Let us now hear the ancient reckoning of time as spoken by the sages. In the measure of human months, thirty together make a single month for the ancestors, and three hundred and sixty such months form one year for them, as understood in human terms. Where humans count a hundred years, the ancestors see this as three years and twelve months, according to their own calculation. The year, as measured by humans, is thus: it is called a divine day and night, as declared in the Vedic tradition. For the gods, a day and night together make one year. In this division, the day is when the sun journeys northward, and the night is when it travels south; thus, divine day and night are reckoned. Thirty such divine years form one divine month, and one hundred human years are counted as three divine months. This is the divine rule, as passed down. Three hundred and sixty years, with sixty more, together make one divine year by human calculation. Beyond these, three thousand human years, plus thirty, are said to comprise the year of the Seven Sages. Nine thousand human years, and ninety more, make the year of Dhruva. Those who know numbers declare that thirty-six thousand human years, with sixty thousand added, equal one thousand divine years. Thus have the sages sung, O twice-born, using the divine reckoning; by this measure alone are the ages established. In the land of Bharata, the sages have spoken of four ages: Krita, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali—these four together form the cycle of ages. First comes the Krita age, then Treta, followed by Dvapara, and finally Kali; such is the sequence of the yugas. Four thousand years make the Krita age, and its dawn and dusk are each of equal length. In the three ages that follow, with their dawns and dusks, the thousands and hundreds decrease by a quarter. Those who know the reckoning of the yugas declare that Treta Yuga is three thousand years, with three hundred years as its twilight, and the portion of twilight is equal to the twilight itself. Dvapara Yuga is two thousand years, with four hundred years as its twilight portions; Kali Yuga is said to be one thousand years, with two hundred years for its twilight and remainder. Thus, the reckoning of the four yugas together is twelve thousand years: Krita, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali. Now hear the number of human years assigned to these: ten niyutas, two more, and five by count—thus, twenty-eight thousand years is said to be the Krita Yuga. Likewise, a full prayuta and two more niyutas, counted as ninety-six thousand years, is the Treta Yuga as known among humans. Eight hundred thousand human years are for Dvapara Yuga, and sixty-four thousand years is its reckoning. Four niyutas of years for Kali Yuga, and thirty-two thousand more, are declared as Kali Yuga according to human measure. This is the fourfold yuga sequence as declared in human reckoning, the count of the four yugas together with their twilights and twilight portions. This four-yuga cycle, with its additional years, is said to be seventy-one; joined with Krita, Treta, and the rest, it is called a Manvantara. Now hear the reckoning of a Manvantara in human terms: thirty-one kotis are counted by the twice-born as its number, and ten hundred thousand more, divided in parts; and thirty-two thousand, and eight hundred more by count, and eighty years, and six additional months—this is the reckoning of a Manvantara as declared in human terms. By the divine measure, the interval between Manus is said to be one hundred thousand by count. Forty thousand is called the duration of a Manvantara; the time of a Manvantara is declared together with the yugas. This four-yuga cycle, with its additional years, is seventy-one in order; when completed in sequence, it is called a Manvantara. Those who know declare that a kalpa is fourteen times this; after that, the entire dissolution occurs, which is the great dissolution. The measure of a kalpa is twice as much, as reckoned by number; the four-yuga cycle has been explained—Krita and Treta Yugas as well. Now, the creation of Treta, Dvapara, and Kali will be explained. Since the two occur together, it is not possible to speak of them separately. This matter, which has come in due order, I too did not tell you for two yugas, being preoccupied with the lineage of the sages, thus proceeding step by step. The remainder was not told in the Tretā Yuga; now I will tell it—listen. At the beginning of the Tretā Yuga, Manu and the seven sages, prompted by Brahmā, declared the dharma, both Vedic and traditional. The seven sages proclaimed the śrauta dharma, abundant in matters such as marriage, the sacred fire, and the collections of Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Veda. But Manu Svāyambhuva declared the traditional dharma, characterized by conduct, handed down through succession, and joined with the practices of varṇa and āśrama. Through truthfulness, celibacy, study, and austerity, and likewise by the intense austerities of those sages in proper succession, these teachings were established. At the beginning of the Tretā Yuga, from the seven sages and Manu, both unintentionally and once intentionally, events unfolded thus. Those mantras increased through visions such as Tāraka and others; in the first kalpa, they appeared spontaneously among the gods. Then, among the authorities, among the perfected beings and others, the practice of mantra-yoga prevails; in past kalpas, those mantras appeared by the thousands, and again they are present in their images. Thus has the tradition of time, dharma, and the ages been recounted, as spoken by the sages and preserved in the land of Bharata.