Linga Purana

कृतत्रेतादियुक्तानां मनोरन्तरमुच्यते मन्वन्तरस्य संख्या च वर्षाग्रेण प्रकीर्तिता

The period consisting of the Kṛta, Tretā, and the others is called a Manvantara; the count of a Manvantara is proclaimed at the beginning of the years.

त्रिंशत्कोट्यस्तु वर्षाणां मानुषेण द्विजोत्तमाः सप्तषष्टिस्तथान्यानि नियुतान्यधिकानि तु

O best of twice-born, a Manvantara consists of thirty crore human years, and also sixty-seven hundred thousand years in addition.

विंशतिश् च सहस्राणि कालो ऽयम् अधिकं विना मन्वन्तरस्य संख्यैषा लैङ्गे ऽस्मिन्कीर्तिता द्विजाः

Twenty thousand years are the excess duration, excluded; this is the count of a Manvantara as declared in the Liṅga scripture, O Brahmins.

चतुर्युगस्य च तथा वर्षसंख्या प्रकीर्तिता चतुर्युगसहस्रं वै कल्पश्चैको द्विजोत्तमाः

Thus, the count of years for the four Yugas is proclaimed; a thousand cycles of four Yugas make one Kalpa, O best of Brahmins.

निशान्ते सृजते लोकान् नश्यन्ते निशि जन्तवः तत्र वैमानिकानां तु अष्टाविंशतिकोटयः

At the end of the night, the worlds are created; living beings perish during the night. There, for the celestial beings, there are twenty-eight crore.

मन्वन्तरेषु वै संख्या सान्तरेषु यथातथा त्रीणि कोटिशतान्यासन् कोट्यो द्विनवतिस् तथा

In the Manvantaras, the count is as follows: three hundred crore, and also ninety-two crore.

कल्पे ऽतीते तु वै विप्राः सहस्राणां तु सप्ततिः पुनस्तथाष्टसाहस्रं सर्वत्रैव समासतः

O Brahmins, in the past Kalpa, there were seventy thousand, and again eight thousand everywhere in summary.

कल्पावसानिकांस्त्यक्त्वा प्रलये समुपस्थिते महर्लोकात् प्रयान्त्येते जनलोकं जनास्ततः

Leaving behind those at the end of the Kalpa, when dissolution arrives, these beings depart from the Maharloka and go to Janaloka.

कोटीनां द्वे सहस्रे तु अष्टौ कोटिशतानि तु द्विषष्टिश् च तथा कोट्यो नियुतानि च सप्ततिः

There are two thousand crore, eight hundred crore hundreds, and sixty-two crore, and seventy hundred thousand.

कल्पार्धसंख्या दिव्या वै कल्पमेवं तु कल्पयेत् कल्पानां वै सहस्रं तु वर्षमेकमजस्य तु

The divine count of half a Kalpa is thus calculated; a thousand Kalpas make one year of the unborn.

वर्षाणामष्टसाहस्रं ब्राह्मं वै ब्रह्मणो युगम् सवनं युगसाहस्रं सर्वदेवोद्भवस्य तु

Eight thousand years is the Brahma Yuga, the age of Brahmā; a thousand Yugas of the Savana are for the origin of all the gods.

सवनानां सहस्रं तु त्रिविधं त्रिगुणं तथा ब्रह्मणस्तु तथा प्रोक्तः कालः कालात्मनः प्रभो

Indeed, a thousand sacrifices are spoken of, of three kinds and three qualities; likewise, the time of Brahmā, who is the embodiment of time, O Lord, is thus declared.

भवोद्भवस्तपश्चैव भव्यो रम्भः क्रतुः पुनः ऋतुर्वह्निर्हव्यवाहः सावित्रः शुद्ध एव च

There is creation, emergence, and austerity; also, what is to be, the blossoming, the sacrifice again, the season, the fire, the carrier of offerings, the Sāvitra, and indeed, the pure one.

उशिकः कुशिकश्चैव गान्धारो मुनिसत्तमाः ऋषभश् च तथा षड्जो मज्जालीयश् च मध्यमः

Uśika, Kuśika, and also Gāndhāra, O best of sages, Ṛṣabha as well, then Ṣaḍja, Majjālīya, and Madhyama.

