ब्रह्मा स्वयं च जगतो विसृष्टौ संप्रवर्त्तते। सृष्टिं च पात्यनुयुगं यावत्कल्पविकल्पना
Brahmā himself then proceeds with the creation of the world, and preserves the creation through each age, as long as the duration of the kalpa endures.
स संज्ञां याति भगवानेक एव जनार्दनः। सत्वभुग्गुणवान्देवो ह्यप्रमेय पराक्रमः
That one Lord Janārdana alone assumes the designation, endowed with the quality of sattva, the god of immeasurable power.
तमोद्रेकं च कल्पांते रूपं रौद्रं करोति च। राजेंद्राखिलभूतानि भक्षयत्यतिभीषणः
At the end of the kalpa, he takes on a fierce form of darkness, O king, and terribly devours all beings.
भक्षयित्वा च भूतानि जगत्येकार्णवीकृते। नागपर्यंकशयने शेते सर्वस्वरूपधृक्
Having devoured all beings when the world becomes a single ocean, he lies upon the serpent couch, bearing all forms.
प्रबुद्धश्च पुनः सृष्टिं प्रकरोति च रूपधृक्। सृष्टिस्थित्यंतकरणाद्ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवात्मकः
Awakening again, he creates the world anew, assuming forms; as the cause of creation, preservation, and destruction, he is Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva.
स्रष्टा सृजति चात्मानं विष्णुः पाल्यं च पाति च। उपसंह्रियते चापि संहर्त्ता च स्वयं प्रभुः
The creator creates himself; Viṣṇu protects what is to be preserved, and the Lord himself withdraws and destroys.
पृथिव्यापस्तथा तेजो वायुराकाशमेव च। स एव सर्वभूतेशो विश्वरूपो यतोव्ययः
Earth, water, fire, wind, and space—he alone is the lord of all beings, of universal form, the source and imperishable.
सर्गादिकं ततोस्यैव भूतस्थमुपकारकम्। स एव सृज्यः स च सर्गकर्त्ता स एव पाल्यं प्रतिपाल्यते यतः। ब्रह्माद्यवस्थाभिरशेषमूर्त्तिर्ब्रह्मा वरिष्ठो वरदो वरेण्यः
Therefore, all creation and its support exist within him; he is both the created and the creator, he is the protector and the protected; with the states beginning from Brahmā, he is of infinite forms, the supreme Brahmā, the bestower of boons, the most excellent.
भीष्म उवाच। निर्गुणस्याप्रमेयस्य शुद्धस्याथ महात्मनः। कथं सर्गादिकर्त्तृत्वं ब्रह्मणो ह्युपपद्यते
Bhīṣma said: How can the qualityless, immeasurable, pure, and great soul Brahman be the agent of creation and the rest?
पुलस्त्य उवाच। शक्तयः सर्वभावानामचिंत्या ज्ञानगोचराः। यत्ततो ब्रह्मणस्तास्तुसर्गाद्या भावशक्तयः
Pulastya said: The powers of all beings are inconceivable, accessible only to knowledge; thus, the creative and other powers of Brahman exist.
उत्पन्नः प्रोच्यते विद्वान्नित्य एवोपचारतः। निजेन तस्य मानेन आयुर्वर्षशतं स्मृतम्
The wise say that he is born, though he is truly eternal; by his own measure, his lifespan is reckoned as a hundred years.
तत्पराख्यं परार्द्धं च तदर्द्धं परिकीर्त्तितम्। काष्ठा पंचदशाख्या ता निमेषा नृपसत्तम
That is called a parārdha, and half of that is also described; O best of kings, fifteen nimeṣas are known as a kāṣṭhā.
काष्ठा स्त्रिंशत्कला त्रिंशत्कला मौहूर्त्तिको विधिः। तावत्संख्यैरहोरात्रं मुहूर्त्तैर्मानुषं स्मृतम्
Thirty kāṣṭhās make a kalā, and thirty kalās make a muhūrta; by that count, a day and night are reckoned, and with muhūrtas, a human day is measured.
अहोरात्राणि तावंति मासः पक्षद्वयात्मकः। तैष्षड्भिरयनं वर्षमयने दक्षिणोत्तरे
So many days and nights make a month, consisting of two fortnights; with six such months, the year is formed, divided into the southern and northern courses.
