O sage, the account of this eternal creation has now been briefly recounted to you. Its vastness is such that it cannot be fully enumerated by anyone who seeks prosperity in this world; it is to be accepted with faith. What more, then, should I describe in detail and in order? At this, the listener, eager to know more, requests: “I wish to hear in detail about their origin and true nature.” The answer comes: “I will tell you about the fourfold ages—listen carefully. I shall explain the age itself, the divisions within each age, and likewise the duties that pertain to each. This is known as the era of six illuminations, and I will now explain it to you in detail. “First, understand the measures of time: the briefest moment, the time it takes to blink, is equal to the duration of a short syllable. Thirty such divisions make up a muhūrta; thirty muhūrtas together form a complete day and night. The sun divides day and night, and thus time is measured in human and worldly terms. “In the realm of the ancestors, time is reckoned differently—a month for them is a single day and night. This division is explained again: thirty human days make a month, and that month is considered a single day and night for the ancestors. A year of the ancestors is thus understood by human calculation, and three such years make up their reckoning of a year here. By worldly measure alone, the year that is called ‘human’ is remembered. “In the realm of the gods, a year is likewise a day and a night. This division is again explained: those day and night periods in the divine realm are further enumerated. Know that one hundred human years are equal to three divine months. In this way, the divine year is described according to human calculation. “Beyond this, thirty years are considered the year of the Saptarṣis, the Seven Sages. Ninety years are regarded as the year of Dhruva, the steadfast pole star. A hundred years should be understood as the span of divine rule. It is said there are three niyutas—vast numbers—of human years, and those skilled in calculation declare a thousand divine years. “The reckoning of the number of yugas, or ages, is established according to this divine measure. The fourfold divisions of time are called Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali yugas. Dvāpara and Kali are also to be considered as yugas in their own right. For each yuga, there is a period of twilight—a transition—along with a portion of twilight and a duration equal to twilight. These proceed in the same manner, counted in thousands and hundreds. “Three hundred and two hundred are the twilights, and their portions are equal to those. For each, the twilight is one hundred, and its portion is equal to the twilight itself. Thus, the fourfold divisions—Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali—are established. “Now, listen attentively as I declare the years of the Kṛta yuga: forty thousand, and likewise others, constitute the Kṛta yuga. The Tretā yuga lasts for eighty thousand years; the Dvāpara yuga for twenty thousand years; and the Kali yuga for sixty thousand years. The total span of the yugas is calculated as six times sixty hundred thousand. And for the four yugas, the portion of twilight is twenty thousand. “The period joined with Kṛta, Tretā, and the others is called a Manvantara—a great age presided over by a Manu, the progenitor of mankind. Thus, O sage, the intricate measures of time, the divisions of the yugas, and their durations have been laid out for you, as they are remembered in the sacred tradition.