क्षणरुचोऽशनिगणान्रोहितेन्द्रधनूंषि च । धूमकेतूंस्तथा चोल्का निर्याताञ्ज्योतिषां गणान्
The sun then generated quick-moving flaming beings, bow-bearing warriors, smoke-bannered ones and also carriers of light—assemblies of luminous beings.
मनुष्यान्किन्नरान्मत्स्यान्वराहांश्च विहङ्गमान् । गजानश्वानथ पशून्मृगान्व्यालांश्च भारत
There were humans, kinnara-like folk, fishes, boars and winged birds; also elephants, horses and other beasts, deer and serpents in Bharat.
कृमिकीटपतङ्गांश्च यूकालिक्षकमत्कुणान् । सर्वं च दंशमशकं स्थावरं च पृथग्विधम्
There appeared worms, insects and flying creatures, burrowers and climbers; all biting, stinging animals and diverse immobile creatures of many kinds.
एवं स भास्करो देवः ससर्ज भुवनत्रयम् । येषां तु यादृशं कर्म भूतानामिह कीर्तितम्
Thus the god Bhaskara created the three worlds; I will describe what sorts of actions brought about these various beings here.
कथयिष्यामि तत्सर्वं क्रमयोगं च जन्मनि । गजा व्याला मृगास्तात पशवश्च पृथग्विधाः
I will recount all that, in order and linked to birth: here are the elephants, serpents, deer and hence the other distinct kinds of beasts.
पिशाचा मानुषास्तात रक्षांसि च जरायुजाः । द्विजास्तु अण्डजाः सर्पा नक्रा मत्स्याः सकच्छपाः
There were bhutas and pishachas, then humans and rakshasas born of pairs; the twice-born were egg-born, serpents, crocodiles, fishes and tortoises.
एवंविधानि यानीह स्थलजान्यौदकानि च । स्वेदजं दंशमशकं यूकालिक्षकमत्कुणाः
Thus were the terrestrial, born of earth, and aquatic beings; also those produced by sweat, biting and stinging creatures, burrowers and climbers.
ऊष्मणा चोपजायन्ते यच्चान्यत्किञ्चिदीदृशम् । उद्भिज्जाः स्थावराः सर्वे बीजकाण्डप्ररोहिणः
From heat too arose whatever else is such: all the plants fixed in place, springing from seed, shoots and roots.
ओषध्यः फलपाकान्ता नानाविधफलोपगाः । अपुष्पाः फलवन्तो ये ते वनस्पतयः स्मृताः
Herbs, those ripening into fruits, varieties bearing many kinds of fruit and those without flowers yet fruiting—these are remembered as the plants of the forest.
पुष्पिणः फलिनश्चैव वृक्षास्तूभयतः स्मृताः । गुच्छगुल्मं तु विविधं तथैव तृणजातयः
Trees both flowering and fruiting are thus recognised; likewise clustered shrubs of various sorts and the families of grasses.
बीजकाण्डरुहाण्येव प्रताना वल्ल्य एव च । तमसा बहुरूपेण वेष्टिताः कर्महेतुना
Seeds and tuberous roots are like the foremost sprouts, and the curling shoots are indeed their twining tendrils; many forms are enveloped in darkness, serving as causes for action.
अन्तःसंज्ञा भवन्त्येते सुखदुःखसमन्विताः । एतावत्यस्तु गतयः प्रोद्भूताः कुरुनन्दन
These become inner notions, accompanied by joy and sorrow; such are the manifold destinies that arose, O descendant of Kuru.
तस्माद्देवाद्दीप्तिमन्तो भास्कराच्य महात्मनः । घोरेऽस्मिंस्तात संसारे नित्यं सततयायिनि
Therefore the gods, luminous like the great sun, dwell in that dread world; they continually shine through the ever-flowing cycle of this existence.
एवं सर्वं स सृष्ट्वेदं राजँल्लोकगुरुं परम् । तिरोभूतः स भूतात्मा कालं कालेन पीडयन्
Thus he created this entire world and became the supreme teacher of people; he entered into beings as the inner self, tormenting time by means of time.
यदा स देवो जागर्ति तदेदं चेष्टते जगत् । यदा स्वपिति शान्तात्मा तदा सर्वं निमीलति
When that god is awake the world performs its activity; when the peaceful self sleeps, then all things withdraw and are closed.
