तृतीयं भगवद्रूपं प्राहुर्वेदार्थवेदिनः
Those who know the meaning of the Vedas call the third form the blessed one.
चतुर्मुखः स भगवान् जगत्सृष्टौ प्रवर्तते
That blessed one, four-faced, engages in the creation of the world.
सत्त्वं गुणमुपाश्रित्य विष्णुर्विश्वेश्वरः स्वयम्
Viṣṇu, the Lord of all, himself assumes the quality of sattva.
तमोगुणं समाश्रित्य रुद्रः संहरते जगत्
Rudra, relying on the quality of tamas, dissolves the world.
एकधा स द्विधा चैव त्रिधा च बहुधा पुनः
He is one, and also twofold, threefold, and again manifold.
नानाकृतिक्रियारूपनामवन्ति स्वलीलया
By his own play, he assumes various forms, actions, appearances, and names.
सृजते ग्रसते चैव वीक्षते च विशेषतः
He creates, consumes, and especially observes all things.
गुणात्मकत्वात् त्रैकाल्ये तस्मादेकः स उच्यते
Because he is composed of qualities and exists in three times, therefore he is called one.
आदित्वादादिदेवो ऽसौ अजातत्वादजः स्मृतः
Because he is the first, he is called the primal god; because he is unborn, he is remembered as the unborn.
देवेषु च महादेवो माहदेव इति स्मृतः
Among the gods, the great god is remembered as Māhadeva.
वशित्वादप्यवश्यत्वादीश्वरः परिभाषितः
Because of mastery and also lack of subjection, he is called Īśvara, the Lord.
अनुत्पादाच्च पूर्वत्वात् स्वयंभूरिति स स्मृतः
Because he is not produced and is prior, he is remembered as Svayambhū, the self-born.
हरः संसारहरणाद् विभुत्वाद् विष्णुरुच्यते
He is called Hara because he removes worldly existence, and Viṣṇu because of his pervasiveness.
सर्वज्ञः सर्वविज्ञानात् सर्वः सर्वमयो यतः
He is omniscient because he knows all, and he is all because he is the source of everything.
तारणात् सर्वदुः खानां तारकः परिगीयते
Because he delivers all from suffering, he is praised as the Deliverer.
अनेकभेदभिन्नस्तु क्रीडते परमेश्वरः
The Supreme Lord, manifesting in many diverse forms, plays.
अबुद्धिपूर्वको विप्रा ब्राह्मीं सृष्टिं निबोधत
O sages, without speculation, understand the Brahmic creation.
न शक्यते समाख्यातुं बहुवर्षैरपि स्वयम्
It cannot be fully described even in many years, by oneself.
स एव स्यात् परः कालः तदन्ते प्रतिसृज्यते
That alone is the Supreme Time, which is reabsorbed at its end.
तत् पराख्यं तदर्धं च परार्धमभिदीयते
That is called a parārdha, and half of that is known as a parārdha.
काष्ठास्त्रिंशत् कला त्रिंशत् कला मौहूर्तिकी गतिः
Thirty kāṣṭhās make a kalā, thirty kalās make a muhūrta.
अहोरात्राणि तावन्ति मासः पक्षद्वयात्मकः
That many day-and-nights make a month, consisting of two fortnights.
अयनं दक्षिणं रात्रिर्देवानामुत्तरं दिनम्
The southern course is night for the gods, the northern course is their day.
चतुर्युगं द्वादशभिः तद्विभागं निबोधत
A caturyuga consists of twelve parts; learn its divisions.
तस्य तावच्छती सन्ध्या सन्ध्यांशश्च कृतस्य तु
Of that, a hundred is the twilight, and the twilight portion of the Kṛta age.
अंशकं षट्शतं तस्मात् कृसन्ध्यांशकं विना
From that, six hundred is the portion, excluding the twilight portion of Kṛta.
त्रेताद्वापरतिष्याणां कालज्ञाने प्रकीर्तितम्
The reckoning of time for Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali is declared.
तदेकसप्ततिगुणं मनोरन्तरमुच्यते
Seventy-one times that is said to be a manvantara.
स्वायंभुवादयः सर्वे ततः सावर्णिकादयः
All the Svāyambhuva and others, and then the Sāvarṇika and others.
पूर्णं युगसहस्त्रं वै परिपाल्या नरेश्वरैः
A full thousand yugas must be protected by the kings of men.