Vayu Purana

न शक्यमानुपूर्व्येण तेषां वक्तुं सविस्तरान् । अनादित्वाच्च कालस्य असङ्ख्यानाच्च सर्वशः। मन्वन्तराण्यतीतानि यानि कल्पैः पुरा सह ।। ६१.

It is not possible to recount them in order and in detail, because time is without beginning and all are innumerable; the manvantaras that have passed, together with the kalpas of old.

पितृभिर्मुनिभिर्देवैः सार्द्धं सप्तार्षिभिश्च वै। कालेन प्रतिसृष्टानां युगानाञ्च निवर्तनम् ।। ६१.

With the ancestors, sages, gods, and the seven rishis, the return of ages occurs for those created by time.

एतेन क्रमयोगेन कल्पमन्वन्तराणि तु। सप्रजानि व्यतीतानि शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः ।। ६१.

By this sequence and method, the kalpas and manvantaras, together with their beings, have passed by the hundreds and thousands.

मन्वन्तरान्ते संहारः संहारान्ते च सम्भवः। देवतानामृषीणाञ्च मनोः पितृगणस्य च ।। ६१.

At the end of a Manvantara comes dissolution, and after dissolution, there is a new arising of the gods, the seers, Manu, and the hosts of ancestors.

न शक्यमानुपूर्व्येण वक्तुं वर्षशतैरपि। विस्तरस्तु निसर्गस्य संहारस्य च सर्वशः। मन्वन्तरस्य संख्यां तु मानुषेण निबोधत ।। ६१.

It is not possible to describe in sequence, even in hundreds of years, the full extent of creation and dissolution; but listen to the reckoning of a Manvantara as known among humans.

देवतानामृषीणाञ्च सङ्ख्यानार्थनिशारदैः। त्रिंशत्कोट्यस्तु संपूर्णाः सङ्ख्याताः सङ्ख्यया द्विजैः ।। ६१.

The wise, skilled in calculation, have determined that the complete number of gods and seers is three hundred million, counted precisely by learned twice-born men.

सप्तषष्टिस्तथान्यानि नियुतानि च सङ्ख्यया। विंशतिश्च सहस्राणि कालोऽयं सोधिकान् विना ।। ६१.

There are also sixty-seven niyutas, and twenty thousand more, according to the reckoning—this is the time, excluding the fractions.

मन्वन्तरस्य सङ्ख्यैषा मानुषेण प्रकीर्तिता। वत्सरेणैव दिव्येन प्रवक्ष्याम्यन्तरम्मनोः ।। ६१.

This is the number of a Manvantara as declared in human reckoning; now I will tell you, by the divine year, the interval between Manus.

अष्टौ शतसहस्राणि दिव्यया सङ्ख्यया स्मृतम्। द्विपञ्चाशत्तथान्यानि सहस्राण्यधिकानि तु ।। ६१.

It is remembered as eight hundred thousand by the divine count, and fifty-two thousand more are to be added.

चतुर्द्दशगुणो ह्येष काल आहूतसंप्लवः। पूर्णं युगसहस्रं स्यात्तदहर्ब्रह्मणः स्मृतम् ।। ६१.

This period, called the deluge, is fourteen times as great; a full thousand yugas make up one day of Brahma, it is said.

तत्र सर्वाणि भूतानि दग्धान्यादित्यरश्मिभिः। ब्रह्माणमग्रतः कृत्वा सह देवर्षिदानवैः। प्रविशन्ति सुरश्रेष्ठं देवदेवं महेश्वरम् ।। ६१.

At that time, all beings are burned by the rays of the sun; placing Brahma at their head, along with the gods, seers, and asuras, they enter the supreme god of gods, Maheshvara.

स स्रष्टा सर्वभूतानि कल्पादिषु पुनः पुनः। इत्येष स्थितिकालो वै मनोर्देवर्षिभिः सह ।। ६१.

He, the creator, brings forth all beings again and again at the beginning of each kalpa; thus is the period of existence of Manu together with the gods and seers.

सर्वमन्वन्तराणां वै प्रतिसन्धिं निबोधत। युगाख्या या समुद्दिष्टा प्रागेवास्मिन् मया तव ।। ६१.

Now understand the connection of all the Manvantaras; the reckoning of yugas which I have previously explained to you.

कृतत्रेतादि संयुक्तं चतुर्युगमिति स्मृतम्। तदेकसप्ततिगुणं परिवृत्तं तु साधिकम्। मनोरेकमधीकारं प्रोवाच भगवान् प्रभुः ।। ६१.

The set of four yugas—Krita, Treta, and so on—is called a caturyuga; seventy-one times this, with a little more, is declared by the Lord as the period of one Manu.

एवं मन्वन्तराणां तु सर्वेषामेव लक्षणम्। अतीतानागतानां वै वर्त्तमानेन कीर्त्तितम् ।। ६१.

