Vayu Purana

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.

महाभूतेषु लीयन्ते प्रजाः सर्व्वाश्चतुर्विधाः । सलिलेनाप्लुते लोके नष्टे स्थावरजङ्गमे ।। ३८.

All four kinds of beings merge into the great elements; when the world is flooded with water, all stationary and moving beings are destroyed.

विनिवृत्ते च संहारे उपशान्ते प्रजापतौ। निरालोके प्रदग्धे तु नैशेन तु समावृते । ईश्वराधिष्ठिते ह्यस्मिंस्तदा ह्येकार्णवे तदा ।। ३८.२३५ तावदेकार्णवो ज्ञेयो यावदासीदहः प्रभोः । रात्रिस्तु सलिलावस्था निवृत्तौ चाप्यहः समृतम् ।। ३८.

When the dissolution has ceased and the lord of creatures is pacified, in darkness, the world is burned and enveloped by night; governed by the Lord, then there is only the single ocean.

अहोरात्रस्तथैवास्य क्रमेण परिवर्त्तते। आभूतसंप्लवो ह्येष अहोरात्रः स्मृतः प्रभोः ।। ३८.

Day and night thus alternate in order; this elemental deluge is called the day and night of the Lord.

त्रैलोक्ये यानि सत्वानि गतिमन्ति ध्रुवाणि च। आभूतेभ्यः प्रलीयन्ते तस्मादाभूतसंप्लवः ।। ३८.

All beings in the three worlds, those with movement and those fixed, dissolve into the elements; therefore, it is called the elemental deluge.

अग्रे भूतः प्रजानान्तु तस्माद्भूतः प्रजापतिः। आभूतः प्लवते चैव तस्मादाभूतसंप्लवः ।। ३८.

First, the beings arise, and from them, the progenitor; the elemental arises and floats, hence it is called the elemental deluge.

शाश्वते चामृतत्वे च शब्दे चाभूतसंप्लवः। अतीता वर्त्तमानाश्च तथैवानागताः प्रजाः। दिव्यसङ्ख्या प्रसङ्ख्याता ह्यपरार्धगुणीकृता ।। ३८.

In eternity, immortality, and in the word, the elemental deluge; past, present, and future beings, counted by divine reckoning, multiplied by half of the highest period.

परार्धद्विगुणञ्चापि परमायुः प्रकीर्त्तितम्। एतावान् स्थितिकालस्तु ह्यजस्येह प्रजामतेः। स्थित्यन्ते प्रतिसर्गस्य ब्रह्मणः परमेष्ठिनः ।। ३८.

The highest lifespan is said to be twice a parārdha; this is the duration of existence for the unborn progenitor here, and at the end of this period, the dissolution of Brahmā, the supreme lord, occurs.

यथा वायुप्रवेगेन दीपार्चिरुपशाम्यति। तथैवं प्रतिसर्गेण ब्रह्मा समुपशाम्यति ।। ३८.

Just as a lamp's flame is extinguished by the force of wind, so too, at the time of dissolution, Brahmā comes to rest.

तथा ह्यप्रतिसंसृष्टे महदादौ महेश्वरे ३८.

In the same way, when the great elements and Maheshvara are not re-manifested, dissolution occurs.

इत्येष च समाख्यातो मया ह्याभूतसंप्लवः। ब्रह्मनैमित्तिको ह्येष संप्रक्षालनसंयमः ।। ३८.

Thus I have described to you the cosmic flood that arises from Brahmā; this is indeed the dissolution caused by Brahmā, which is a process of purification and restraint.