lifespan 100,000 years

In the Satya-yuga people generally lived for 100,000 years. Dhruva Maharaja's ruling the world for 36,000 years was quite possible in those days.    (More...)

The description of King Uttanapada's palace depicts the state of affairs many hundreds and thousands of years ago, long before Srimad-Bhagavatam was compiled. Since it is described that Maharaja Dhruva ruled for 36,000 years, he must have lived in the Satya-yuga, when people lived for 100,000 years. The life durations in the four yugas are also mentioned in the Vedic literature. In the Satya-yuga people used to live for 100,000 years, in the Treta-yuga people lived for 10,000 years, in Dvapara-yuga they lived for 1,000 years, and in this age, Kali-yuga, people may live up to 100 years. With the progressive advance of each new yuga, the duration of human life is reduced by ninety percent-from 100,000 to 10,000, from 10,000 to 1,000, and from 1,000 to 100.    (More...)

That Dhruva Maharaja ruled over the planet for 36,000 years means that he was present in the Satya-yuga because in the Satya-yuga people used to live for 100,000 years. In the next yuga, Treta, people used to live for 10,000 years, and in the next yuga, Dvapara, for 1,000 years. In the present age, the Kali-yuga, the maximum duration of life is 100 years. With the change of the yugas, the duration of life and memory, the quality of kindness-all good qualities-diminish. There are two kinds of activities, namely pious and impious. By executing pious activities one can gain facilities for higher material enjoyment, but due to impious activities one has to undergo severe distress. A devotee, however, is not interested in enjoyment or affected by distress. When he is prosperous he knows, "I am diminishing the results of my pious activities," and when he is in distress he knows, "I am diminishing the reactions of my impious activities." A devotee is not concerned with enjoyment or distress; he simply desires to execute devotional service. It is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that devotional service should be apratihata, not checked by the material conditions of happiness or distress. The devotee undergoes processes of austerity such as observing Ekadasi and similar other fasting days and refraining from illicit sex life, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating. Thus he becomes purified from the reactions of his past impious life, and because he engages in devotional service, which is the most pious activity, he enjoys life without separate endeavor.    (More...)

Of course in the modern age one may be amazed how the princes could stand in the water for ten thousand years. However, living within air or living within water is the same process; one simply has to learn how to do it. The aquatics live within water for their whole life-span. Certain favorable conditions are created to enable them to live within water. In those days, however, people used to live for 100,000 years. Out of so many years, if one could spare ten thousand years for the sake of austerity, he would be assured of success in his future life. This was not very astonishing. Although such a feat is impossible in this age, it was quite possible in Satya-yuga.    (More...)