All living beings, wherever they are born, receive their sustenance in the very forms and species into which they have entered. At the proper time, to those who are worthy, and according to the prescribed rules, this food is given. Just as a calf, even among a herd of lost cows, unerringly finds its own mother, so too, offerings made to the ancestors with faith and accompanied by the proper mantras never go to waste—they always reach their destined recipients. One who truly understands the passage of the departed and their return, knows how the ancestors are attained and satisfied through the śrāddha rites performed for them. The ancestors’ experience of time is different: for them, the dark fortnight is in your hands—meaning, it is shaped by your actions—while the bright fortnight is like their dreams at night. The ancestors themselves are remembered through the cycles of seasons, half-months, and months, each corresponding in turn to the rhythm of time. When the ancestors are pleased by the acts performed with śrāddha, they are truly satisfied. Thus, the essential nature of the ancestors has been clearly explained in the Purāṇas. The process by which they attain nectar and are satisfied has also been described. This eternal creation, with all its intricacies, has now been briefly recounted to you. It is so vast and profound that it cannot be fully enumerated by anyone who desires prosperity; it is meant to be received with faith. What more should I describe in detail and in order? At this, the listener requests: “I wish to hear in detail about the origin and true nature of the ancestors.” The reply comes: “I will tell you about their fourfold ages; listen carefully. I will explain the age, its divisions, and the duties appropriate to each age. This is known as the era of six illuminations, and I will now explain it to you in detail.” Consider this: the time it takes to blink is equal to the duration of a short syllable. Thirty such divisions make up one muhūrta, and thirty muhūrtas together form a full day and night. The sun divides day and night, which are measured in human and worldly terms. But in the realm of the ancestors, a month is reckoned as a single day and night; this division is again explained. Thirty human days make a month, and this is regarded as one day and night for the ancestors. A year for the ancestors is thus understood through human calculation. Three such years are counted as a cycle for the ancestors; these are their years. By worldly measures alone, the year that is called human is remembered. In the divine realm, too, a year consists of a day and a night; this division is again explained. The day and night periods in the divine realm are similarly enumerated. Know that one hundred human years are equal to three divine months. This divine year is described according to human reckoning. Then, thirty such divine years are considered a year for the Saptarṣis, the Seven Sages. And ninety such years are regarded as a year for Dhruva, the steadfast pole star. A hundred years is to be understood as the standard measure in the divine realm. It is said that there are three niyutas—vast numbers—of human years in these cycles. Those who are skilled in calculation declare that a thousand divine years make up a higher reckoning. The calculation of the yugas, the great ages, is established according to this divine measure. The fourfold divisions are known as Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali yugas. Dvāpara and Kali are also to be considered as yugas in this reckoning. For each yuga, there are specified periods of twilight, portions of twilight, and durations equal to twilight. These cycles proceed in the same manner, measured in thousands and hundreds. Specifically, three hundred and two hundred are the twilights, and their portions are equal to those. Thus, the vast measure of time—human, ancestral, and divine—is woven together, each with its own rhythm and significance, as revealed in the wisdom of the Purāṇas.