Vayu Purana

लौकिकेन प्रमाणेन विबुद्धोऽब्दस्तु मानुषः। तेनाब्देन प्रसङ्ख्याय वक्ष्यामीह चतुर्युगम् ।। ५७.५ . निमेषकालः काष्ठा च कलाश्चापि मुहूर्त्तकाः। निमेषकालतुल्यं हि विद्याल्लघ्वक्षरञ्चयत् ।। ५७.

By the worldly measure, a year is reckoned as a human year; by that year, I shall now enumerate the four yugas. The time of a nimeṣa, a kāṣṭhā, and also kalās and muhūrtas—know that the duration equal to a nimeṣa is called a laghu-akṣara.

काष्ठा निमेषा दश पञ्च चैव त्रिंशच्च काष्ठा गणयेत् कलास्ताः। त्रिंशत् कलाश्चैव भवेन्मुहूर्त्तास्तत्र्त्रिंशता रात्र्यहनी समेते ।। ५७.

One should count fifteen nimeṣas as a kāṣṭhā, and thirty kāṣṭhās as a kalā; thirty kalās make a muhūrta, and thirty muhūrtas together form a day and night.

अहोरात्रे विभजते सूर्यो मानुषदैविके। तत्राहः कर्मचेष्टायां रात्रिः स्वप्नाय कल्प्यते ।। ५७.

The sun divides the day and night into human and divine measures; among these, the day is for activity, and the night is designated for sleep.

पित्र्ये रात्र्यहनी मासः प्रविभागस्तयोः पुनः। कृष्ण पक्षस्त्वहस्तेषां शुक्लः स्वप्नाय शर्वरी ।। ५७.

For the ancestors, a month consists of a day and night; again, among these, the dark fortnight is their day, and the bright fortnight is their night for sleep.

त्रिंशच्च मानुषा मासाः पित्र्यो मासश्च स स्मृतः। शतानि त्रीणि मासानां षष्टया चाप्यधिकानि वै। पित्र्यः संवत्सरो ह्येष मानुषेण विभाव्यते ।। ५७.

Thirty human months are considered as one month for the ancestors; three hundred and sixty, plus sixty more, make a year for the ancestors, as reckoned by human calculation.

मानुषेणैव मानेन वर्षाणां यच्छतं भवेत् । पिदॄणां त्रीणि वर्षाणि सङ्खयातानीह तानि वै। चत्वार श्चाधिका मासाः पित्रे चैवेह कीर्त्तिताः ।। ५७.

By the human measure, a hundred years is equivalent to three years for the ancestors, and four additional months are also mentioned for the ancestors here.

लोकिकेनैव मानेन अब्दो यो मानुषः स्मृतः। एतद्दिव्यमहोरात्रं शास्त्रेऽस्मिन् निश्वयो मतः ।। ५७.

By the worldly measure, the year that is called human is regarded in this scripture as a single divine day and night.

दिव्ये रात्र्यहनी वर्षं प्रविभागस्तयोः पुनः । अहस्तत्रोदगयनं रात्रिः स्याद्दक्षिणायनम् ।। ५७.

A divine year is divided into a day and night; among these, the day is the northern course of the sun, and the night is the southern course.

ये ते रात्र्यहनी दिव्ये प्रसङ्खयाते तयोः पुनः। त्रिंशच्च तानि वर्षाणि दिव्यो मासस्तु स स्मृतः ।। ५७.

Those day and night periods, counted as divine, again, thirty of them are considered a divine month.

मानुषञ्च शतं विद्धि दिव्यमासास्त्रयस्तु ते। दश चैव तथाहानि दिव्यो ह्येष विधिः स्मृतः ।। ५७.

Know that a hundred human years are three divine months, and ten days as well; this is declared as the divine reckoning.

त्रीणि पर्षशतान्येव षष्टिवर्षाणि यानि च। दिव्यः संवत्सरो ह्येष मानुषेण प्रकीर्त्तितः ।। ५७.

Three hundred and sixty, and sixty more years—these are said to make a divine year, as reckoned by human calculation.

त्रीणि वर्षसहस्राणि मानुषेण प्रमाणतः। त्रिंशद्यानि तु वर्षाणि मतः सप्तर्षिवत्सरः ।। ५७.

Three thousand human years, by measure, and thirty years—this is known as the year of the Seven Sages.

नव यानि सहस्राणि वर्षाणां मानुषाणि तु । अन्यानि नवतिश्चैव क्रौञ्चः संवत्सरः स्मृतः ।। ५७.

Nine thousand human years, and ninety more—this is said to be the year of Krauñca.

षट्‌त्रिंशत्तु सहस्राणि वर्षाणां मानुषाणि तु । वर्षाणान्तु शतं ज्ञेयं दिव्यो ह्येष विधिः स्मृतः ।। ५७.

Thirty-six thousand human years, and a hundred years should be known—this is declared as the divine reckoning.

