Vayu Purana

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.

बालाग्राण्यष्ट लिक्षा स्याद्यूका तच्चाष्टकं भवेत्। यूकाष्टकं यवं प्राहुरङ्गुलन्तु यवाष्टकम् ।। ३९.

Eight hair-tips make a likṣā, and eight of those make a yūka; eight yūkas make a barley grain, and eight barley grains make an angula.

द्वादशाङ्गुलपर्व्वाणि वितस्तिस्थानमुच्यते। रत्निश्चाङ्गुलपर्वाणि विज्ञेयो ह्येकविंशतिः ।। ३९.

Twelve finger-joints are called the span; and the ratni is known to be twenty-one finger-joints.

चत्वारि विंशतिश्चैव हस्तः स्यादङ्गुलानि तु। किष्कुर्द्विरत्निर्विज्ञेयो द्विचत्वारिंशदङ्गुलः ।। ३९.

A hand is said to measure twenty-four fingers; the forearm is to be understood as two cubits, measuring forty-two fingers.

षण्णवत्यङ्गुलञ्चैव धनुराहुर्मनीषिणः। एतद्गव्यूतिसंख्यायां पादानां धनुषः स्मृतः ।। ३९.

The wise declare that a bow measures ninety-six fingers; this is remembered as the measure of a gavyūti in terms of feet and bows.

धनुर्दण्डो युगं नाली तुल्यान्येतान्यथाङ्गुलैः। धनुषस्त्रिशतं नल्वमाहुः संख्याविदो जनाः ।। ३९.

A bow, a staff, a yoke, and a tube are all equal in these finger measurements; those who know the reckoning say that three hundred bows make one nalva.

धनुःसहस्रे द्वे चापि गव्यूतिरुपदिश्यते। अष्टौ धनुःसहस्राणि योजनन्तु विधीयते ।। ३९.

Two thousand bows are prescribed as a gavyūti; eight thousand bows are established as a yojana.

एतेन धनुषा चैव योजनं तु समाप्यते। एतत्सहस्रं विज्ञेयं शक्रक्रोशान्तरन्तथा ।। ३९.

By this reckoning of bows, a yojana is completed; a thousand of these is to be known as the distance between two cries of Indra.

योजनानान्तु संख्यातं संख्याज्ञानविशारदैः। एतेन योजनाग्रेण श्रृणुध्वं ब्रह्मणोऽन्तरम् ।। ३९.

The number of yojanas has been calculated by those skilled in reckoning; now, by this measure of yojana, listen to the distance to Brahman.

महीतलात्सहस्राणां शतादूर्द्ध्वं दिवाकरः। दिवाकरात्सहस्रेण तावदूर्द्ध्वं निशाकरः ।। ३९.

From the surface of the earth, the sun is a hundred thousand yojanas above; from the sun, the moon is just as far above by a thousand.

पूर्णं शतसहस्रन्तु योजनानां निशाकरात्। नक्षत्रमण्डलं कृत्स्नमुपरिष्टात्प्रकाशते ।। ३९.

From the moon, a full hundred thousand yojanas above, the entire circle of the stars shines forth.