Vayu Purana

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.

मानुषाक्षिनिमेषास्तु काष्ठा पञ्चदश स्मृता। लवः क्षणास्तु पञ्चैव विंशत्काष्ठा तु ते त्रयः ।। ३८.

Fifteen nimeṣas of a human eye are said to make a kāṣṭhā; five lavas are a kṣaṇa, and three sets of twenty kāṣṭhās make them.

प्रस्थः सप्तोदकाश्चैव साधिकास्तु लवः स्मृतः। लवास्त्रिंशत्कला ज्ञेयै मुहूर्तस्त्रिंशतः कलाः ।। ३८.

A prastha is said to be seven measures of water, and a lava is considered a little more; thirty lavas are known as a kalā, and thirty kalās make a muhūrta.

मुहूर्त्तास्तु पुनस्त्रिंशदहोरात्रमिति स्थितिः। अहोरात्रं कलानान्तु व्यधिकानि शतानि षट् ।। ३८.

Again, thirty muhūrtas make a day and night; and in a day and night, there are six hundred more kalās.

ताश्चैव संख्याया ज्ञेयं चन्द्रादित्यगतिर्यथा। निमेषा दश पञ्चैव काष्ठास्तास्त्रिंशतः कला ।। ३८.

This enumeration should be known, just as the movement of the moon and sun: fifteen nimeṣas are a kāṣṭhā, thirty kāṣṭhās are a kalā.

त्रिंशत्कला मुहूर्त्तस्तु दशभागः कला स्मृता। चत्वारिंशत्कलानान्तु मुहूर्त्त इति संज्ञतः ।। ३८.

Thirty kalās make a muhūrta, and a kalā is said to be a tenth part; forty kalās make what is called a muhūrta.

मुहूर्त्ताश्च लवाश्चापि प्रमाणज्ञैः प्रकल्पिताः। तत्स्थाने नाम्भसाश्चापि पलान्यथ त्रयोदश ।। ३८.

Muhūrtas and lavas have been determined by those who know measures; in their place, there are also thirteen palas of water.

मागधेनैव मानेन जलप्रस्थो विधीयते। एते चाप्युदकप्रस्थाश्चत्वारो नालिको धटः ।। ३८.

By the Māgadha measure, a prastha of water is prescribed; and four such prasthas of water make a nālika, and a ghaṭa.

हेममाषैः कृतच्छिद्रै श्चतुर्भिश्चतुरङ्गुलैः. समाहनि च रात्रौ च मुहूर्त्तो वै द्विनालिकौ ।। ३८.

With holes made by four gold beans, each four fingers long, in both day and night, a muhūrta is measured by two nālikas.

रवेर्गतिविशेषेण सर्वेषु नृषु नित्यशः। अधिकं षट् शतं पञ्चैव काष्ठास्तास्त्रिंशतः कला ।। ३८.

By the special movement of the sun, among all people, always, there are six hundred and five kāṣṭhās, and thirty kalās in addition.

तदहर्मानुषं ज्ञेयं नाक्षत्रन्तु दशाधिकम्। सावनेन तु मासेन ह्यब्दोऽयं मानुषः स्मृतः ।। ३८.

That day is to be understood as human, not stellar, with ten more; by the sāvan month, the year is considered human.

एतद्दिव्यमहोरात्रमिति शास्त्रविनिश्चयः। अह्नाऽनेन तु या संख्या मासर्त्वयनवार्षिकी ।। ३८.

This is the divine day and night, as determined by scripture; by this day, the count of months, seasons, and years is reckoned.

तदा बद्धमिदं ज्ञानं संज्ञा या ह्युपलक्ष्यताम्। कलानां सुपरीमाणात्काल इत्यभिधीयते ।। ३८.

Then this knowledge is established, and the designation should be noted; from the precise measure of kalās, time is so named.

यदहर्ब्रह्मणः प्रोक्तं दिव्या कोटी तु तत् स्मृत। शतानाञ्च सहस्राणि दशद्विगुणतानि च। नवतिञ्च सहस्राणि तथैवान्यानि यानि तु ।। ३८.

What has been spoken as the day of Brahma is remembered as divine crores; and hundreds of thousands, multiplied tenfold, and ninety thousand likewise, and others as well.

एतच्छ्रुत्वा तु ऋषयो विस्मयं परमाद्भुतम्। संस्थासम्भजनं ज्ञानमपृच्छन्नन्तरन्तदा ।। ३८.

Having heard this, the sages experienced supreme wonder; they then asked about the knowledge of the arrangement and origin.

संप्लावनस्य कालन्तु मानुषेणैव सम्मतम्। मानेन श्रोतुमिच्छामः संक्षेपार्थपदाक्षरम् ।। ३८.

We wish to hear, in brief and with meaningful words, the time of the deluge as accepted in human measure.

तेषां श्रुत्वा स देवस्तु वायुर्लोकहिते रतः। संक्षेपाद्दिव्यचक्षुष्मान् प्रोवाच भगवान् प्रभुः ।। ३८.

Having heard them, the god Vāyu, devoted to the welfare of the worlds, possessing divine vision, spoke concisely, the blessed Lord.

एते रात्र्यहनी पूर्वं कीर्त्तिते त्विह तौकिके। तासां सङ्ख्याय वर्षाग्रं ब्राह्यं वक्ष्याम्यहःक्षये ।। ३८.

These day and night periods were previously described here in the human context; for their count, I will declare the year at the end of the day.

कोटिशतानि चत्वारि वर्षाणि मानुषाणि तु। द्वात्रिंशच्च तथा कोट्यः सङ्ख्याताः सङ्ख्यया द्विजैः ।। ३८.

There are four hundred crore human years, and thirty-two crore likewise, counted by the twice-born.

तथा शतसहस्राणि एकोननवतिः पुनः। आशीतिश्च सहस्राणि एष कालः प्लवस्य तु ।। ३८.

Likewise, there are ninety-nine hundred thousand, and eighty thousand; this is the time of the flood.

मानुषाख्येण सङ्ख्यातः कालो ह्याभूतसंप्लवः। सप्त सूर्य्यास्तदाऽग्रेषु तदा लोकेषु तेषु वै ।। ३८.

Counted by the human reckoning, this is the time of the elemental deluge; then, seven suns appear in those worlds.