According to Sri Yukteswar, time is cyclic, in two 12000 year arcs, one ascending, one descending. This means that 24000 years ago on the date the humanity would have had to be if not identical then at least in a very similar condition than we are now. Right? A question arises: If people had similar infrastructure, technology brought about by the mind and it's abilities, then there should be some kind of relics of that time findable even now. Right?
—Karl, Finland
Dear Karl,
This is an important and often asked question, but one for which there is little basis for a factual answer, and very little to draw on from the teachings of Yogananda. Swami Kriyananda tells us that Paramhansa Yogananda did endorse the existence of Atlantis, but left us no details. Scientific paleo-climate studies show that more than four precessional cycles have passed since the earth as a whole was as warm as it has been since the close of the last ice age, an event that occurred during the most recent Satya Yuga. What this means is that great expanses of land that may have been home to lost civilizations such as Lemuria and Mu are now under water from the melted ice. The yuga traditions themselves worldwide speak of great destruction at the changes of ages, so remains may be hard to find.
Also the civilizations of prior cycles may have developed along lines so very different from our own that we might not even recognize their artifacts for what they are even if the establishment paradigm of linear development did not blind archaeologists to the possibility of technologically advanced cultures in ancient times. We may be looking for the wrong things: We might expect material artifacts from the Kali ages, energy or space-related artifacts from the Dwapara yugas (think machines or magic), time and mind-related artifacts from the Treta ages (think original astrology or the Rig Veda) etc. Artifacts from the descending Dwapara yuga cultures (e.g. dynastic Egypt) are very different from artifacts from our own Dwapara time and there might be even greater difference from one cycle to the next.
Blessings,
Byasa
