Vayu Purana

ऋषय ऊचुः।। कस्मादेष परार्द्धश्च कश्चैष पर उच्यते। एतद्वेदितुमिच्छामस्तन्नो निगद सत्तम ।। ३९.

The sages said: From what is this parārddha, and what is called para? We wish to know this; please declare it to us, O noble one.

सूत उवाच।। श्रृणुध्वं मे परार्द्धञ्च परिसंख्यां परस्य च। एवं दश शतञ्चैव सहस्रञ्चैव सङ्ख्यया ।। ३९.

Sūta said: Hear from me about parārddha and the enumeration of para; thus, ten, a hundred, a thousand by count.

विज्ञेयमासहस्रन्तु सहस्राणि दशायुतम्। एकं शतसहस्रन्तु नियुतं प्रोच्यते बुधैः ।। ३९.

Know that ten thousand thousands is called an āsa-sahasra; one hundred thousand thousands is called a niyuta by the wise.

तथा शतसहस्राणामर्बुदं कोटिरुच्यते। अर्बुदं दशकोट्यस्तु ह्यब्जं कोटिशतं विदुः ।। ३९.

Likewise, a hundred thousand thousands is called an arbuda, and ten crores is called a koti; ten arbudas is an abja, and a hundred kotis is known as such.

सहस्रमपि कोटीनां खर्वमाहुर्मनीषिणः। दशकोटिसहस्राणि निखर्वमिति तं विदुः ।। ३९.

A thousand kotis is called a kharva by the thinkers; ten thousand kotis is called a nikharva by them.

शतं कोटिसहस्राणां सङ्कुरित्यभिधीयते। कोटि सहस्र स्राणां कोटीनां दशधा पुनः। गुणितानि समुद्रं वै प्राहुः संख्याविदो जनाः ।। ३९.

A hundred thousand kotis is called a śaṅku; a thousand kotis, and ten times that again, multiplied, is called a samudra by those who know numbers.

कोटीनां सहस्रमयुतमित्ययं मध्य उच्यते। कोटि सहस्र नियुता स चान्त इति संज्ञितः ।। ३९.

A thousand kotis and an ayuta is called the middle; a hundred thousand kotis and a niyuta is called the end.

कोटिकोटिसहस्राणिं परार्द्ध इति कीर्त्यते । परार्द्धद्विगुणञ्चापि परमाहुर्मनीषिणः ।। ३९.

A hundred thousand kotis is called parārddha; and twice parārddha is called the supreme by the thinkers.

शतमाहुः परिदृढं सहस्रं परिपद्मकम्। विज्ञेयमयुतं तस्मान्नियुतं प्रयुतं ततः ।। ३९.

A hundred is called paridṛḍha, a thousand is called paripadma; from that, an ayuta is to be known, then a niyuta, then a prayuta.

अर्बुदं निर्बुदञ्चैव खर्बुदञ्च ततः स्मृतम्। खर्वञ्चैव निखर्वञ्च शङ्कुः पद्मं तथैव च ।। ३९.

Arbuda, nirbuda, kharbuda, then kharva, nikharva, śaṅku, and padma likewise.

समुद्रं मध्यमञ्चैव परार्द्धमपरं ततः। एवमष्टादशैतानि स्थानानि गणनाविधौ ।। ३९.

Samudra, madhyama, parārddha, and the other; thus, these eighteen terms are used in the enumeration.

शतानीति विजानीयात् संज्ञितानि महर्षिभिः। कल्पसंख्या प्रवृत्तस्य परार्द्धं ब्रह्मणः स्मृतम् ।। ३९.

One should know that these hundreds are named by the great sages; parārddha is remembered as the number for the duration of a kalpa of Brahman.

तावच्छेषोऽपि कालोऽस्य तस्यान्ते प्रतिसृज्यते। पर एष परार्द्धञ्च संख्यातः संख्यया मया ।। ३९.

So much is the remainder of his time; at its end, dissolution occurs. This is the para and parārddha, enumerated by me according to the count.

यस्मादस्य परं वीर्यं परमायुः परन्तपः। परा शक्तिः परो धर्म्मः परा विद्या परा धृतिः ।। ३९.

Because his power is supreme, his lifespan is supreme, O scorcher of foes; his energy is supreme, his righteousness is supreme, his knowledge is supreme, his steadfastness is supreme.

परं ब्रह्म परं ज्ञानं परमैश्वर्यमेव च। तस्मात्परतरं भूतं ब्रह्मणोऽन्यन्न विद्यते ।। ३९.

