जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिहरं सर्वहरं परम् । कालस्य तरणोपायं भजनं परमात्मनः
Devotion to the Supreme Self is the means to cross over time; it destroys birth, death, old age, disease, and all else.
आनन्दनन्दनस्यैव परिपूर्णतमस्य च । शृणु कालगतिं वत्स मदीयज्ञानगोचराम्
Hear now, my child, about the course of time, which is within the range of my knowledge—of Him who is the son of Ānanda, who is utterly complete.
नराणां च पितॄणां च सुराणां चापि ब्रह्मणः । नागानां राक्षसादीनां तत्परेषां च पुत्रक
O son, I will speak of the destinies of humans, ancestors, gods, Brahmā, serpents, demons, and others beyond them.
कथयामि निगूढार्थं सावधानं निशामय । सर्वस्माच्च परं स्थानं सर्वाधारो महान्विराट्
I will explain a hidden meaning; listen attentively. The Supreme Virāṭ, the great support of all, is the highest state beyond everything.
यस्य लोमसु विश्वानि चासंख्यानि च तानि च । सर्वस्माच्च परं सूक्ष्मं परमाणुं निशामय
In whose hairs exist countless universes—know that, and also know the most subtle, the ultimate atom, which is beyond all.
कालारम्भात्मकं सर्वमनूरं परमीप्सितम् । चरमः सद्विशेषाणामनेकोऽसंयुतः सदा
All that is desired is atomic, consisting of the beginning of time; the final, distinct entities are many and always uncombined.
परमाणुः स विज्ञेयो नृपामैक्यभ्रमो यतः । परमाणुद्वयेनाणुस्त्रसरेणुस्तु ते त्रयः
That ultimate atom is to be understood, from which arises the illusion of unity among kings; two such atoms make an aṇu, and three aṇus make a trasareṇu.
त्रसरेणुत्रिकेणापि त्रुटिरुक्ता मनीषिभिः । वेधस्त्रुटिशतेनैव त्रिवेधेन लवस्तथा
Three trasareṇus make a truṭi, as declared by the wise; a hundred truṭis make a vedha, and three vedhas make a lava.
त्रिलवेन निमेषश्च त्रि निमेषेण च क्षणः । काष्ठा पञ्चक्षणेनैव लघुश्च दशकाष्ठया
Three lavas make a nimeṣa, and three nimeṣas make a kṣaṇa; five kṣaṇas make a kāṣṭhā, and ten kāṣṭhās make a laghu.
लघुपञ्चदशं दण्डस्तत्प्रमाणं निशामय । द्वादशार्धपलोन्मानं चतुर्भिश्चतुरङ्गुलैः
Fifteen laghus make a daṇḍa—know this measure; twelve and a half palas by weight, and four by four aṅgulas.
स्वर्णमाषैः कृतच्छिद्रं यावत्प्रस्थजलप्लुतम् । दण्डद्वये मुहूर्तः स्यात्वष्टिदण्डात्मिका तिथिः
A svarṇa-māṣa with a hole, filled with water up to a prastha, is the measure; two daṇḍas make a muhūrta, and a tithi consists of eight daṇḍas.
तदष्टभागः प्रहरः प्रमाणं च निरूपणम् । चतुर्भिः प्रहरै रात्रिश्चतुर्भिर्दिनमुच्यते
An eighth part of that is called a prahara, and this is the reckoning; four praharas make a night, and four make a day.
तिथिपञ्चदशेनैव पक्षमानं प्रकीर्तितम् । पक्षद्वयेन मासः स्याच्छुक्लकृष्णाभिधेन च
A fortnight is reckoned as fifteen tithis; two fortnights make a month, known as the bright and dark halves.
ऋतुर्मासद्वयेनैव तत्षट्केनैव वत्सरः । वसन्तग्रीष्मवर्षाश्च शरद्धेमन्तशीतकाः
A season is two months, and six such make a year; spring, summer, rains, autumn, winter, and the cold season.
वर्षाः पञ्चविधा ज्ञेयाः कालविद्भिर्निरूपिताः । संवत्सरः प्रवत्सर इलावत्सर एव च
The knowers of time declare that there are five kinds of years: saṃvatsara, pravatsara, ilāvatsara, and so on.
अनुवत्सरो वत्सरोऽयमिति कालविदो विदुः । अब्दो द्विषट्कमासैश्च तन्नाम शुणु चोद्धव
Those who know time call them anuvatsara, vatsara, and so forth; a year is with two extra months—hear this name, O Uddhava.
