yugas and colours

[George Hart]

 From ParipaTal 3, about the 3rd or 4th century BCE:

Your wonder is such that you are counted
through four kinds of eons: zero, quarter, half, one, two
three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine!  Black one
with red eyes!  White one with black eyes!  Green one
with golden eyes!  Dark one with green eyes!

George Hart

On Oct 30, 2009, at 11:10 PM, Dominic Goodall wrote:

> 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