Vayu Purana

एवमेकार्णवे तस्मिन्नष्टे स्थावर जङ्गमे। तदा स भवति ब्रह्मा सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् ।। ३८.

Thus, in that single ocean, when all that is movable and immovable is destroyed, then he becomes Brahma, the thousand-eyed, the thousand-footed.

सहस्रशीर्षा सुमनाः सहस्रपात् सहस्रचक्षुर्वदनः सहस्रवाक्। सहस्रबाहुः प्रथमः प्रजापतिस्त्रीयपथे यः पुरुषो निरुच्यते ।। ३८.

He is the thousand-headed, gracious one, with a thousand feet, a thousand eyes, faces, and voices; the thousand-armed, the first Lord of beings, who is called the Person moving on the path of the three worlds.

आदित्यवर्णो भुवनस्य गोप्ता ह्यपूर्व्व एकः प्रथमस्तुराषाट् । हिरण्यगर्भः पुरुषो महान् वै संपद्यते वै तमसः परस्तात् ।। ३८.

He is golden-hued, the protector of the world, truly unique, the first, the swift one; the Person, the great Hiranyagarbha, who exists beyond the darkness.

चतुर्युगसहस्रान्ते सर्वतः सलिलप्लुते। सुषुप्सुरप्रकाशां स्वां रात्रिं तु कुरुते प्रभुः ।। ३८.

At the end of a thousand fourfold ages, when all is submerged in water, the Lord, desiring rest, brings forth his own night, devoid of light.

चतुर्विधा यदा शेते प्रजाः सर्व्वाण्डमण्डिताः। पश्यन्ते तं महात्मानं कालं सप्त महर्षयः ।। ३८.

When all beings, adorned with the universe, lie in fourfold sleep, the seven great seers behold that great soul, Time.

जनलोकविवर्त्तन्तस्तपसा लब्धचक्षुषः। भृग्वादयो महात्मानः पूर्व्वे व्याख्यातलक्षणाः ।। ३८.

Those exalted ones, Bhrigu and others, whose characteristics have been described before, having gained vision through austerity, revolve in Janaloka.

सत्यादीन् सप्तलोकान् वै ते हि पश्यन्ति चक्षुषा। ब्रह्माणं ते तु पश्यन्ति महाब्राह्मीषु रात्रिषु ।। ३८.

With their vision, they see the seven worlds, beginning with Satya; and during the great nights of Brahma, they behold Brahma himself.

सप्तर्षयः प्रपश्यन्ति सप्तकालं स्वरात्रिषु। कल्पानां परमेष्ठित्वात्तस्मादाद्यः स पठ्यते ।। ३८.

The seven seers perceive the sevenfold Time during the celestial nights; because of their supreme status among the cycles, he is therefore called the first.

स यष्टा सर्वभूतानां कल्पादिषु पुनः पुनः। एवमावेशयित्वा तु स्वात्मन्येव प्रजापतिः ।। ३८.

He is the sacrificer for all beings at the beginning of each cycle; having thus gathered all into himself, the Lord of creatures remains in his own self.

अथात्मनि महातेजाः सर्वमादाय सर्वकृत्। ततस्ते वसते रात्रिं तमस्येकार्णवे जले ।। ३८.

Then, the great radiant one, the creator of all, having withdrawn everything into himself, abides during the night in the darkness, in the single oceanic water.

ततो रात्रिक्षये प्राप्ते प्रतिबुद्धः प्रजापतिः। मनः सिसृक्षया युक्तं सर्गाय निदधे पुनः ।। ३८.

Then, when the night comes to an end, the Lord of creatures awakens; filled with the desire to create, he sets his mind again to the work of creation.

एवं सलोके निर्वृत्ते उपशान्ते प्रजापतौ। ब्रह्मनैमित्तिके तस्मिन् कल्पिते वै प्रसंयमे ।। ३८.

Thus, when the world has ceased and the Lord of creatures is at rest, in that dissolution caused by Brahma, in that established restraint,

देहैर्वियोगः सत्वानां तस्मिन् वै कृत्स्नशः स्मृतः। ततो दग्धेषु भूतेषु सर्व्वेष्वादित्यरश्मिभिः। देवर्षिमनुवर्य्येषु तस्मिन् सङ्कलने तदा ।। ३८.

In that dissolution, the separation of beings from their bodies is said to be complete; then, when all elements are burned up by the rays of the sun, among gods, seers, and men, in that gathering,

गन्धर्वादीनि सत्वानि पिशाचान्तानि सर्व्वशः। कल्पादावप्रतप्तानि जनमेवाश्रयन्ति वै ।। ३८.

All beings, from Gandharvas down to Piśācas, not yet tormented at the beginning of the cycle, indeed take birth among men.

तिर्यग्योनीनि सत्वानि नारकेयानि यान्यपि। तदा तान्यपि दग्धानि धुतपापानि सर्व्वशः। जने तान्युपपद्यन्ते यावत्संप्लवते जगत् ।। ३८.

