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By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 1:54:18 pm

Healing Beyond the Clinic

Dr Kirti Samudra “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” This thought by Mother Teresa finds reflection in the life of Panvel-based diabetologist Dr Kirti Samudra, who has spent decades caring not only for her family but also thousands of patients who see her as their guide. As we mark International Women’s Day, stories like hers remind us that women of substance often shape society quietly through compassion, resilience and dedication. Doctor, mother, homemaker,...

Healing Beyond the Clinic

Dr Kirti Samudra “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” This thought by Mother Teresa finds reflection in the life of Panvel-based diabetologist Dr Kirti Samudra, who has spent decades caring not only for her family but also thousands of patients who see her as their guide. As we mark International Women’s Day, stories like hers remind us that women of substance often shape society quietly through compassion, resilience and dedication. Doctor, mother, homemaker, mentor and philanthropist — Dr Samudra has balanced many roles with commitment. While she manages a busy medical practice, her deeper calling has always been service. For her, medicine is not merely a profession but a responsibility towards the people who depend on her guidance. Nagpur to Panvel Born and raised in Nagpur, Dr Samudra completed her medical education there before moving to Mumbai in search of better opportunities. The early years were challenging. With determination, she and her husband Girish Samudra, an entrepreneur involved in underwater pipeline projects, chose to build their life in Panvel. At a time when the town was still developing and healthcare awareness was limited, she decided to make it both her workplace and home. What began with modest resources gradually grew into a trusted medical practice built on long-standing relationships with patients. Fighting Diabetes Recognising the growing threat of diabetes, Dr Samudra dedicated her career to treating and educating patients about the disease. Over the years, she has registered nearly 30,000 patients from Panvel and nearby areas. Yet she believes treatment alone is not enough. “Diabetes is a lifelong disease. Medicines are important, but patient education is equally critical. If people understand the condition, they can manage it better and prevent complications,” she says. For more than 27 years, she has organised an Annual Patients’ Education Programme, offering diagnostic tests at concessional rates and sessions on lifestyle management. Family, Practice With her husband frequently travelling for business, much of the responsibility of raising their two children fell on Dr Samudra. Instead of expanding her practice aggressively, she kept it close to home and adjusted her OPD timings around her children’s schedules. “It was not easy,” she recalls, “but I wanted to fulfil my responsibilities as a mother while continuing to serve my patients.” Beyond Medicine Today, Dr Samudra also devotes time to social initiatives through the Bharat Vikas Parishad, where she serves as Regional Head. Her projects include  Plastic Mukta Vasundhara , which promotes reduced use of single-use plastic, and  Sainik Ho Tumchyasathi , an initiative that sends Diwali  faral  (snack hamper) to Indian soldiers posted at the borders. Last year alone, 15,000 boxes were sent to troops. Despite decades of service, she measures success not in wealth but in goodwill. “I may not have earned huge money,” she says, “but I have earned immense love and respect from my patients. That is something I will always be grateful for.”

How the Bhagavad Gita Explains the Age and Cycles of the Universe

In Vedic cosmology, the universe unfolds in Kalpas and Yugas — vast cycles that challenge our modern sense of time.

Akshara Brahma Yoga, the 8th Adhyaya of the Bhagawad Gita, refers to the ultimate goal of life, the nature of the Supreme Being, and how one can attain liberation from the cycle of life and death.


In this Adhyaya, paragraph 17, Lord Krishna says:सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद् ब्रह्मणो विदुः ।रात्रिं युगसहस्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः ॥(sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ rātriṁ yuga-sahasrāntāṁ te 'ho-rātra-vido janāḥ)


Lord Krishna explains the cycle of manifestation (Kalpa) and dissolution (Pralaya) by Brahma and describes the life of the universe as the day and night of Lord Brahma.


He states that a day of Brahma, which is equivalent to 1,000 Maha Yugas, is followed by a night of Brahma, which is also equivalent to 1,000 Maha Yugas.


This forms the core of Vedic cosmology and explains how the universe moves in cycles. The life of the universe (Brahmaand) is linked to the life of the creator, Lord Brahma, and this total lifespan is known as a Maha Kalpa.


A Maha Kalpa, or the life of Brahma, spans 100 years of Brahma.Each Brahma year consists of 360 Ahoratras, and each Ahoratra includes one day (Kalpa) and one night (Pralaya).


One Kalpa or Pralaya is made up of 14 Manvantaras, each ruled by a Manu, the progenitor of the human race.Each Manvantara is followed by a shorter transition period called Manvantara Sandhya.


Every Manvantara consists of 71 Maha Yugas, which is why one Kalpa equals 1,000 Maha Yugas (71 × 14 + 15 Sandhyas).


A Maha Yuga consists of four Yugas—Satya, Treta, Dvapar and Kali—amounting to 43,200 divine years or 4,320,000 human years.


Based on these calculations:

  • 1 Kalpa = 4.32 billion years

  • 1 Maha Kalpa = 311 trillion years


This represents the total lifespan of the universe according to Vedic cosmology.


But where are we in this cosmic cycle?And how many years have already passed since the universe came into existence?


According to Vedic cosmology, we are in the Kali Yuga of the 28th Maha Yuga of the 7th Manvantara (ruled by Vaivasvata Manu), during the 1st Ahoratra (day) of the 51st year of Brahma's life.


This means that the universe has already existed for over 155 trillion years.We are nearly halfway through the life of the universe and still 155 trillion years away from the next Maha Pralaya (final dissolution).


This demonstrates the remarkable depth of Vedic cosmology. When compared with modern scientific understanding – which aligns with parts of it – it suggests that Vedic thought had grasped the scale of cosmic time far earlier.


According to the Big Bang Theory in modern science, the universe began 13.8 billion years ago and has been expanding ever since. Modern science views this expansion as linear and predicts that it will eventually end in the “Big Freeze” or heat death.


Only in the late 20th and early 21st centuries did scientific bodies like NASA and ESA acknowledge that the end of the universe lies trillions of years ahead — a timeframe consistent with some aspects of Vedic thought.


While both Vedic cosmology and modern science agree that the universe has a lifespan extending into trillions of years, their timelines diverge widely. Vedic texts place the universe’s age at around 155 trillion years already passed, nearly 12,000 times more than scientific estimates.


Interestingly, modern science estimates the age of Earth at 4.54 billion years, which is strikingly close to one Kalpa (4.32 billion years) — the “day” of Brahma.


This deep understanding of the universe — its creation, sustenance and dissolution — found in Sanatan Dharma’s Vedic cosmology has endured for millennia. Although often labelled as mythology, the principles it contains reflect a profound and expansive view of cosmic time.


The concept of the Maha Kalpa, spanning 311 trillion years, stands as a testament to a rich intellectual and spiritual heritage, offering a cosmic perspective that continues to inform and inspire global thought on the nature of time and existence.


(The writer is Founder and CEO of Beehive Capital Advisors Private Limited. Views personal.)


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