The wise declare that he is born, though in truth he is eternal. His lifespan is measured as a hundred years by his own divine reckoning. This span is called a parārdha, and half of that is also described. O best of kings, let it be known that fifteen nimeṣas make a kāṣṭhā. Thirty kāṣṭhās together form a kalā, and thirty kalās make a muhūrta. By this count, a day and night are reckoned, and with muhūrtas, a human day is measured. So many days and nights join to make a month, which consists of two fortnights. Six such months form a year, divided into the southern and northern courses. The southern course is the night of the gods, and the northern course is their day. The periods known as Kṛta, Tretā, and so forth are reckoned by thousands of divine years. Hear from me, O king, the division of the four yugas into twelve parts: four, three, two, and one, in order, for Kṛta and the others. The ancient knowers say each yuga consists of thousands of divine years, and the preceding twilight is counted in hundreds. The twilight that follows, equal to the previous, comes immediately after the yuga. Thus, O best of kings, the time between the twilight and its portion is described. This is the period called a yuga—Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali—these four together are called a caturyuga. It is said, O king, that a thousand of these caturyugas make a day of Brahmā. In one day of Brahmā, there are fourteen Manus. Hear, O king, the measure of their time as determined by the reckoning of time: the Seven Sages, the gods, Indra, Manu, and his sons—all are created and dissolved together as before. The number of four yugas, counted together, is indeed a little more than seventy-one. The period called a manvantara is the time of Manu and the gods, O king; it is remembered as eight hundred thousand by divine reckoning. And there are fifty-two thousand more, O king; the complete total is thirty crores, counted by number. And there are sixty-seven niyutas besides, O wise one, and twenty thousand more; this is the time, excluding the excess. This is the reckoning of a manvantara in human years. This time, multiplied by fourteen, is remembered as a day of Brahmā. The day of Brahmā is called naimittika; at its end comes dissolution, when all three worlds—Bhū, Bhuvaḥ, and others—are burned. The residents of Maharloka, afflicted by the heat, go to Jana-loka. When the three worlds become a single ocean, Brahmā, the best of knowers of Brahman, rests upon the serpent-bed, having swallowed the three worlds. The Lord of the universe is contemplated by the steadfast yogis of Jana-loka. For a night of equal measure, at its end, he creates again. Thus is a year of Brahmā, and likewise a hundred such years. A hundred of his years is the supreme lifespan of the great-souled one. Of these, one parārdha has passed, O sinless one. At the end of that, the great kalpa called Pādma is renowned; now, O king, the second parārdha is underway. This Varaha is the first kalpa now conceived. At the beginning of the kalpa, the Blessed One called Brahma-Narayana was thus. He created all beings—hear this, O great sage. Pulastya said: The Blessed One, the origin of all, created the creatures. At the end of the previous kalpa, when night had passed and the Lord awoke, Brahma, filled with sattva, beheld the world as empty. Knowing that the earth was submerged within the waters, the Lord of creatures reflected and wished to raise her up. Recognizing the form of Vishnu, to bear the earth by his own power, he entered the form of a boar, distinct from those of fish, tortoise, and others. Assuming a form composed of the Vedas and sacrifice, he, the steadfast Self, the Self of all, the Supreme Self, the Lord of creatures, remained for the support of the world. Then he, the bearer of the earth, entered the water, the foundation of the waters. Seeing him, the goddess had reached the nethermost realm. Vasundhara, bowed in devotion, praised him, having become humble in worship. Prithivi spoke: "Salutations to you, who are all beings; salutations to you, Supreme Self. Lift me up from here today, for I previously arose from you. Salutations to you, Supreme Self, salutations to you, Soul of all beings. Salutations to you, who are the unmanifest and manifest form of the primordial substance, who are time; you are the creator of all beings, you are the protector, you are the destroyer. At the beginning of creation, he who is the Supreme Brahman, assuming the forms of Vishnu, Rudra, and Atman, having consumed all when the world became a single ocean, you alone, O Govinda, remain at the end, contemplated by the wise. Your supreme form—no one knows it. The forms you assume in your descents are worshipped by the gods. Those seeking liberation, having worshipped you as the Supreme Brahman, attain release. Who, without worshipping Vasudeva, could attain liberation? That form of yours which is grasped by the mind, and that which is apprehended by the senses, and that which is comprehended by the intellect—all these are your forms. I am pervaded by you, I am supported by you, created by you, and I take refuge in you. Therefore, this world calls me Madhavi." Thus praised by the earth, the bearer of the earth—he, glorious, roared with a sound like the note of the Sama Veda and the rumble of clouds. Then the great boar, with eyes like blossoming lotuses, lifting the earth with his own tusk, rose from the netherworld, resembling a blue mountain and a lotus petal. As he rose, the wind from his mouth struck the waters, and those who had taken refuge in Janaloka—the sinless sages like Sanandana—became even purer.