yugas and colours

[JKirkpatrick]

Here you can see a photo of durva grass:
http://tinyurl.com/yamfzx2 

It is (by our naming) "green". One of the problems with colors is
that black, blue and green often are conflated in the same term.
Or "dark" might mean green. 
And in some areas green and yellow share the same term.
So here, I'd guess (in terms of the way 'we" perceive color),
dvapara would be green, not 
"black as durva grass". 

krta--color of conch or milk--= white
treta--like gold = yellow
dvapara --durva grass = green (elsewhere, blue or dark blue)
kali= kaajal--usually  there's little variation with real black.

The missing color here is red.

But, like classification of foods according to their warmth or
coldness, dryness or moisture, etc.,  these color classifications
will show variation.

Joanna K.
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Indology [mailto:INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk] On Behalf Of
Luis Gonzalez-Reimann
Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2009 6:34 PM
To: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
Subject: Re: yugas and colours

The /Balacarita/ of Bhasa also mentions Narayana/Visnu's changing
colors in the yugas in its opening lines:

Krta: the color of conch or milk
Treta: shiny like gold
Dvapara: black as durva grass
Kali: black as collyrium

Luis González-Reimann
_____

on 10/31/2009 1:30 PM Luis Gonzalez-Reimann wrote:
> The colors in 3.148, mentioned by Harunaga, are:
>
> Krta: white
> Treta: red
> Dvapara: yellow
> Kali: black
>
> But there is a different version in Mbh 3.187.31:
>
> Krta: white
> Treta: yellow
> Dvapara: red
> Kali: black
>
> Where the colors for Treta and Dvapara are reversed.
>
> I discuss this in my book /The Mahabharata and the Yugas/ (pp.
103, 
> 114-116).
>
> Luis González-Reimann
> _____
>
> on 10/31/2009 12:29 PM Harunaga Isaacson wrote:
>> And it is in the MBh, not only in passages excluded from the
critical 
>> edition (such as that which DG quoted), but also in 3.148
("sukla in 
>> vs. 16, rakta in 23, piita in 26, and k.r.s.na in 33).
>>
>> Harunaga Isaacson
>>
>>
>> Peter Bisschop wrote:
>>> It is found in the Vi.s.nudharma (edition R. Gruenendahl):
>>> 104.27 ("sukla), 104.35 (rakta), 104.38 (piita), 104.45
(k.r.s.na)
>>>
>>> Peter Bisschop
>>>
>>> Quoting Dominic Goodall <dominic.goodall at GMAIL.COM>:
>>>
>>>> Dear all,
>>>>
>>>> Can anybody tell me whether the notion that Vi.s.nu changes
colour 
>>>> in each yuga predates the Bhaagavatapuraa.na?
>>>>
>>>> BhP_10.08.013/1 aasan var.naas trayo hy asya g.rh.nato
'nuyuga.m 
>>>> tanuu.h
>>>> BhP_10.08.013/3 "suklo raktas tathaa piita idaanii.m
k.r.s.nataa.m 
>>>> gata.h
>>>>
>>>> I find it in a few passages excluded from the critical text
of the 
>>>> Mahaabhaarata, e.g.
>>>>
>>>> 13*0002_01 ya.h "svetatvam upaagata.h k.rtayuge tretaayuge 
>>>> raktataa.m
>>>> 13*0002_02 yugme ya.h kapila.h kalau sa bhagavaan
k.r.s.natvam 
>>>> abhyaagata.h
>>>>
>>>> Does anybody know of any demonstrably early references?
>>>>
>>>> Dominic Goodall
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>