अयनं दक्षिणं रात्रिर्देवानामुत्तरं दिनम्। दिव्यैर्वर्षसहस्रैस्तु कृतत्रेतादिसंज्ञितम्
The southern course is the night of the gods, and the northern course is their day; the periods called Kṛta, Tretā, and so on, are reckoned by thousands of divine years.
चतुर्युगं द्वादशभिस्तद्विभागं निबोध मे। चत्वारि त्रीणिद्वे चैकं कृतादिषु यथाक्रमम्
Understand from me the division of the four yugas into twelve parts: four, three, two, and one, in order, for Kṛta and the others.
दिव्याब्दानां सहस्राणि युगेष्वाहुः पुराविदः। तत्प्रमाणैः शतैः संध्या पूर्वा तत्राभिधीयते
The ancient knowers say that each yuga consists of thousands of divine years; with those measures, the preceding twilight is also described in hundreds.
संध्यांशकश्च तत्तुल्यो युगस्यानंतरो हि यः। संध्यासंध्यांशयोरंतः कालो यो नृपसत्तम
And the portion of twilight that follows, equal to the previous one, comes immediately after the yuga; O best of kings, the time between the twilight and its portion is thus.
युगाख्यः स तु विज्ञेयः कृतत्रेतादिसंज्ञितः। कृतं त्रेता द्वापरं च कलिश्चैव चतुर्युगम्
That is to be understood as the period called a yuga, known as Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali; these four together are called a caturyuga.
प्रोच्यते तत्सहस्रं तु ब्रह्मणो दिवसं नृप। ब्रह्मणो दिवसे राजन्मनवश्च चतुर्दश
It is said, O king, that a thousand of these make a day of Brahmā; in one day of Brahmā, O king, there are fourteen Manus.
भवंति परिमाणं च तेषां कालकृतं शृणु। सप्तर्षयः सुराः शक्रो मनुस्तत्सूनवो नृप
Hear the measure of their time, O king, as determined by time: the Seven Sages, the gods, Indra, Manu, and his sons.
एककाले हि सृज्यंते संह्रियंते च पूर्ववत्। चतर्युगानां संख्याता साधिका ह्येकसप्ततिः
At one time, they are all created and dissolved as before; the number of four yugas, counted together, is indeed a little more than seventy-one.
मन्वंतरं मनोः कालः सुरादीनां च पार्थिव। अष्टौ शतसहस्राणि दिव्यया संख्यया स्मृतः
The period called a manvantara is the time of Manu and the gods, O king; it is remembered as eight hundred thousand by the divine reckoning.
द्विपंचाशत्तथान्यानि सहस्राण्यधिकानि च। त्रिंशत्कोट्यस्तु संपूर्णाः संख्याताः संख्यया नृप
And there are fifty-two thousand more, O king; the complete total is thirty crores, counted by number.
सप्तषष्टिस्तथान्यानि नियुतानि महामते। विंशतिश्च सहस्राणि कालोयमधिकं विना
And there are sixty-seven niyutas besides, O wise one, and twenty thousand more; this is the time, excluding the excess.
मन्वंतरस्य संख्येयं मानुषैरिह वत्सरैः। चतुर्द्दशगुणो ह्येष कालो ब्राह्ममहः स्मृतम्
This is the reckoning of a manvantara in human years here; this time, multiplied by fourteen, is remembered as a day of Brahmā.
ब्राह्मो नैमित्तिको नाम तस्यांते प्रतिसंचरः। तदाहि दह्यते सर्वं त्रैलोक्यं भूर्भुवादिकम्
The day of Brahmā is called naimittika; at its end comes dissolution, when all the three worlds—Bhū, Bhuvaḥ, and others—are burned.
जनं प्रयांति तापार्त्ता महर्लोकनिवासिनः। एकार्णवे तु त्रैलोक्ये ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मविदां वरः
The residents of Maharloka, afflicted by heat, go to Jana-loka; when the three worlds are a single ocean, Brahmā, best of knowers of Brahman,
भोगिशय्यागतः शेते त्रैलोक्यग्रासबृंहितः। जनस्थैर्योगिभिर्द्देवश्चिंत्यमानो जगद्विभुः
Rests upon the serpent-bed, having swallowed the three worlds; the Lord of the universe, contemplated by the steadfast yogis of Jana-loka.
तत्प्रमाणां हि तां रात्रिं तदंते सृजते पुनः। एवं तु ब्रह्मणो वर्षमेवं वर्षशतं च तत्
For a night of equal measure, at its end, he creates again; thus is a year of Brahmā, and likewise a hundred such years.