चत्वारि भारते वर्षे युगानि ऋषयो ऽब्रुवन् कृतं त्रेता द्वापरं च कलिश्चैवं चतुर्युगम्
In the land of Bharata, the sages have spoken of four ages: Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali; thus is the group of four ages.
पूर्वं कृतयुगं नाम ततस्त्रेताभिधीयते द्वापरं च कलिश्चैव युगानि परिकल्पयेत्
First is the age called Kṛta, then comes what is named Tretā, then Dvāpara, and finally Kali; thus are the ages to be reckoned.
चत्वार्याहुः सहस्राणि वर्षाणां तत्कृतं युगम् तस्य ताव् अच्छती संध्या संध्यांशश्च तथाविधः
They say that four thousand years make the Kṛta age; its dawn and dusk are each of the same length.
इतरेषु ससंध्येषु ससंध्यांशेषु च त्रिषु एकपादे निवर्तन्ते सहस्राणि शतानि च
In the other three ages, with their dawns and dusks, the thousands and hundreds decrease by one quarter.
त्रेता त्रीणि सहस्राणि युगसंख्याविदो विदुः तस्यापि त्रिशती संध्या संध्यांशः संध्यया समः
Those who know the reckoning of the yugas declare that the Treta Yuga is three thousand years; of this, three hundred are the twilight period, and the portion of twilight is equal to the twilight itself.
द्वे सहस्रे द्वापरं तु संध्यांशौ तु चतुःशतम् सहस्रमेकं वर्षाणां कलिरेव प्रकीर्तितः द्वे शते च तथान्ये च संध्यासंध्यांशयोः स्मृते
The Dvapara Yuga is two thousand years, with four hundred as the portions of twilight; the Kali Yuga is said to be one thousand years, with two hundred as the portions of twilight and its remainder.
एषा द्वादशसाहस्री युगसंख्या तु संज्ञिता कृतं त्रेता द्वापरं च कलिश्चेति चतुष्टयम्
This is called the reckoning of twelve thousand years for the yugas: Krita, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali—these four together.
तत्र संवत्सराः सृष्टा मानुषास्तान्निबोधत नियुतानि दश द्वे च पञ्च चैवात्र संख्यया अष्टाविंशत्सहस्राणि कृतं युगमथोच्यते
Now learn 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.
प्रयुतं तु तथा पूर्णं द्वे चान्ये नियुते पुनः षण्णवतिसहस्राणि संख्यातानि च संख्यया त्रेतायुगस्य संख्यैषा मानुषेण तु संज्ञिता
Likewise, a full prayuta, and again two more niyutas; counted as ninety-six thousand years—this is the reckoning of the Treta Yuga as known among humans.
अष्टौ शतसहस्राणि वर्षाणां मानुषाणि तु चतुःषष्टिसहस्राणि वर्षाणां द्वापरं युगम्
Eight hundred thousand human years are for the Dvapara Yuga, and sixty-four thousand years is the reckoning for the Dvapara Yuga.
चत्वारि नियुतानि स्युर् वर्षाणि तु कलिर्युगम् द्वात्रिंशच्च तथान्यानि सहस्राणि तु संख्यया एतत्कलियुगं प्रोक्तं मानुषेण प्रमाणतः
There are four niyutas of years for the Kali Yuga, and thirty-two thousand more by count; this is declared as the Kali Yuga according to human measure.
एषा चतुर्युगावस्था मानुषेण प्रकीर्तिता चतुर्युगस्य संख्याता संध्या संध्यांशकैः सह
This is the fourfold yuga sequence as declared in human reckoning, the count of the four yugas together with their twilights and twilight portions.
एषा चतुर्युगाख्या तु साधिका त्वेकसप्ततिः कृतत्रेतादियुक्ता सा मनोरन्तरमुच्यते
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.
मन्वन्तरस्य संख्या तु मानुषेण निबोधत एकत्रिंशत्तथा कोट्यः संख्याताः संख्यया द्विजैः
Now hear the reckoning of a Manvantara in human terms: thirty-one kotis are counted by the twice-born as its number.
तथा शतसहस्राणि दश चान्यानि भागशः सहस्राणि तु द्वात्रिंशच् छतान्यष्टाधिकानि च
And ten hundred thousand more, divided in parts; and thirty-two thousand, and eight hundred more by count.
