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.
व्याख्यातानि न संदेहः कल्पं कल्पेन चैव हि
These have been explained; there is no doubt, indeed, about a kalpa and its duration.
चतुर्युगसहस्त्रं तु कल्पमाहुर्मनीषिणः
The wise declare that a kalpa is a thousand caturyugas.
ब्रह्मणः कथितं वर्षं पराख्यं तच्छतं विदुः
The year described by Brahmā is called 'Parā,' and the wise know it to be a hundred such years.
तेनायं प्रोच्यते सद्भिः प्राकृतः प्रतिसंचरः
Therefore, the noble ones declare this as the natural dissolution.
प्रोच्यते कालयोगेन पुनरेव च संभवः
It is said that, through the operation of time, creation arises again.
कालेनैव तु सृज्यन्ते स एव ग्रसते पुनः
By time alone, beings are created, and by the same, they are again consumed.
सर्वगत्वात् स्वतन्त्रत्वात् सर्वात्मासौ महेश्वरः
Because of being all-pervading and independent, he is the Self of all, the great Lord.
एको हि भगवानीशः कालः कविरिति श्रुति
Indeed, the Blessed Lord alone is the ruler, Time, and the poet, as the scripture declares.
सांप्रतं वर्तते तद्वत् तस्य कल्पो ऽयमष्टमः
At present, it continues in the same way; this is his eighth cycle.
वाराहो वर्तते कल्पः तस्य वक्ष्यामि विस्तरम्
The Varāha cycle is now ongoing; I will explain its details.
शान्तवातादिकं सर्वं न प्रज्ञायत किञ्चन
All, including peaceful winds and so forth, was not perceived at all.
तदा समभवद् ब्रह्मा सहस्त्राक्षः सहस्त्रपात्
Then Brahmā arose, with a thousand eyes and a thousand feet.
ब्रह्मा नारायणाख्यस्तु सुष्वाप सलिले तदा
Brahmā, known as Nārāyaṇa, slept upon the waters at that time.
ब्रह्मस्वरूपिणं देवं जगतः प्रभवाप्ययम्
The god who is the form of Brahmā is the origin and dissolution of the world.
अयनं तस्य ता यस्मात् तेन नारायणः स्मृतः
Because those are his resting places, he is remembered as Nārāyaṇa.
शर्वर्यन्ते प्रकुरुते ब्रह्मत्वं सर्गकारणात्
At the end of the night, he assumes the state of Brahmā for the purpose of creation.
अनुमानात् तदुद्धारं कर्तुकामः प्रजापतिः
Desiring to raise it up by inference, the Lord of creatures acted.
अधृष्यं मनसाप्यन्यैर्वाङ्मयं ब्रह्मसंज्ञितम्
That which cannot be grasped even by the mind of others, is called 'Brahma,' consisting of speech.
दंष्ट्रयाभ्युज्जहारैनामात्माधारो धराधरः
With his tusk, the bearer of the earth, who supports himself, lifted her up.
अस्तुवञ्जनलोकस्थाः सिद्धा ब्रह्मर्षयो हरिम्
The Siddhas and Brahmarṣis, dwelling in the world of air, praised Hari.