The Power of Time & Fate:- As early as the Rg. Veda, there is evidence of a preoccupation with the destructive aspect of time. Among the most poctic of the Rg Vedic hymns are those dedicated to Usas, the personification of dawn. According to the text, who with her daily arrival epitomizes the passage of time, “destroys human generations,” & shortens the life of humans. Later, in the Brahmanas, the sacrificer who wanted to attain immortality had to overcome or “obtain” the year, which was the basic unit of time & its principal manifestation, & which was now sometimes said to be death itself. The Mahabharata & The Yuga Theory :- I have dealt at some length with the meaning & importance of time & destiny in the Mahabharata becaues, as will become clear further on, this will help us clarify the relationship between the Epic & the yuga system. In Puranic Hinduism, as well as in all other later developments based on it, the Mahabharata plays a fundamental role in the yuga scheme, as the events it chronicles are considered to mark the end of the Dvapara Yuga & the beginning of our present Kali Yuga. Moreover, it is a common belife in the Puranas that the Kali Yuga started precisely at the moment of Krsna’s death, so the Epic plays a pivotal role in both traditional histury & the mythology of the yugas. Thus, for traditional Hinduism—and for many modern scholars as well—the yuga theory forms an integral part of the Mahabharata. The Term kali & the Dice Throws:- It is important to remember that, besided being the name of the worst yuga, the term kali is very closely linked to the game of dice, & dice play a significant rolein the Epic. Kali is the name of the losing theow, but the word can also mean misfortune, discord, quarrel, & even war. It can refe to the personification of bad luck, of discord, or of the losing theow itself &, as an adjective, it indicates the worst of something. All of these meanings are used in the Epic, & it is sometimes not clear which one is intended. It is important not to assume that a reference to the Kali Yuga is obvious each time the word is used. Let us look at some relevant examples. (MOTILAL BANARSIDASS)