Question: Prahlad Maharaj says in Srimad Bhagavatam 7.6.6 that the life of a person is 100 years and he passes his days so and so… Isn’t it that the pastime of Prahalad Maharaj happened in the Satya Yuga when the duration of life was 100 thousand years? Also, in Bhagavatam 7.9.34 also he says that Brahma searched the origin of lotus for 100 years.
My confusion is if the pastime happened here in the earthly planet why did Prahalad Maharaj give a reference of 100 years and if it is so then do the persons in satya yuga lived for 100 years as per their calculation?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
In the purport of SB 7.6.6, Srila Prabhupada, mentions that the material world is a relative world, and its relative moments of time are different.
Similarly, the sanskrit phrase “varsa-satam” (found repeatedly in SB, and consistently translated as “one hundred years”) is context-sensitive: it must be understood in terms of the entity’s location within the heirarchy of life forms, as well as the particular Yuga under consideration.
Below is what Srila Prabhupada mentions in the purport:
“Lord Brahma, a human being and an ant all live for one hundred years, but their lifetimes of one hundred years are different from one another. This world is a relative world, and its relative moments of time are different. Thus, the one hundred years of Brahma are not the same as the one hundred years of a human being. … Thus the varsa-satam, or one hundred years, are relatively different according to time, person and circumstances. As far as human beings are concerned, the calculation given here is right for the general public.”
Does this mean Varsa Satam for Prahalad Maharaj means 100,000 years, And for Pariksit Maharaj it meant 1000 years in the context of this verse?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
Almost correct. As mentioned in the earlier answer above, Varsa Satam is a relative term. It was 100,000 years during Prahlada Maharaj’s yuga which is Satya Yuga and it is 1000 years for Dvapara yuga and 100 years for Kali Yuga. When Pariksit Maharaj began to rule, Kali Yuga had already begun, thus Varsa Satam would mean 100 years for him.