वैशाखो ज्येष्ठ आषाढः श्रावणो भाद्र एव च । आश्विनः कार्तिको मार्गः पौषो माघस्तु फाल्गुनः
Vaiśākha, Jyeṣṭha, Āṣāḍha, Śrāvaṇa, Bhādra, Āśvina, Kārtika, Mārgashīrsha, Pauṣa, Māgha, and Phālguna—
सैत्रस्तु चरमो ज्ञेयो वर्षशेषी निरूपितः । वसन्तश्चैत्रवैशाखमासयुग्मेन कीर्तितः
Saitra is known as the last; thus the remaining months of the year are described. The season of spring is celebrated as the pair of Caitra and Vaiśākha.
ज्येष्ठावाढद्वयेनैव ग्रीष्मस्तु परिकीर्तितः । वर्षा श्रावणभद्रे च ह्याश्विने कार्तिके शरत्
Jyeṣṭha and the two Āṣāḍhas are declared as summer; the rainy season is Śrāvaṇa and Bhādra, and autumn is Āśvina and Kārtika.
मार्गे पौषे च हेमन्तः शिशिरो माघफाल्गुने । अब्दस्तु चायनै द्वे वै चोत्तरे दक्षिणायने
Mārgaśīrsha and Pauṣa are winter; Māgha and Phālguna are the cold season. The year is divided into two: the northern and southern courses.
माघादिषड्विनिर्मितमुत्तरायणमीप्सितम् । श्रावणादिमासषट्कं दक्षिणायनमेव च
The six months beginning with Māgha are desired as the northern course; the six months beginning with Śrāvaṇa are the southern course.
माघादाषाढपर्यन्तं दिनं वृद्धं क्रमेण वै । नक्तं वृद्धं श्रावणश्च पौषपर्यन्तमेव च
From Māgha to Āṣāḍha, the days gradually lengthen; from Śrāvaṇa to Pauṣa, the nights gradually lengthen.
प्रतिपत्पूर्णिमान्तश्च शुक्लपक्षः प्रकीर्तितः । पूर्णिमायाः प्रतिपदश्चामावास्यान्त एव च
The bright fortnight is described as beginning with the first day and ending with the full moon; the first day after the full moon marks the start of the dark fortnight, ending with the new moon.
कृष्णपक्षस्तु विज्ञेयो वेदविद्भिर्निरूपितः । द्वितीया च तृतीया च चतुर्थी पञ्चमी तथा
The dark fortnight is to be understood as established by the Vedic scholars; the second, third, fourth, and fifth days likewise—
षष्ठी च सप्तमी चैव ह्यष्टमी नवमी तथा । दशम्येकादशी चापि द्वादशी च त्रयोदशी
The sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth days—
चतुर्दशी कुहूर्यावद्दिनं तु गणनं स्मृतम् । अश्विनी भरणी चापि कृत्तिका रोहिणी तथा
The fourteenth day, called Kuhū, is remembered as the limit of the count; Aśvinī, Bharanī, Kṛttikā, and Rohiṇī likewise—
मृगशिरस्त्थाऽऽर्द्रा च नक्षत्रे द्वे पुनर्वसू । पुष्याश्लेषे मघा चैव पूर्वा चोत्तरफाल्गुनी
Mṛgaśiras and Ārdrā, two stars; Punarvasu, Puṣya, Āśleṣā, Maghā, and both Pūrvā and Uttaraphālgunī—
हस्तचित्रे तथा स्वाती विशाखा चानुराधिका । ज्येष्ठा मूलं तथा ज्ञेया पूर्वाषाढोत्तरा तथा
Hasta, Citrā, and Svātī, Viśākhā, Anurādhā; Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla, Pūrvāṣāḍhā, and Uttarāṣāḍhā—
श्रवणाभिजिती चैव धनिष्ठा च प्रकीर्तिता । ततः शतभिषा ज्ञेय पूर्वाभाद्रपदा तथा
Śravaṇa and Abhijit, Dhanisṭhā are named; then Śatabhiṣā, Pūrvābhādrapadā—
तथोत्तरा तु विज्ञेया रेवती चरमा स्मृता । अष्टाविंशति नक्षत्रं कलत्रं शशिनस्तथा
And then Uttarābhādrapadā is to be known; Revatī is remembered as the last. There are twenty-eight stars, the spouses of the moon.