तस्मिन्स्वपिति राजेन्द्र जन्तवः कर्मबन्धनाः । स्वकर्मभ्यो निवर्तन्ते मनश्च ग्लानिमृच्छति
In the sleep of that sovereign beings are bound by actions; their deeds cease and the mind falls into a state of languor.
युगपत्तु प्रलीयन्ते यदा तस्मिन्महात्मनि । तदायं सर्वभूतात्मा सुखं स्वपिति भारत
Simultaneously all dissolve when that great soul is dissolved; then the soul of all beings rests in blissful sleep, O Bharata.
तमो यदा समाश्रित्य चिरं तिष्ठति सेन्द्रियः । न नवं कुरुते कर्म तदोत्क्रामति मूर्तितः
When the senses long remain rooted in darkness they no longer enact new deeds; the embodied one does not take on new actions.
यदाहंमात्रिको भूत्वा बीजं स्थास्नु चरिष्णु च । समाविशति संसृष्टस्तदा मूतिं विमुञ्चति
If I, assuming only a seed-form, stay as the seed and wander, then when the created world enters into me I release liberation.
एवं स जाग्रत्स्वप्नाभ्यामिदं सर्वं जगत्प्रभुः । संजीवयति चाजस्रं प्रमापयति चाव्ययः
Thus, by waking and sleeping, the Lord of the world both quickens all things repeatedly and, unfailing, withdraws them away.
कल्पादौ सृजते तात अन्ते कल्पस्य संहरेत् । दिनं तस्येह यत्तात कल्पान्तमिति कथ्यते
O son, worlds are brought forth at a kalpa’s dawn and dissolved at its close; that span of time here is called the day of the kalpa.
कालसंख्यां ततस्तस्य कल्पस्य शृणु भारत । निमेषा दश चाष्टौ च अक्ष्णः काष्ठा निगद्यते
Listen, Bharata, to the reckoning of time for that kalpa: there are ten nimishas and eight nimishas together called an akshna, and a kashtha is named accordingly.
त्रिंशत्काष्ठाः कलामाहुः क्षणस्त्रिंशत्कलाः स्मृताः । मुहूर्तमथ मौहूर्ता वदन्ति द्वादश क्षणम्
They say thirty kashthas make a kala, and thirty kalas constitute a kshana; a muhurta or its half is spoken of as twelve kshanas.
त्रिंशन्मुहूर्तमुद्दिष्टमहोरात्रं मनीषिभिः । मासस्त्रिंशदहोरात्रं द्वौ द्वौ मासावृतुः स्मृतः
Wise ones declare that thirty muhurtas form the day and night; a month is thirty such day‑nights, and months proceed in pairs to complete a cycle.
ऋतुत्रयमप्ययनमयने द्वे तु वत्सरः । अहोरात्रे विभजते सूर्यो मानुषदैविके
There are three seasons and two half‑years (ayana) in a year; day and night are apportioned for the sun, both for human and divine reckoning.
रात्रिः स्वप्नाय भूतानां चेष्टायै कर्मणामहः । पित्र्ये रात्र्यहनी मासः प्रविभागस्तु पक्षयोः
Night is for the beings’ sleep and for the activity of their deeds; day belongs to the ancestors — the month is divided into the two lunar fortnights.
कर्म चेष्टास्वहः कृष्णः मुक्तः स्वप्नाय शर्वरी । दैवे रात्र्यहनी वर्षं प्रविभागस्तयोः पुनः
The dark fortnight (Krishna paksha) is for action and exertion, the bright fortnight (Shukla) for dreaming and liberation; in the divine reckoning a year too is divided into night and day again.
अहस्तत्रोदगयनं रात्रिः स्याद्दक्षिणायनम् । ब्राह्मस्य तु क्षपाहस्य यत्प्रमाणं महीपते
When the sun turns upward there is day; when downward, night — for the southward course it is night. As for the brahmana, measure his day by the ruler’s specification.
एकैकशो युगानां तु क्रमशस्तन्तिबोध मे । चत्वार्याहुः सहस्राणि वर्षाणां तत्कृतं युगम्
I will teach you, thread by thread, the sequence of each hundred yugas: they say that a yuga was made of four times one thousand years each.
तस्य तावच्छती सन्ध्या सन्ध्यांशश्च तथाविधः । त्रेता त्रीणि सहस्राणि वर्षाणि च विदुर्बुधाः
That yuga has a certain number of sandhyas and portions thereof as established; in Treta, sages know that there are three times one thousand years.