Vayu Purana

चतुर्द्धावास्थितः सोऽथ सर्वभूतेषु कृत्स्नशः। विपर्ययेण शक्त्या च तुष्ट्या सिद्ध्या तथैव च

That creation is established in four ways among all beings entirely: by reversal, by power, by satisfaction, and by accomplishment.

स्थावरेषु विपर्यासस्तिर्यग्योनिषु शक्तिता। सिद्धात्मानो मनुष्यास्तु तुष्टिर्द्देवेषु कृत्स्नशः

In immobile beings, there is reversal; in animal births, there is power; humans are perfected souls, and satisfaction is entirely among the gods.

इत्येते प्राकृताश्चैव वैकृताश्च नव स्मृताः। सर्गाः परस्परस्याथ प्रकारा बहवः स्मृताः

Thus, these nine creations, both natural and modified, are remembered; and many forms of creation are remembered as mutually related.

अग्रे ससर्ज्ज वै ब्रह्मा मानसानात्मनः समान्। सनन्दनञ्च सनकं विद्वांसं च सनातनम्

In the beginning, Brahma created the mind-born sons, equal to himself: Sanandana, Sanaka, and the wise Sanatana.

विज्ञानेन निवृत्तास्ते वैवर्तेन महौजसः। संबुद्धाश्चैव नानात्वादपविद्धास्त्रयोऽपिते। असृष्ट्वैव प्रजासर्गं प्रतिसर्गं गताः पुनः

By knowledge, they withdrew, by transformation, possessing great energy; awakened, and due to diversity, the three were cast aside; without creating progeny, they again entered dissolution.

तदा तेषु व्यतीतेषु तदान्यान् साधकांश्च तान्। मानसानसृजद्ब्रह्मा पुनः स्थानाभिमानिनः। आभूतसंप्लवावस्थान्नामतस्तान्निबोधत

Then, when those had passed, Brahmā again mentally created other beings, those who preside over the elements, from the state of dissolution of beings; now hear their names.

आपोऽग्निः पृथिवी वायुरन्तरिक्षं दिशस्तथा। स्वर्गं दिवः समुद्रांश्च नदान् शैलान् वनस्पतीन्

Water, fire, earth, wind, space, directions, heaven, sky, oceans, rivers, mountains, and forest-trees—

ओषधीनां तथात्मानो ह्यात्मानो वृक्षवीरुधाम्। लवाः काष्ठाः कलाश्चैव मुहूर्त्ताः सन्धिरात्र्यहाः

And likewise the essences of herbs, the essences of trees and creepers, moments, sticks, divisions of time, instants, conjunctions, days and nights—

अर्द्धमासाश्च मासाश्च अयनाब्दयुगानि च। स्थानाभिमानिनः सर्वे स्थानाख्याश्चैव ते स्मृताः

Fortnights, months, solstices, years, and ages—all these are presiding beings over their realms, and they are known by the names of their domains.

वक्राद्यस्य ब्राह्मणाः संप्रसूतास्तद्वक्षस्तः क्षत्रियाः पूर्वभागैः। वैश्याश्चोर्वोर्यस्य पद्भ्याञ्च शूद्राः सर्वे वर्णा गात्रतः संप्रसूताः

From his curved (mouth) were born the brāhmaṇas, from his arms the kṣatriyas, from his thighs the vaiśyas, and from his feet the śūdras; thus all the classes arose from his body.

नारायणः परोऽव्यक्तादण्डमव्यक्तसम्भवम्। अण्डाज्जज्ञे पुनर्ब्रह्मा लोकास्तेन कृताः स्वयम्

Nārāyaṇa, transcending the unmanifest, produced the cosmic egg from the unmanifest; from the egg, Brahmā was again born, and he himself created the worlds.

एष वः कथितः पादः समासान्न तु विस्तरात्। अनेनाद्येन पादेन पुराणं संप्रकीर्तितम्

This portion has been told to you in summary, not in detail; by this first section, the Purāṇa has been recounted.

इत्येष प्रथमः पादः प्रक्रियार्थः प्रकीर्तितः। श्रुत्वा तु संहृष्टमनाः काश्यपेयः सनातनः

Thus this first section, concerning the process, has been described; hearing this, Kāśyapa's descendant, the eternal one, was gladdened in heart.

सम्बोध्य सूतं वचसा पप्रच्छाथोत्तरां कथाम्। अतःप्रभृति कल्पज्ञ प्रतिसंधिं प्रचक्ष्व नः

Addressing Sūta with words, he then asked for the next narrative: 'From here onward, knower of cycles, tell us about the interval between cycles.'

