Let us contemplate the vastness of creation as revealed in these sacred verses. The cosmic egg, the very womb of the universe, is enveloped in successive layers. First, fire is encased by air, which is ten times greater than the fire itself. Surrounding this air is ether, again ten times larger. The air is thus enveloped by ether, and from the subtle essence of ego arises sound. The great principle, the very source of sound, is itself covered by primordial matter, the root substance from which all emerges. Wise ones speak of seven coverings that encase the cosmic egg, and at its heart dwells the lotus-seated soul. Not just one, but countless millions of such cosmic eggs exist within this universe. In each egg, four-faced Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Bhava come forth, created by primordial matter when it attains the presence of Śambhu. Creation and dissolution occur mutually, continuing until the end of each cosmic egg. Maheśvara, the great Lord, is the agent who brings forth creation, maintains it, and dissolves it. In the act of creation, he is endowed with rajas, the energy of activity; in preservation, he is established in sattva, the quality of harmony; and in dissolution, he is abundant in tamas, the principle of inertia. Thus, his actions are threefold, each corresponding to a cosmic function. Maheśvara is the original creator, the destroyer, and the protector of all beings. Therefore, Śiva, the god Maheśvara, is the supreme Lord, even above Brahmā. Sadāśiva, Bhava, Viṣṇu, and Brahmā are all his universal forms, and in each cosmic egg, the worlds are created by the Grandfather, the progenitor. This process is called the natural creation, presided over by the Puruṣa, the cosmic spirit, as described here. The first, auspicious creation arises spontaneously, without deliberation. Now, the time of this primary creation is called a day, and the period of dissolution is called its night. During the day, the Lord manifests creation; during the night, he brings about dissolution. For him, these day and night cycles are only figurative—they do not truly exist for the Supreme. During the day, all transformations, the various forms, the universal deities, the lords of beings, and the great sages remain manifest. At night, all are dissolved, and at the end of night, they come into being once again. This alternation of day and night marks the rhythm of creation and dissolution. At the end of a thousand cycles of four yugas, there are fourteen Manus, the progenitors of humanity. Four thousand years make up a Kṛta Yuga, the first age. The twilight at the end of Kṛta Yuga lasts one hundred years, and its portion is likewise. For the other yugas, the twilights are three hundred, two hundred, and one hundred years, respectively. Excluding the twilight of Kṛta, the portion is six hundred years. The durations of the yugas—three thousand, two thousand, and one thousand years—are counted without the twilight portions. Let me now explain the measure of time for the Treta, Dvapara, and Tishya ages, as well as for the Krita. Fifteen twinklings of the eye make one kāṣṭhā for a healthy person. Thirty kāṣṭhās are called kalās, and thirty kalās make one muhūrta. Fifteen muhūrtas make a night, and likewise a day. For the ancestors, night and day together constitute a month, with further division explained. For them, the dark fortnight is their day, and the bright fortnight is their night. Thirty human months are considered one month for the ancestors. Three hundred months, plus sixty more, make a year for the ancestors, as understood by human calculation. By human measure, one hundred years equal three years for the ancestors. Twelve months are remembered as a year in the reckoning of the ancestors, and in worldly measure, this is the year for humans. This is called the divine day and night in the Lingapurana. In the divine realm, night and day together make a year, and their division is explained again. There, the day is the northern course of the sun, and the night is the southern course. These divine days and nights are specially enumerated. Thirty years are considered one divine month, and one hundred human years equal three divine months. Ten days likewise are considered a divine rule; three hundred years and sixty years are counted as such. This divine year is declared according to human reckoning—three thousand human years. Another thirty years are considered the Saptarshi year, totaling nine thousand human years. Another ninety years are called the Dhruva year, amounting to thirty-six thousand human years. One hundred years should be known as the divine rule, equivalent to three hundred thousand human years. Sixty thousand are counted by enumeration, and those who know numbers declare one thousand divine years. By the divine measure, the calculation of the number of yugas is made. First comes the Krita Yuga, then Treta, followed by Dvapara and Kali. These are the yugas, and their years are observed according to human measure. O foremost of Brahmins, the duration of the Kṛta age is proclaimed according to divine measure: it is fourteen hundred thousand years, counted in thousands and hundreds. Likewise, the Kṛta Yuga consists of forty thousand years, and also ten thousand years multiplied by a hundred. The duration of the Tretā Yuga is eighty thousand years, and there are seven hundred thousand human years. The duration of the Dvāpara Yuga is twenty thousand years, and three hundred thousand years in total. The duration of the Kali Yuga is sixty thousand years. Thus, the four Yugas together, excluding the portions of twilight, are remembered. There are thirty-six hundred thousand years without the twilight portions, and the count here is forty-three hundred thousand years. Such is the measure of time and the rhythm of creation, preservation, and dissolution, as revealed in the sacred tradition.