Shiva Purana (Books 1 & 7)

सवनानां सहस्रं च त्रिगुणं त्रिवृतं तथा कल्प्यते सकलः कालो ब्रह्मणः परमेष्ठिनः

A thousand savanas, multiplied threefold and again threefold, is reckoned as the complete time of Brahmā, the supreme lord.

तस्य वै दिवसे यांति चतुर्दश पुरंदराः शतानि मासे चत्वारि विंशत्या सहितानि च

During his day, fourteen Indras pass; in a month, four times twenty, together with hundreds.

अब्दे पञ्च सहस्राणि चत्वारिंशद्युतानि च चत्वारिंशत्सहस्राणि पञ्च लक्षाणि चायुषि

In a year, there are five thousand and forty; forty thousand and five hundred thousand in their lifespan.

ब्रह्मा विष्णोर्दिने चैको विष्णू रुद्रदिने तथा ईश्वरस्य दिने रुद्रस्सदाख्यस्य तथेश्वरः

A day of Brahmā is a day of Viṣṇu; likewise, a day of Viṣṇu is a day of Rudra; and a day of Rudra is a day of Īśvara, the ever-named.

साक्षाच्छिवस्य तत्संख्यस्तथा सो ऽपि सदाशिवः चत्वारिंशत्सहस्राणि पञ्चलक्षाणि चायुषि

The same number applies directly to Śiva, and so also to Sadāśiva: forty thousand and five hundred thousand in lifespan.

अहस्तस्य तु या सृष्टी रात्रिश्च प्रलयः स्मृतः अहर्न विद्यते तस्य न रात्रिरिति धारयेत्

For him who has no day, creation is called his day, and dissolution is called his night; but truly, for him there is neither day nor night—so it should be understood.

एषोपचारः क्रियते लोकानां हितकाम्यया प्रजाः प्रजानां पतयो मूर्तयश्च सुरासुराः

This is a figurative explanation, given for the benefit of the worlds; the beings, their lords, their forms, and the gods and asuras.

इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थाश्च महाभूतानि पञ्च च तन्मात्राण्यथ भूतादिर्बुद्धिश्च सह दैवतः

The senses, their objects, the five great elements, the subtle elements, the source of the elements, and intellect, together with their presiding deities—

अहस्तिष्ठंति सर्वाणि पारमेशस्य धीमतः अहरंते प्रलीयन्ते रात्र्यन्ते विश्वसंभवः

All these remain during the day of the wise Supreme Lord; at the end of the day, they dissolve, and at the end of the night, the universe arises again.

यो विश्वात्मा कर्मकालस्वभावाद्यर्थे शक्तिर्यस्य नोल्लंघनीया यस्यैवाज्ञाधीनमेतत्समस्तं नमस्तस्मै महते शंकराय

Salutation to that great Śaṅkara, the soul of the universe, whose power is action, time, and nature; whose command alone governs all this, and which cannot be transgressed.

कथं जगदिदं कृत्स्नं विधाय च निधाय च आज्ञया परमां क्रीडां करोति परमेश्वरः

How does the Supreme Lord, having created and then withdrawn this entire world, perform his supreme play by his command?

किं तत्प्रथमसंभूतं केनेदमखिलं ततम् केना वा पुनरेवेदं ग्रस्यते पृथुकुक्षिणा

What is that which first came into being? By whom is all this pervaded? And by whom again is all this consumed, whose belly is vast?

शक्तिः प्रथमसम्भूता शांत्यतीतपदोत्तरा ततो माया ततो ऽव्यक्तं शिवाच्छक्तिमतः प्रभोः

Power is the first to arise, surpassing the state beyond peace; then comes māyā, then the unmanifest, from Śiva, the lord endowed with power.

शान्त्यतीतपदं शक्तेस्ततः शान्तिपदक्रमात् ततो विद्यापदं तस्मात्प्रतिष्ठापदसंभवः

From the power comes the state beyond peace, then, in sequence, the state of peace; from that, the state of knowledge, and from that, the state of foundation arises.

