Having concluded the chapter recounting the story of Viśālā, we now enter a sacred narrative, drawn from the lips of Vyāsa himself—a tale that reveals the cycles of creation. This account is exceedingly secret, more hidden than the deepest mysteries, and supremely auspicious. It is not meant for the unworthy, for its merit is unparalleled, and it cleanses even the gravest sins. Its authority endures for as long as the cycles of Brahmā, the supreme lord, continue. O noble one, listen carefully as the numbers and measures of time are revealed. Those skilled in enumeration declare that thirty kalās make up a single muhūrta. By the sun’s particular movement, twilight is entered daily. Time is divided into fortnights, months, seasons, and solstices, each carefully counted, with their lifespans measured as well. Two fortnights form a month, and two months make a season. The wise speak of the sun’s journey as twofold: the southern and northern courses. Those who understand time say that for the ancestors, a day and night are reckoned as a single cycle; and in the dark fortnight, śrāddha rites are performed for them. For the gods, their day and night occur during the day and in the northern course of the sun. A divine year is a hundred times greater, and a thousand divine years are counted likewise. For humans, a day and night multiplied by ten becomes a fortnight. The seasons are declared by those who perceive the truth. The Kṛta Yuga consists of four thousand years, the Tretā Yuga is three thousand years, and the Dvāpara Yuga is two thousand years, with its twilight and dawn each spanning two hundred years. The Kali Yuga is a thousand years, as stated by the wise. Thus, four thousand for Kṛta, three thousand for Tretā, two thousand four hundred for Dvāpara, and one thousand two hundred for Kali together make up twelve thousand years for the four yugas. Once more, the entire world is created anew. Each cycle of yugas, multiplied by seventy-one, forms a span of time, as the wise declare. The sun’s course is again described as southern and northern. With the passage of time, another Manu arises, and the same span repeats. The sage who sees the truth describes this ongoing cycle. When a thousand yugas are completed, the wise speak of a great night. At the end of those thousand ages, seventy cycles, along with their fractions, have been recounted. Fourteen Manus, enhancers of fame, are described—these are the lords of creatures, their blessedness celebrated by all. Between the reigns of the Manus, dissolutions occur, and at the end of each dissolution, new creations arise. Their vastness is so immense that even hundreds of years would not suffice to recount them all. The emanation and dissolution of beings continue, where all the gods dwell together with the seven sages. When the thousand ages are complete, this is called a full kalpa. Brahmā stands at the forefront, accompanied by the hosts of Ādityas, and he is the creator of all beings. At the end of each kalpa, creation begins anew, again and again, sustaining the endless cycles of existence.