Beings born in animal wombs and those destined for hell, whatever they may be, at that time, all are burned, their sins consumed; they are born among men as long as the world endures.

व्युष्टायान्तु रजन्यां तु ब्रह्मणेऽव्यक्तयोनये। जायन्ते हि पुनस्तानि सर्व्वभूतानि कृत्स्नशः ।। ३८.

But when the night has passed, all beings, in their entirety, are again born from Brahma, whose origin is unmanifest.

ऋषयो मनवो देवाः प्रजाः सर्व्वश्चतुर्विधाः। तेषामपीह सिद्धानां निधनोत्पत्तिरुच्यते ।। ३८.

The seers, Manus, gods, and all fourfold beings—among them, even for the perfected ones, both death and birth are declared here.

यथा सूर्यस्य लोकेऽस्मिन्नुदयास्तमनं स्मृतम्। तथा जन्मनिरोधश्च भूतानामिह दृश्यते ।। ३८.

Just as the rising and setting of the sun are known in this world, so too, the birth and cessation of beings are seen here.

आभूतसंप्लवात्तस्माद्भवः संसार उच्यते । यथा सर्व्वाणि भूतानि जायन्ते हि वर्षास्विह ।। ३८.

Therefore, because of the dissolution of beings, this is called the cycle of becoming; just as all beings are born here during the rains.

स्थावरादीनि सत्त्वानि कल्पे कल्पे तथा प्रजाः। यथार्त्तावृतुलिङ्गानि नानारूपाणि पर्य्यये ।। ३८.

Immovable and other beings, and likewise creatures in each cycle, appear with forms as varied as the marks of time’s wheel, in every change.

दृश्यन्ते तानि तान्येव तथा ब्रह्मात्तरात्रिषु । प्रत्याहारे च सर्गे च गतिमन्ति ध्रुवाणि च ।। ३८.

Those very beings are seen again and again, just so, during Brahma’s nights and at the time of dissolution and creation, possessing movement and constancy.

निष्क्रमन्ते विशन्ते च प्रजाकारं प्रजापतिम्। ब्रह्माणं सर्वभूतानि महायोगं महेश्वरम् ।। ३८.

All beings emerge and enter into the Progenitor of creatures, the Lord of beings, Brahma, the Great Yogi, the Great Lord.

संस्रष्टा सर्वभूतानां कल्पादिषु पुनः पुनः। व्यक्ता व्यक्तो महादेवस्तस्य सर्वमिदं जगत् ।। ३८.

He is the creator of all beings, again and again at the beginning of cycles; manifest and unmanifest, the Great God—this entire world is his.

येनैव सृष्टाः प्रथमं प्रयाता आपो हि मार्गेण महीतलेऽस्मिन्। पूर्वप्रयातेन तथा ह्यपोऽन्यास्तेनैव तेनैव तु संव्रजन्ति ।। ३८.

By whom the waters were first created and set forth on this earth by a path—by that same path, indeed, other waters proceed, just as before.

यथा शूभेन त्वशुभेन चैव तत्रैव तत्रैव विवर्त्तमानाः। मर्त्यास्तु देहान्तरभावितत्त्वाद्रवेर्वशादूर्द्ध्वमधश्चरन्ति ।। ३८.

Just as, by merit or demerit, mortals, revolving there and there, according to the nature of their next bodies, move upward or downward by the force of their actions.

ये चापि देवा मनवः प्रजेशा अन्येऽपि ये स्वर्गगताश्च सिद्धाः। सद्भाविताख्यातिवशाच्च धर्म्म्याः पुनर्निसर्गेण भवन्ति सत्त्वाः ।। ३८.

And those who are gods, Manus, lords of creatures, and others who have attained heaven, and the perfected ones—by the force of their virtuous actions and knowledge, beings are born again at the new creation.

अत ऊर्द्ध्वं प्रवक्ष्यामि कालमाभूतसंप्लवम्। मन्वन्तराणि यानि स्युर्व्याख्यातानि मया द्विजाः। सह प्रज्ञानिसर्गेण सह देवैश्चतुर्द्दश ।। ३८.

Now I shall explain the time up to the dissolution of beings; the Manvantaras which have been described by me, O twice-born, together with the creation of the wise and the fourteen gods.

स युगाख्या सहस्रं तु सर्वाण्येवान्तराणि वै । अस्याः सहस्रे द्वे पूर्णे निःशेषः कल्प उच्यते ।। ३८.

That thousand called a yuga, all the intervals as well—when two of these thousands are complete, it is called a full kalpa.

एतद्ब्राह्ममहो ज्ञेयं तस्य संख्यां निबोधत। निमेषस्तुल्य मात्रा हि कृतो लघ्वक्षरेण तु ।। ३८.

This is to be known as Brahma’s day; now hear its calculation: a nimeṣa, the blink of a human eye, is made the measure by a short syllable.