Vayu Purana

तस्मिन् क्षीणे कृतांशे तु तच्छिष्टासु प्रजास्विह। कल्पादौ संप्रवृत्तायास्त्रेतायाः प्रमुखे तदा

When the Krita twilight is diminished, among the remaining beings, at the beginning of the Treta age, at the start of the cycle, it commences.

प्रणश्यति तदा सिद्धिः कालयोगेन नान्यथा। तस्यां सिद्धौ प्रणष्टायामन्या सिद्धिरवर्त्तत

Then, perfection disappears by the force of time, not otherwise; when that perfection is lost, another perfection arises.

अपां सौक्ष्म्ये प्रतिगते तदा मेघात्मना तु तौ। मेघेभ्यस्तनयित्नुभ्यः प्रवृत्तं वृष्टिसर्ज्जनम्

When the subtlety of water is withdrawn, then, by the nature of clouds, from clouds and thunder, rainfall begins.

सकृदेव तया वृष्ट्या संयुक्ते पृथिवीतले। प्रादुरासंस्तदा तासां वृक्षास्तु गृहसंस्थिताः

With a single occurrence of that rain, the earth's surface became joined; then, trees appeared, established in homes.

सर्वप्रत्युपभोगस्तु तासां तेभ्यः प्रजायते। वर्त्तयन्ति हि तेभ्यस्तास्त्रेतायुगमुखे प्रजाः

Universal enjoyment arises from them; indeed, the beings of Treta age subsist upon them at the beginning of the age.

ततः कालेन महता तासामेव विपर्ययात्। रागलोभात्मको भावस्तदा ह्याकस्मिकोऽभवत्

Then, after a long time, due to reversal among them, a state of passion and greed arose suddenly.

यत्तद्भवति नारीणां जीवितान्ते तदार्त्तवम्। तदा तद्वै न भवति पुनर्युगबलेन तु

That which occurs at the end of a woman's life, menstruation, did not exist then, but later appeared due to the influence of the age.

तासां पुनः प्रवृत्तं तु मासे मासे तदार्त्तवम्। ततस्तेनैव योगेन वर्त्ततां मिथुने तदा

For them, again, menstruation occurred month by month; thus, by that same process, intercourse took place at that time.

. तासां तत्कालभावित्वान्मासि मास्युपगच्छताम्। अकाले ह्यार्त्तवोत्पत्तिर्गर्भोत्पत्तिरजायत

Because of their being affected at that time, as they engaged month by month, when menstruation arose out of season, conception occurred.

विपर्ययेण तासां तु तेन कालेन भाविना। प्रणश्यन्ति ततः सर्वे वृक्षास्ते गृहसंस्थिताः

But contrariwise, at that destined time for them, all those trees established in houses perished.

ततस्तेषु प्रणष्टेषु विभ्रान्ता व्याकुलेन्द्रियाः। अभि ध्यायन्ति तां सिद्धिं सत्याभिध्यायिनस्तदा

Then, when those had perished, bewildered and with agitated senses, they intensely desired that attainment, those who truly aspired.

प्रादुर्बभूवुस्तासां च वृक्षास्ते गृहसंस्थिताः। वस्त्राणि च प्रसूयन्ते फलान्याभरणानि च

For them, those house-dwelling trees appeared again; and garments, fruits, and ornaments were produced.

तेष्वेव जायते तासां गंधवर्णरसान्वितम्। अमाक्षिकं महावीर्यं पुटके पुटके मधु

From those alone, for them, honey endowed with fragrance, color, and taste, of great potency, was generated in every cluster.

तेन ता वर्तयन्ति स्म मुखे त्रेतायुगस्य च। हृष्टतुष्टास्तया सिद्ध्या प्रजा वै विगतज्वराः

By that, they lived in the Tretā Yuga, delighted and content, the people, free from affliction, by means of that attainment.

पुनः कालांतरेणैव पुनर्ल्लोभावृतास्तु ताः। वृक्षांस्तान् पर्यगृह्णन्त मधु वा माक्षिकं बलात्

Again, after some time, overcome by greed, they seized those trees and honey or bee-honey by force.