वैराजो वै निषादश् च मुख्यो वै मेघवाहनः पञ्चमश्चित्रकश्चैव आकूतिर् ज्ञान एव च

Vairāja, Niṣāda, the chief Meghavāhana, the fifth Citraka, and also Ākūti, and knowledge itself.

मनः सुदर्शो बृंहश् च तथा वै श्वेतलोहितः रक्तश् च पीतवासाश् च असितः सर्वरूपकः

Mind, Sudarśa, Bṛṃha, and likewise Śvetalohita, Rakta, those clad in yellow, Asita, and the one of all forms.

एवं कल्पास्तु संख्याता ब्रह्मणो ऽव्यक्तजन्मनः कोटिकोटिसहस्राणि कल्पानां मुनिसत्तमाः

Thus, the kalpas have been enumerated of Brahmā, whose birth is unmanifest; O best of sages, there are billions upon billions of kalpas.

गतानि तावच्छेषाणि अहर्निश्यानि वै पुनः परान्ते वै विकाराणि विकारं यान्ति विश्वतः

So many days and nights have passed; at the end of the supreme period, all modifications everywhere return to their source.

विकारस्य शिवस्याज्ञावशेनैव तु संहृतिः संहृते तु विकारे च प्रधाने चात्मनि स्थिते

The dissolution of transformation occurs only by the command of Śiva; when the transformation is dissolved, both the primordial matter and the self remain.

साधर्म्येणावतिष्ठेते प्रधानपुरुषावुभौ गुणानां चैव वैषम्ये विप्राः सृष्टिरिति स्मृता

By similarity, both the primordial matter and the person persist; but when the qualities become unequal, O sages, that is said to be creation.

साम्ये लयो गुणानां तु तयोर्हेतुर्महेश्वरः लीलया देवदेवेन सर्गास्त्वीदृग्विधाः कृताः

When the qualities are in equilibrium, there is dissolution; the cause of both is Maheśvara. By his play, the Lord of gods has made such kinds of creations.

असंख्याताश् च संक्षेपात् प्रधानाद् अन्वधिष्ठितात् असंख्याताश् च कल्पाख्या ह्य् असंख्याताः पितामहाः

In brief, innumerable beings arise from the primordial matter under its control; and innumerable kalpas, and innumerable Pitāmahas as well.

हरयश्चाप्यसंख्यातास् त्व् एक एव महेश्वरः प्रधानादिप्रवृत्तानि लीलया प्राकृतानि तु

And the Haris too are innumerable, but Maheśvara is only one; all the natural evolutions beginning from the primordial matter proceed by his play.

गुणात्मिका च तद्वृत्तिस् तस्य देवस्य वै त्रिधा अप्राकृतस्य तस्यादिर् मध्यान्तं नास्ति चात्मनः

The activity of that god is threefold and consists of qualities; for the transcendent one, there is no beginning, middle, or end to his self.

पितामहस्याथ परः परार्धद्वयसंमितः दिवा सृष्टं तु यत्सर्वं निशि नश्यति चास्य तत्

Beyond Pitāmaha, there is another, whose day equals two parārdhas; whatever is created during his day is destroyed at his night.

भूर्भुवःस्वर्महस्तत्र नश्यते चोर्ध्वतो न च रात्रौ चैकार्णवे ब्रह्मा नष्टे स्थावरजङ्गमे

There, the worlds Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ, and Svar are destroyed, and those above as well; at night, when all that moves and is still is lost, Brahmā remains in the one ocean.

सुष्वापाम्भसि यस्तस्मान् नारायण इति स्मृतः शर्वर्यन्ते प्रबुद्धो वै दृष्ट्वा शून्यं चराचरम्

Immersed in the waters of deep sleep, he is therefore called Nārāyaṇa; at the end of the night, awakened, seeing all that moves and is still as void—

स्रष्टुं तदा मतिं चक्रे ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मविदां वरः उदकैराप्लुतां क्ष्मां तां समादाय सनातनः

Then Brahmā, best among knowers of Brahman, resolved to create; taking up the earth, which had been immersed in the waters, the eternal one—

पूर्ववत्स्थापयामास वाराहं रूपमास्थितः नदीनदसमुद्रांश् च पूर्ववच्चाकरोत्प्रभुः

Assuming the form of a boar, he established it as before; the Lord made the rivers, streams, and oceans as they were formerly.