Kal as time is immensely important as all ceremonies and occasions are performed at a time carefully calculated to be 'auspicious'.
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It is believed that if, while performing a rite, a man does not mention the lunar day, month, fortnight and the occasion, he will not reap the benefit of the rite.
Time is said to have existed even before creation. It is believed to be the source of primordial water and the progenitor of the creator. It has no beginning and no end and is like an ever-rolling wheel. There are various mythical divisions of time, such as yugas, mahayugas, manvantaras, kalpas and mahakalpas. According to the theory of the yugas, one human year (360 days according to the lunar calendar) is equal to one day in the life of the gods. One year of the gods is equal to one day in the life of Brahma, called a kalpa. A hundred years of Brahma is the life span of one Brahma, after which he dies and a new Brahma is created by the Supreme Being.
Time has also been divided on the basis of mathematics and astronomy. According to one theory, a solar day or vara is divided into 60 ghatikas (of 24 minutes each), a ghatika is divided into 60 pals, a pal into 60 vipalas and a vipala into 60 pratipalas. A pratipala is the smallest division of time and is equivalent to about 0.006 seconds. Both Shiva and Vishnu are regarded as forms of cosmic time.
The term kal is also used for fate (kismat). Fatalism is a popular doctrine which states that actions performed in a former life predefine events in the next (see also Moksha).
Destruction is also associated with kal. A particularly grim saying goes: "Vinasha kale viparita buddhi" - When it is time for someone's destruction, his fate makes him behave irrationally, with disastrous consequences.