निवृत्तिपदमुत्पन्नं प्रतिष्ठापदतः क्रमात् एवमुक्ता समासेन सृष्टिरीश्वरचोदिता

From the state of foundation, the state of withdrawal arises in order; thus, in summary, the creation prompted by the Lord has been described.

आनुलोम्यात्तथैतेषां प्रतिलोम्येन संहृतिः अस्मात्पञ्चपदोद्दिष्टात्परस्स्रष्टा समिष्यते

In the natural order, these arise; in the reverse, they dissolve. Beyond the fivefold method prescribed, another creator is not accepted.

कलाभिः पञ्चभिर्व्याप्तं तस्माद्विश्वमिदं जगत् अव्यक्तं कारणं यत्तदात्मना समनुष्ठितम्

Therefore, this entire universe is pervaded by the five energies; that unmanifest cause, which is established by itself, is what is intended.

महदादिविशेषांतं सृजतीत्यपि संमतम् किं तु तत्रापि कर्तृत्वं नाव्यक्तस्य न चात्मनः

It is agreed that it creates from the great principle down to the particular; yet, even there, neither the unmanifest nor the self possesses agency.

अचेतनत्वात्प्रकृतेरज्ञत्वात्पुरुषस्य च प्रधानपरमाण्वादि यावत्किञ्चिदचेतनम्

Because nature is insentient and the person is unknowing, everything from the primary substance down to the atom is without consciousness.

तत्कर्तृकं स्वयं दृष्टं बुद्धिमत्कारणं विना जगच्च कर्तृसापेक्षं कार्यं सावयवं यतः

It is seen that an intelligent cause is necessary for action; for the world, being an effect, composed of parts, depends on an agent.

तस्माच्छक्तस्स्वतन्त्रो यः सर्वशक्तिश्च सर्ववित् अनादिनिधनश्चायं महदैश्वर्यसंयुतः

Therefore, he who is powerful, independent, all-capable, all-knowing, without beginning or end, and endowed with supreme sovereignty—

स एव जगतः कर्ता महादेवो महेश्वराः पाता हर्ता च सर्वस्य ततः पृथगनन्वयः

He alone is the creator of the world, the great god, the supreme lord; he is also the protector and destroyer of all, thus the sequence is distinct.

परिणामः प्रधानस्य प्रवृत्तिः पुरुषस्य च सर्वं सत्यव्रतस्यैव शासनेन प्रवर्तते

The transformation of the primary substance and the activity of the person—all proceed only by the command of the ever-truthful one.

इतीयं शाश्वती निष्ठा सतां मनसि वर्तते न चैनं पक्षमाश्रित्य वर्तते स्वल्पचेतनः

Thus, this eternal conclusion abides in the minds of the wise; and the one of little understanding does not act by relying on this doctrine.

यावदादिसमारंभो यावद्यः प्रलयो महान् तावदप्येति सकलं ब्रह्मणः शारदां शतम्

From the beginning of creation until the great dissolution, all this endures for a hundred divine years of Brahmā.

परमित्यायुषो नाम ब्रह्मणो ऽव्यक्तजन्मनः तत्पराख्यं तदर्धं च परार्धमभिधीयते

This is called the supreme lifespan of Brahmā, who is born from the unmanifest; that which is called 'para' is its half, known as 'parārdha.'

परार्धद्वयकालांते प्रलये समुपस्थिते अव्यक्तमात्मनः कार्यमादायात्मनि तिष्ठति

At the end of two parārdhas, when dissolution arrives, the unmanifest, taking the effect of the self, remains within itself.

आत्मन्यवस्थिते ऽव्यक्ते विकारे प्रतिसंहृते साधर्म्येणाधितिष्ठेते प्रधानपुरुषावुभौ

When the unmanifest is established in the self and transformation is withdrawn, both the primary substance and the person remain together in similarity.

तमः सत्त्वगुणावेतौ समत्वेन व्यवस्थितौ अनुद्रिक्तावनन्तौ तावोतप्रोतौ परस्परम्

These two, darkness and the quality of goodness, remain in equilibrium, neither increasing nor decreasing, mutually interwoven and endless.