तासां तेनापचारेण पुनर्ल्लोककृतेन वै। प्रणष्टा मधुना सार्द्धं कल्पवृक्षाः व्कचित् व्कचित्

Because of that transgression of theirs, again, caused by people, the wish-fulfilling trees, along with the honey, perished here and there.

तस्यामेवाल्पशिष्टायां संध्याकालवशात्तदा। प्रावर्तंत तदा तासां द्वंद्वान्यभ्युत्थितानि तु

When only a little remained of them at that time, due to the influence of twilight, pairs of opposites then arose among them.

शीतवातातपैस्तीव्रैस्ततस्ता दुःखिता भृशम्

Then, afflicted greatly by intense cold, wind, and heat, they suffered.

कृत्वा द्वंद्व प्रतीकारं निकेतानि हि भोजिरे। पूर्वं निकमिपारास्ते अनिकेताश्रया भृशम्

To counteract the pairs of opposites, they made dwellings; previously, they had mostly lived without fixed abodes.

यथायोग्यं यथाप्रीति निकेतेष्ववसन् पुनः। मरुधन्वसु निम्नेषु पर्वतेषु नदीषु च। संश्रयन्ति च दुर्गाणि धन्वानं शाश्वतोदकम्

According to suitability and preference, they dwelt again in dwellings—on plains, deserts, lowlands, mountains, and rivers; they also took refuge in fortresses and in deserts with perennial water.

यथायोगं यथाकामं समेषु विषमेषु च। आरब्धास्ते निकेता वै कर्त्तं शीतोष्ण वारणम्

As suited and as they wished, in level and uneven places, they began to make dwellings to ward off cold and heat.

ततः संस्थापयामास खेटानि च पुराणि च। ग्रामांश्चैव यथाभागं तथैवान्तः पुराणि च

Then they established hamlets and cities, and villages as appropriate, and likewise inner quarters.

तासामायामविष्कम्भान् संनिवेशान्तराणि च। चक्रुस्तदा यथाप्रज्ञं प्रदेशः संज्ञितस्तु तैः

They then determined the lengths, breadths, and intervals of settlements according to their understanding; the region was thus designated by them.

अंगुष्ठस्य प्रदेशिन्या व्यासः प्रादेश उच्यते। तालः स्मृतो मध्यमया गोकर्णश्चाप्यनामया

The breadth measured by the thumb and index finger is called a pradeśa; a tāla is measured by the middle finger, and a gokarṇa by the ring finger.

कनिष्ठया वितस्तिस्तु द्वादशाङुल उच्यते। रत्निरङ्गुलपर्व्वाणि संख्यया त्वेकविंशतिः

A vitasti is measured by the little finger, said to be twelve fingers in length; a ratni is counted as twenty-one finger-widths.

चतुर्विंशतिभिश्चैव हस्तः स्यादङ्गुलानि तु। किष्कुः स्मृतो द्विरत्निस्तु द्विचत्वारिंशदङ्गुलम्

A hand is said to measure twenty-four finger-breadths; a kiṣku is remembered as two ratnis, which is forty-four finger-breadths.

चतुर्हस्तं धनुर्दण्डो नालिकायुगमेव च। धनुः सहस्रे द्वे तत्र गव्यूतिस्तैर्विभाव्यते

A bow-staff and a pair of arrow-shafts are each four hands in length; two thousand bows thus define a gavyūti.

अष्टौ धनुःसहस्राणि योजनं तौर्निरुच्यते। एतेन योजनेनैव सन्निवेशस्ततः कृतः

Eight thousand bows make a yojana, it is said; with this yojana, the arrangement is then established.

चतुर्णामेव दुर्गाणां स्वसमुत्थानि त्रीणि तु। चतुर्थं कृत्रिमं दुर्गं तस्य वक्ष्याम्यहं विधिम्

Of the four types of forts, three arise naturally; the fourth is an artificial fort, and I shall explain its method.