समतीतस्य कल्पस्य वर्त्तमानस्य चोभयोः। कल्पयोरन्तरं यच्च प्रतिसंधिर्यतस्तयोः। एतद्वेदितुमिच्छामः अत्यन्तकुशलो ह्यसि

Of the past cycle and the present one, and the interval between the two cycles—what is the connection between them? We wish to know this, for you are extremely skilled.

अत्र वोऽहं प्रवक्ष्यामि प्रतिसंधिञ्च यस्तयोः। समतीतस्य कल्पस्य वर्त्तमानस्य चोभयोः

Here I shall declare to you the connection between the two—the past cycle and the present one.

मन्वन्तराणि कल्पेषु येषु यानि च सुव्रताः। यश्चायं वर्त्तते कल्पो वाराहः साम्प्रतः शुभः

The manvantaras in the cycles, and which ones, O virtuous ones, and this present cycle, the auspicious Boar (Varāha) cycle—

अस्मात् कल्पाच्च यः कल्पः पूर्वोऽतीतः सनातनः। तस्य चास्य च कल्पस्य मध्यावस्थान्निबोधत

And the cycle which preceded this one, the ancient and past; now hear of the intermediate state between that cycle and this one.

प्रत्याहृते पूर्वकल्पे प्रतिसंधिं च तत्र वै। अन्यः प्रवर्त्तते कल्पो जनाल्लोकात् पुनः पुनः

When the previous cycle is withdrawn, then, in that interval, another cycle begins again from the world of beings, repeatedly.

व्युच्छिन्नात् प्रतिसंधेस्तु कल्पात् कल्पः परस्परम्। व्युच्छिद्यन्ते क्रियाःसर्वाः कल्पान्ते सर्वशस्तदा। तस्मात् कल्पात्तु कल्पस्य प्रतिसंधिर्निगद्यते

From the interruption of one cycle to the next, all activities are interrupted at the end of a cycle; therefore, the connection from one cycle to the next is spoken of.

मन्वन्तरयुगाख्यानामप्युच्छिन्नाश्च सन्धयः। परस्पराः प्रवर्त्तन्ते मन्वन्तरयुगैः सह

Even the connections of manvantaras and yugas are interrupted; they proceed in succession along with the manvantaras and yugas.

उक्ता ये प्रक्रियार्थेन पूर्वकल्पाः समासतः। तेषां परार्द्धकल्पानां पूर्वो ह्यस्मात्तु यः परः। आसीत् कल्पो व्यतीतो वै परार्द्धेन परस्तु सः

Those previous cycles, described in summary as to their process, among those cycles of the greater period, the one before this is the prior; that cycle has indeed passed, and it was of the greater period.

अन्ये भविष्या ये कल्पा अपरार्द्धाद्गुणीकृताः। प्रथमः साम्प्रतस्तेषां कल्पोऽयं वर्त्तते द्विजाः

Other cycles, which will be in the future, are reckoned after the second half; among them, this present cycle is the first, O twice-born ones.

यस्मिन् पूर्वः परार्द्धे तु द्वितीये पर उच्यते। एतावान् स्थितिकालश्च प्रत्याहारस्ततः स्मृतः

In which, the former is called the first half and the latter the second; this is the extent of the period of stability, and thereafter is known as the time of dissolution.

अस्मात् कल्पात्तु यः पूर्वं कल्पोऽतीतः सनातनः। चतुर्युगसहस्रान्ते अहो मन्वन्तरैः पुरा

The kalpa that preceded this kalpa is called the ancient, eternal one, which ended with a thousand sets of four yugas, along with the previous manvantaras.

क्षीणे कल्पे तदा तस्मिन् दाहकाले ह्युपस्थिते। तस्मिन् कल्पे तदा देवा आसन्वैमानिकास्तु ये

When that kalpa was exhausted and the time of destruction had arrived, then, in that kalpa, the celestial beings who were aerial gods existed.

नक्षत्रग्रहतारास्तु चन्द्रसूर्यग्रहाश्च ये। अष्टाविंशतिरेवैताः कोट्यस्तु सुकृतात्मनाम्

The stars, planets, and constellations, as well as the lunar and solar planets—these, numbering exactly twenty-eight crores, were the virtuous souls.

मन्वन्तरे तथैकस्मिन् चतुर्दशसु वै तथा। त्रीणि कोटिशतान्यासन् कोट्याद्विनवतिस्तथा। अष्टाधिकाः सप्तशताः सहस्राणां स्मृताः पुरा

In each of the fourteen manvantaras likewise, there were three hundred crore, and ninety crore in addition; and, as remembered of old, seven hundred and eight thousand more.

वैमानिकानां देवानां कल्पेऽतीते तु येऽभवन्। एकैकस्मिंस्तु कल्पे वै देवा वैमानिकाः स्मृताः

Of the aerial gods who existed in the previous kalpa, in each kalpa, the aerial gods are thus remembered.