Thus is the characteristic of all Manvantaras, past, future, and present, as recounted.

इत्येष कीर्त्तितः सर्गा मनोः स्वायम्भुवस्य ह। प्रति सन्धिन्तु वक्ष्यामि तस्य वै चापरस्य तु ।। ६१.

Thus has the creation of Svayambhuva Manu been described; now I will tell you of the connection and also of the next one.

मन्वन्तरं यथा पूर्वमृषिभिर्दैवतैः सह। अवश्यम्भाविनार्थेन यथा तद्वै निवर्त्तते ।। ६१.

Just as in the previous Manvantara, with the seers and gods, so too does it end when the destined time arrives.

अस्मिन् मन्वन्तरे पूर्वं त्रैलोक्यस्येश्वरास्तु ये। सप्तर्षयश्च देवास्ते पितरो मनवस्तथा। मन्वन्तरस्य काले तु सम्पूर्णे साधकास्तथा ।। ६१.

In this Manvantara, those who were formerly the lords of the three worlds, the seven seers, the gods, the ancestors, and the Manus, when the period of the Manvantara is complete, they too fulfill their roles.

क्षीणाधिकाराः संवृत्ता बुद्ध्वा पर्यायमात्मनः। महर्लोकाय ते सर्वे उन्मुखा दधिरे गतिम् ।। ६१.

Having completed their duties and recognizing the turn of their own time, all of them, their authority exhausted, set their sights on the world of Maharloka.

ततो मन्वन्तरे तस्मिन् प्रक्षीणा देवतास्तु ताः। सम्पूर्णे स्थितिकाले तु तिष्ठन्त्येकं कृतं युगम् ।। ६१.

Then, in that Manvantara, when the gods have diminished, at the completion of the period of existence, they remain for one Krita Yuga.

उत्पद्यन्ते भविष्याश्च यावन्मन्वन्तरेश्वराः। देवताः पितरश्चैव ऋषयो मनुरेव च ।। ६१.

New lords of the Manvantara arise, as do the gods, ancestors, seers, and Manu himself, for as long as the Manvantara lasts.

मन्वन्तरे तु सम्पूर्णे यद्यन्यद्वै कलौ युगे। सम्पद्यते कृतं तेषु कलिशिष्टेषु वै तदा ।। ६१.

When a Manvantara is completed, whatever remains in the Kali age, whatever is accomplished among them, is considered to be the residue from previous ages.

यथा कृतस्य सन्तानः कलिपूर्वः स्मृतो बुधैः। तथा मन्वन्तरान्तेषु आदिर्मन्वन्तरस्य च ।। ६१.

Just as the progeny of those who acted in the Krita age are remembered by the wise as preceding Kali, so too, at the end of Manvantaras, the beginning of each new Manvantara is likewise regarded.

क्षीणे मन्वन्तरे पूर्वे प्रवृत्ते चापरे पुनः। मुखे कृतयुगस्याथ तेषां शिष्टास्तु ये तदा ।। ६१.

When the previous Manvantara has ended and the next begins anew, at the dawn of the Krita age, those who remain from before are then considered its survivors.

स्प्तर्षयो मनुश्चैव कालावेक्षास्तु ये स्थिताः। मन्वन्तरं प्रतीक्षन्ते क्षीयन्ते तपसि स्थिताः ।। ६१.

The Saptarishis, Manu, and those who remain steadfast, observing the passage of time, await the next Manvantara, enduring in their austerities until it is exhausted.

मन्वन्तरव्यवस्थार्थं सन्तत्यर्थञ्च सर्वशः। पूर्ववत् सम्प्रवर्त्तन्ते प्रवृत्ते वृष्टिसर्ज्जने ।। ६१.

For the establishment of the Manvantara and for the continuation of progeny, all proceed as before, once the rains begin anew.

द्वन्द्वेषु सम्प्रवृत्तेषु उत्पन्नास्वौषधीषु च। प्रजासु च निकेतासु संस्थितासु क्वचित् क्वचित् ।। ६१.

When dualities arise, when herbs are produced, and when creatures settle in their abodes, each in their own place, life resumes.

वार्त्तायान्तु प्रवृत्तायां सद्धर्मे ऋषिभाविते । निरानन्दे गते लोके नष्टे स्थावरजङ्गमे ।। ६१.

When livelihood resumes, when true dharma is fostered by the sages, and when the world becomes joyless, with all movable and immovable beings destroyed.

अग्रामनगरे चैव वर्णाश्रमविवर्जिते। पूर्वमन्वन्तरे शिष्टे ये भवन्तीह धार्मिकाः । सप्तर्षयो मनुश्चैव सन्तानार्थं व्यवस्तिताः ।। ६१.

In villages and cities devoid of caste and stages of life, those righteous survivors from the previous Manvantara, including the Saptarishis and Manu, remain for the sake of progeny.