• How did our ancestors understand concept of Time and how does it compare with the West? Time is not something to be controlled. Instead it must be embraced.

Time rules our lives. We chase it, measure it, and fear its passage. We structure our existence around calendars and clocks, probably convinced that time is a straight road that leads us from birth to death.

But what if this perception is an illusion? What if the way we experience time today is nothing more than a modern construct—one that disconnects us from the deeper, more profound reality of time as understood by our ancestors? 

In my book Kāla Darśana: Building Blocks of Time, I explore how ancient Indian civilisation perceived time—not as a mechanical sequence, but as a living force that governs existence itself. Time is not an arrow. Time is not a clock. Time is a rhythm, a cycle. 

Time is a force that shapes, binds, and ultimately, liberates us. Imagine a monkey walking on the sharp edge of a sword, carefully trying to maintain balance while avoiding raindrops falling from the sky. This delicate act mirrors our modern relationship with time-constantly struggling to manage it, control it, and bend it to our will. But time is something we cannot control. Actually, time controls us.

In Indian thought, time was never seen as a linear construct. Instead, it was understood as Kālacakra —the Wheel of Time—an eternal cycle where everything-celestial movements, civilisations, human consciousness move in predictable rhythms. 

Contrast this with how time is perceived in the West. There, time is a one-way street, moving from past to future. It is something to be spent, saved, wasted, or lost—an economic unit rather than a cosmic force. This view has shaped how we think about everything from history to progress. However, it creates a disconnect between how we measure time and actually experience it.

In Vedic thought, time is not just a dimension-it is a Devata, a force unto itself. Mahākāla, the Great Dissolver, is the very essence of time, ensuring that everything that is created must also dissolve. The four Yugas-Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali—are not just historical epochs but cosmic cycles, breathing in and out like the very lungs of the universe. 

In Kali Yuga, time accelerates, wisdom declines, and human consciousness becomes fragmented—but this is not the end. It is simply the turn of the cycle. Just as the seasons change, so too does the flow of time. 

Modern physics is only now catching up with these insights. The relativity of time, the illusion of past and future, the role of consciousness in shaping time—all of these ideas, central to quantum physics and modern cosmology, are deeply embedded within Vedic texts. 

Who decided that a day must have 24 hours or year 365 days? These are not inherent truths but human constructs—useful for organising life, but fundamentally artificial. 

In ancient India, time was measured through the movement of celestial bodies, through the rhythms of nature, through the pulse of existence itself. Ayurvedic timekeeping, as discussed in Kāla Darśana, was based not on numbers but on harmony.

For instance, the Doshas (Vāta, Pitta, Kapha) fluctuate with the movement of the Sun and Moon, determining the best times for eating, sleeping, and working. This wasn’t “spiritual mysticism”—it was an observational science, rooted in centuries of experience. Yet today, we have replaced these natural rhythms with artificial schedules, completely severing ourselves from time’s natural flow. 

Modern civilisation treats time as if it was a human invention, but in reality, it governs the entire universe. Ancient Indian texts recorded time with astonishing accuracy—from the smallest fraction (Truti) to the lifespan of Brahmā (Maha Kalpa).

The Sūrya Siddhānta (6-8^th century) describes planetary movements with a precision that rivals modern calculations. Ancient Indian knowledge of Ahorātra (day-night cycles), equinoxes and celestial periods, and the impact of cosmic cycles on human health and consciousness was not philosophy alone—it was a rigorous science that guided everything from temple architecture to the most basic elements of daily life. 

By abandoning this knowledge, we have thrown ourselves into chaos. We are obsessed with speed, deadlines, and productivity, yet we remain deeply unfulfilled.

We have designed our world around mechanical time—but we live in biological and cosmic time. Consequence! Stress, anxiety and exhaustion are the norm. We try to "manage" time, but time is not meant to be managed—it is meant to be understood.

Unless we realign ourselves with time’s natural rhythms, we will continue to feel lost, disconnected, and exhausted—running, yet never arriving. 

The solution is not to reject modernity, but to restore our understanding of time’s true nature.

Kāla Darśana explores how we can recalibrate our perception of time, how to reintegrate cosmic rhythms into daily life, and how to recognise time not as an enemy, but as a guide.

Imagine if we lived by the cycles of the Moon rather than the tyranny of the alarm clock. Imagine if we measured progress not by arbitrary numbers but by wisdom gained and harmony restored.

Time is not something to be controlled. It is something to be embraced.

We do not keep time. Time keeps us.

And until we acknowledge that truth, we will remain lost—chasing after illusions, forever running, yet never arriving. 

Kāla Darśana is more than a book—it is a journey into the heart of time itself. 

Through the lens of Vedic wisdom, modern science, and lived experience, it reveals a truth that has been forgotten, but never lost.

To rediscover time is to rediscover ourselves. It is time to wake up.

It is time to remember KALA.

To read about book Kala Darsana - The Lost Wisdom of Time   

To buy book online

To buy Kala Gati: The Cosmic Flow of Time and History

Earlier best seller was Lost Wisdom of the Swastika