age, causing profound climate changes, geographic catastrophes and even extinction of species across the globe.
Representation of the impact field of the Younger Dryas event, coincidentally in the North Atlantic
The correlations are huge, but there is still a lack of historical evidence that goes beyond philosophical accounts and myths to the unanswered question: would there be an evolved civilization that was swept away by means of this reset? Would this knowledge have been bequeathed to small groups spread across the globe?
Mayan calendar cycles
Likewise the Mayans believed in great cycles of destruction and rebirth. Proof of this is the large calendar, already famous for its figurines on fridge magnets, handicrafts and others.
Basically this calendar shows, in the same way as the Cycles of Yugas, a circular time where the beginnings and ends of an era are marked by great movements and natural revolutions. The dates can also be inferred from there, and recently it even generated a frisson among people with the year 2012 where it was believed that the “end of the world” would happen at the solstice.
The Mayan Calendar and the 4 Great Cycles
The Mahabharata and Mohenjo Daro
Finally, we leave here a reflection on one of the most read texts in the world, the Mahabharata, one of the foundations of Hindu folklore and knowledge.
“Gurkha, flying in a swift and mighty vimana, hurled a single projectile charged with the power of the Universe. An incandescent column of smoke and flames, as bright as ten thousand suns, rose in all its splendor.
It was an unknown weapon, an iron ray, a gigantic messenger of death, which reduced the whole race of the Vrishnis and the Andhakas to ashes. The corpses were so burned as to be unrecognizable.
Hair and nails fell out; the pottery broke without apparent cause, and the birds turned white. After a few hours all food was infected. To escape this fire the soldiers threw themselves into streams to wash themselves and their equipment.”
Today, if we visit the city of Mohenjo Daro (translates as Mount of the Dead), in present-day Pakistan, you will see clear signs of a sudden destruction where there was no time for defenses, nor escapes. The resemblance is great with Pompeii, which I had the opportunity to see with my own eyes. Like other places of great population and ancient knowledge, Mohenjo Daro still hides mysteries not deciphered by the common man.
Ruins of Mohenjo Daro, Wikipedia, by Junhi Han.
An interesting curiosity is that Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Manhattan Project, is considered one among others who were the “father of the atomic bomb”. He learned Sanskrit in 1933 and read the Bhagavad Gita in the original.
Shortly after the Manhattan Project, Dr. Oppenheimer addressed students at the University of Rochester. One of the students asked him a specific question, whether his experience was the world's first nuclear explosion.
He thoughtfully replied, “Well…. Yes, in modern times, of course…”.
Conclusions
We still know little about events that provoked profound changes in the way of living, thinking and acting of humanity. Even less can we predict them.
Even if science is still evolving in this regard and carefully seeking evidence, myths and oral reports bring stories that surprisingly coincide with great milestones already openly discussed among materialists.
Once again, we must be careful with readings and apocalyptic predictions that are not very serious and whose objective is only to gather curious and uninformed people. On the other hand, we must not ignore the countless stories that, even in locations so far apart, point to the same thing: We live in cyclical times, more or less serious, as stated in the law of rhythm and in the observation of nature itself.
To the next! The truth is out there!
[2] The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis: A requiem - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012825211000262?via%3Dihub