त्रीण्येव नियुतान्येव वर्षाणां मानुषाणि च। षष्टिश्चैव सहस्राणि सङ्ख्यातानि तु सङ्ख्यया। दिव्यवर्षसहस्रन्तु प्राहुः सङ्ख्याविदो जनाः ।। ५७.

Three hundred thousand human years, and sixty thousand more, counted by enumeration—those who know numbers declare this to be a thousand divine years.

इत्येवमृषिभिर्गीतं दिव्यया सङ्ख्ययान्वितम्। दिव्येनैव प्रमाणेन युगसङ्कचाप्रकल्पनम् ।। ५७.

Thus have the sages sung, accompanied by a divine reckoning, and with a divine measure, the arrangement of the yugas has been described.

चत्वारि भारते वर्षे युगानि कवयो विदुः। पूर्वं कृतयुगं नाम ततस्त्रेता विधीयते। द्वापरश्च कलि श्चैव युगान्येतानि कल्पयेत् ।। ५७.

The poets know four yugas in the land of Bharata: first is called the Kṛta Yuga, then comes the Tretā, next is Dvāpara, and finally Kali; these are the yugas to be reckoned.

चत्वार्याहुः सहस्राणि वर्षाणान्तु कृतं युगम्। तत्र तावच्छती सन्ध्या सन्ध्यांशश्च तथाविधः ।। ५७.

They say the Kṛta Yuga consists of four thousand years; within it, there is a period called Sandhyā of equal hundreds, and likewise a Sandhyāṃśa.

इत रासु च सन्ध्यासु सन्ध्यांशेषु च वै त्रिषु । एकापायेन वर्त्तन्ते सहस्राणि शतानि च ।। ५७.

In these Sandhyās and Sandhyāṃśas, in all three, the thousands and hundreds proceed with a single reduction.

त्रेता त्रीणि सहस्राणि सङ्ख्यैव परिकीर्त्यते। तस्यास्तु त्रिशती सन्ध्या सन्ध्यांशश्च तथाविधः ।। ५७.

The Tretā Yuga is declared, by count, to be three thousand years; for it as well, there are three hundred years of Sandhyā and a Sandhyāṃśa of the same kind.

द्वापरं द्वे सहस्रे तु युगमाहुर्मनीषिणः । तस्यापि द्विशती सन्ध्या सन्धयांशः सन्ध्यया समः ।। ५७.

The wise declare the Dvāpara Yuga to be two thousand years; for it too, there are two hundred years of Sandhyā, and a Sandhyāṃśa equal to the Sandhyā.

कलिं वर्षसहस्रन्तु युगमाहुर्मनीषिणः। तस्याप्येकशती सन्ध्या सन्ध्यया समः ।। ५७.

The wise say the Kali Yuga is a thousand years; for it as well, there is a Sandhyā of one hundred years, equal to the Sandhyāṃśa.

एषा द्वादशसाहस्री युगाख्या परिकीर्त्तिता। कृतं त्रेता द्वापरञ्च कलिश्चैव चतुष्टयम् ।। ५७.

Thus, the cycle of yugas is said to be twelve thousand (years): Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali, these four together.

अत्र संवत्सराः सृष्टा मानुषेण प्रमाणतः। कृतस्य तावद्वक्ष्यामि वर्षाणां तत्प्रमाणतः ।। ५७.

Here, the years are reckoned according to the human measure; I shall now declare the number of years for the Kṛta Yuga by that measure.

सहस्राणां शतान्यत्र चतुर्दश तु सङ्ख्यया। चत्वारिंशत् सहस्राणि कलिकालयुगस्य तु ।। ५७.

Here, by count, there are fourteen hundred thousands, and forty thousand for the time of the Kali Yuga.

एवं सङ्‌ख्यातकालश्च कालेष्विह विशेषतः। एवं चतुर्युगः कालो विना सन्ध्यांशकैः स्मृतः ।। ५७.

Thus, the measured time is especially reckoned here; so the four-yuga cycle is considered, excluding the Sandhyāṃśas.

चत्वारिंशत्र्त्रीणि चैव नियुतानि च सङ्ख्यया । विंशतिश्च सहस्राणि ससन्ध्यांशश्चतुर्युगः ।। ५७.

By count, there are forty-three niyutas and twenty thousand, with the Sandhyāṃśas, for the four yugas.

एवं चतुर्युगाख्या तु साधिका ह्येकसप्ततिः। कृतत्रेतादियुक्ता सा मनोरन्तरमुच्यते ।। ५७.

Thus, the cycle of four yugas, with the excess, is indeed seventy-one; joined with Kṛta, Tretā, and so on, this is called a Manvantara.

मन्वन्तरस्य सङ्ख्या तु वर्षाग्रेण निबोधत। त्रिंशत्कोट्यस्तु वर्षाणां मानुषेण प्रकीर्तिताः ।। ५७.

Now learn the number of years in a Manvantara: thirty crores of years are declared according to the human reckoning.