The supreme Brahman, the supreme knowledge, and the supreme sovereignty; therefore, nothing exists beyond Brahman, nothing is known to be higher.

परे स्थितो ह्येष परः सर्वार्थेषु ततः परः। संख्यातस्तु परो ब्रह्मा तस्यार्द्धं तु परार्द्धता ।। ३९.

He is established in the supreme, he is supreme in all matters, and therefore is beyond; among numbers, Brahman is supreme, and its half is called the supreme half.

संख्येयं चाप्यसंख्येयं सततं चापि तं त्रिकम्। संख्येयं संख्यया दृष्टमपारार्द्धाद्विभाष्यते ।। ३९.

This enumeration is both countable and uncountable, and that triad is always so; what is countable is seen by enumeration, and what is beyond the supreme half is explained.

राशौ दृष्टे न संख्यास्ति तदसंख्यस्य लक्षणम्। आनन्त्यं सिकताख्येषु दृष्टवान् पञ्चलक्षणम् ।। ३९.

When a heap is seen, there is no enumeration; that is the mark of the uncountable. Infinity is observed in things called grains of sand, and five characteristics are seen.

ईश्वरैस्तत्प्रसंख्यातं शुद्धत्वाद्दिव्यदृष्टिभिः। एवं ज्ञानप्रतिष्ठत्वात् सर्व्वं ब्रह्मानुपश्यति ।। ३९.

By the lords, it is enumerated, due to purity and divine vision; thus, because knowledge is established, everything is perceived as Brahman.

एतच्छ्रुत्वा तु ते सर्वे नैमिषेयास्तपस्विनः। बाष्पपर्य्याकुलाक्षास्तु प्रहर्षाद्घद्घदस्वराः ।। ३९.

Upon hearing this, all the ascetics of Naimisha, their eyes filled with tears, uttered trembling voices out of joy.

पप्रच्छुर्मातरिश्वानं सर्व्वे ते ब्रह्मवादिनः। ब्रह्मलोकस्तु भगवन् यावन्मात्रान्तरः प्रभो ।। ३९.

All those speakers of Brahman questioned Mātariśvan: 'O Lord, what is the measure of the interval of Brahma's world?'

योजनाग्रेण संख्यातः साधनं योजनस्य तु। क्रोशस्य च परीमाणं श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः ।। ३९.

I wish to hear, in truth, the enumeration of the yojana, the means of the yojana, and the measure of the krośa.

तेषां तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा मातरिश्वा विनीतवाक्। उवाच मधुरं वाक्यं यथादृष्टं यथाक्रमम् ।। ३९.

Hearing their words, Mātariśvan spoke humbly, uttering sweet speech as seen and in proper order.

वायुरुवाच।। एतद्वोऽहं प्रवक्ष्यामि श्रृणुध्वं मे विवक्षितम्। अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तभागो वै महास्थूलो विभाष्यते ।। ३९.

Vāyu said: I will declare this to you; listen to my intention. From the unmanifest, the manifest portion is considered the great gross form.

दशैव महतां भागा भूतादिः स्थूल उच्यते। दशभागाधिकं चापि भूतादिः परमाणुकः ।। ३९.

Ten portions of the great are called the gross element; and the element, exceeding by ten portions, is called the atom.

परमाणुः सुसूक्ष्मस्तु बावग्राह्यो न चक्षुषा। यदभेद्यतमं लोके विज्ञेयं परमाणु तत् ।। ३९.

The atom is extremely subtle, not grasped by the eye; what is most indivisible in the world is to be understood as the atom.

जालान्तरगतं भानोर्यत्सूक्ष्मं दृश्यते रजः। प्रथमं तत्प्रमाणानां परमाणुं प्रचक्षते ।। ३९.

The fine dust seen in the sunbeam passing through a net is called the first measure of atoms.

अष्टानां परमाणूनां समवायो यदा भवेत् । त्रसरेणुः समाख्यातस्तत्पद्मरज उच्यते ।। ३९.

When eight atoms combine, it is called a trasareṇu; that is known as lotus pollen.

त्रसरेणवश्च येऽप्यष्टौ रथरेणुस्तु स स्मृतः । तेऽप्यष्टौ समवायस्था बालाग्रं तत्स्मृतं बुधैः ।। ३९.

And when eight trasareṇus are combined, it is called rathareṇu; and when eight of those are together, it is called the tip of a hair by the wise.