अशीतिश्चैव वर्षाणि मासाश्चैवाधिकास्तु षट् मन्वन्तरस्य संख्यैषा मानुषेण प्रकीर्तिता
And eighty years, and six additional months—this is the reckoning of a Manvantara as declared in human terms.
दिव्येन च प्रमाणेन प्रवक्ष्याम्यन्तरं मनोः सहस्राणां शतान्याहुः स च वै परिसंख्यया
Now, by the divine measure, I will speak of the interval between Manus: it is said to be one hundred thousand by count.
चत्वारिंशत्सहस्राणि मनोरन्तरमुच्यते मन्वन्तरस्य कालस्तु युगैः सह प्रकीर्तितः
Forty thousand is called the duration of a Manvantara; the time of a Manvantara is declared together with the yugas.
एषा चतुर्युगाख्या तु साधिका ह्येकसप्ततिः क्रमेण परिवृत्ता सा मनोरन्तरमुच्यते
This four-yuga cycle, with its additional years, is indeed seventy-one in order; when completed in sequence, it is called a Manvantara.
एतच्चतुर्दशगुणं कल्पमाहुस्तु तद्विदः ततस्तु प्रलयः कृत्स्नः स तु संप्रलयो महान्
Those who know declare that a kalpa is fourteen times this; after that, the entire dissolution occurs, which is the great dissolution.
कल्पप्रमाणो द्विगुणो यथा भवति संख्यया चतुर्युगाख्या व्याख्याता कृतं त्रेतायुगं च वै
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.
त्रेतासृष्टं प्रवक्ष्यामि द्वापरं कलिमेव च युगपत्समवेतौ द्वौ द्विधा वक्तुं न शक्यते
I will now explain the creation of Treta, and also Dvapara and Kali; since the two occur together, it is not possible to speak of them separately.
क्रमागतं मयाप्येतत् तुभ्यं नोक्तं युगद्वयम् ऋषिवंशप्रसङ्गेन व्याकुलत्वात्तथा क्रमात्
This matter, which has come in due order, I too did not tell you for two yugas, due to being preoccupied with the lineage of the sages and thus, step by step.
नोक्तं त्रेतायुगे शेषं तद्वक्ष्यामि निबोधत अथ त्रेतायुगस्यादौ मनुः सप्तर्षयश्च ये श्रौतस्मार्तं ब्रुवन्धर्मं ब्रह्मणा तु प्रचोदिताः
The remainder was not told in the Tretā Yuga; I will now 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.
दाराग्निहोत्रसम्बन्धम् ऋग्यजुःसामसंहिताः इत्यादिबहुलं श्रौतं धर्मं सप्तर्षयो ऽब्रुवन्
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.
परम्परागतं धर्मं स्मार्तं त्वाचारलक्षणम् वर्णाश्रमाचारयुतं मनुः स्वायम्भुवो ऽब्रवीत्
But Manu Svāyambhuva declared the traditional dharma, characterized by conduct, handed down through succession, and joined with the practices of varṇa and āśrama.
सत्येन ब्रह्मचर्येण श्रुतेन तपसा तथा तेषां सुतप्ततपसाम् आर्षेणानुक्रमेण ह
Through truthfulness, celibacy, study, and austerity, and in the same way, by the intense austerities of those sages, in proper succession, indeed.
सप्तर्षीणां मनोश्चैव आदौ त्रेतायुगे ततः अबुद्धिपूर्वकं तेन सकृत्पूर्वकमेव च
At the beginning of the Tretā Yuga, from the seven sages and Manu, then, both unintentionally and also once intentionally, it happened thus.
अभिवृत्तास्तु ते मन्त्रा दर्शनैस्तारकादिभिः आदिकल्पे तु देवानां प्रादुर्भूतास्तु ते स्वयम्
Those mantras increased through visions such as Tāraka and others; in the first kalpa, they appeared spontaneously among the gods.
प्रमाणेष्वथ सिद्धानाम् अन्येषां च प्रवर्तते मन्त्रयोगो व्यतीतेषु कल्पेष्वथ सहस्रशः ते मन्त्रा वै पुनस्तेषां प्रतिमायामुपस्थिताः
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.