Vayu Purana

अयं यो वर्त्तते कल्पो वाराहः स तु कीर्त्त्यते। यस्मिन् स्वायम्भुवाद्याश्च मनवश्च चतुर्द्दश ।। २१.

This Kalpa that is now ongoing is called Vārāha, in which there are the fourteen Manus, beginning with Svāyambhuva.

कस्माद्वाराहकल्पोयं नामतः परिकीर्तितः। कस्माच्च कारणाद्देवो वराह इति कीर्त्त्यते ।। २१.

Why is this Kalpa called Vārāha by name? And for what reason is the god called Varāha?

को वा वराहो भगवान् कस्य योनिः किमात्मकः। वराहः कथमुत्पन्न एतदिच्छाम वेदितुम् ।। २१.

Who indeed is the blessed Varāha? Of whom is he born, and what is his nature? How did Varāha come into being? We wish to know this.

वराहस्तु यथोत्पन्नो यस्मिन्नर्थे च कल्पितः। वाराहश्च यथा कल्पः कल्पत्वं कल्पना च या ।। २१.

How Varāha was born, for what purpose he was conceived, and how the Kalpa is called Vārāha, and what is meant by 'Kalpa' and its conception—

कल्पयोरन्तरं यच्च तस्य चास्य च कल्पितम्। तत्सर्वं सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि यथादृष्टं यथाश्रुतम् ।। २१.

The difference between Kalpas, and what is imagined for each—this all I will now explain, as I have seen and heard.

भवस्तु प्रथमः कल्पो लोकादौ प्रथितः पुरा। ज्ञातव्यो भगवानत्र ह्यानन्दः साम्प्रतः स्वयम् ।। २१.

Bhava is the first kalpa, renowned since the beginning of the worlds; here, the Lord is to be understood as Ananda, manifest at present.

ब्रह्मस्थानमिदं दिव्यं प्राप्तं वा दिव्यसम्भवम्। द्वितीयस्तु भुवः कल्पस्तृतीयस्तप उच्यते ।। २१.

This is the divine seat of Brahma, attained or of divine origin; the second is the Bhuvaḥ kalpa, and the third is called Tapas.

भवश्चतुर्थो विज्ञेयः पंचमो रम्भ एव च। ऋतुकल्पस्तथा षष्ठः सप्तमस्तु क्रतुः स्मृतः ।। २१.

Bhava is known as the fourth, Rambha as the fifth; Ṛtu-kalpa is the sixth, and Kratu is remembered as the seventh.

अष्टमस्तु भवेद्वह्निर्नवमो हव्यवहनः। सावित्रो दशमः कल्पो भुवस्त्वेकादशः स्मृतः ।। २१.

The eighth is Vahni, the ninth is Havyavahana; the tenth kalpa is Sāvitri, and the eleventh is called Bhuvas.

उशिको द्वादशस्तत्र कुशिकस्तु त्रयोदशः। चतुर्द्दशस्तु गन्धर्वो गन्धर्वो यत्र वै स्वरः। उत्पन्नस्तु यथा नादो गन्धर्वा यत्र चोत्थिताः ।। २१.

Uśika is the twelfth, Kuśika the thirteenth; the fourteenth is Gandharva, where indeed the sound arises, and Gandharvas are born as the resonance emerges.

ऋषभस्तु ततः कल्पो ज्ञेयः पंचदशो द्विजाः। ऋषयो यत्र सम्भूताः स्वरो लोकमनोहरः ।। २१.

Ṛṣabha is then the fifteenth kalpa, O twice-born; there, the sages are manifested, and the sound is enchanting to the worlds.

षड्जस्तु षोडशः कल्पः षड्जना यत्र चर्षयः। शिशिरश्च वसन्तश्च निदाघो वर्ष एव च ।। २१.

Ṣaḍja is the sixteenth kalpa, where the six sages dwell; Śiśira, Vasanta, Nidāgha, and Varṣa are also present.

शरद्धेमन्त इत्येते मानसा ब्रह्मणः सुताः। उत्पन्नाः षड्ज संसिद्धाः पुत्राः कल्पे तु षोडशे ।। २१.

Śarad and Hemanta—these are the mind-born sons of Brahma; they were born and perfected as sons in the sixteenth kalpa, called Ṣaḍja.

यस्माज्जातैश्च तैः षडभिः सद्यो जातो महेश्वरः। तस्मात् समुत्थितः षड्जः स्वरस्तूदधिसन्निभः ।। २१.

From those six who were born, Maheśvara was immediately born; thus, the Ṣaḍja note arose, vast as the ocean.

ततः सप्तदशः कल्पो मार्जालीय इति स्मृतः। मार्ज्जालीयं तु तत् कर्म यस्माद्ब्राह्ममकल्पयत् ।। २१.

Then the seventeenth kalpa is known as Mārjālīya; Mārjālīya is that act by which the Brahma work was accomplished.

ततस्तु मध्यमो नाम कल्पोऽष्टादश उच्यते। यस्मिंस्तु मध्यमो नाम स्वरो धैवतपूजितः । उत्पन्नः सर्वभूतेषु मध्यमो वै स्वयंभुवः ।। २१.

Next is the eighteenth kalpa, called Madhyama; in which the Madhyama note, honored by Dhaivata, arose among all beings, self-manifested.

ततस्त्वेकोनविंशस्तु कल्पो वैराजकः स्मृतः। वैराजो यत्र भगवान् मुनुर्वै ब्रह्मणः सुतः ।। २१.

Then the nineteenth kalpa is called Vairājaka; there, the Lord Vairāja, a sage and son of Brahma, is present.

तस्य पुत्रस्तु धर्मात्मा दधीचिर्न्नाम धार्मिकः। प्रजापतिर्महातेजा बभूव त्रिदशेश्वरः ।। २१.

His son, righteous in nature, is named Dadhīci, virtuous; he became a Prajāpati, possessing great brilliance, and lord of the gods.

अकामयत गायत्री यजमानं प्रजापतिम्। तस्माज्जज्ञे स्वरः स्रिग्धः पुत्रस्तस्य दधीचिनः ।। २१.

Gāyatrī desired the sacrificer, Prajāpati; from her was born the smooth note, the son of Dadhīci.

ततो विंशतिमः कल्पो निषादः परिकीर्त्तितः। प्रजापतिस्तु तं दृष्ट्वा स्वयम्भूप्रभवं तदा। विरराम प्रजाः स्रष्टुं निषादस्तु तपोऽतपत् ।। २१.

Then the twentieth kalpa is called Niṣāda; Prajāpati, seeing him, born of Svayambhu, ceased to create beings, and Niṣāda performed austerity.

दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रन्तु निराहारो जितेन्द्रियः। तमुवाच महांतेजा ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः ।। २१.

For a thousand divine years, fasting and mastering his senses; Brahma, the illustrious grandsire of the worlds, spoke to him.

ऊर्द्ध्वबाहुं तपोग्लानं दुःखितं क्षुत्पिपासितम्। निषीदेत्यब्रवीदेनं पुत्रं शान्तं पितामहः। तस्मान्निषादः सम्भूतः स्वरस्तु स निषादवान् ।। २१.

With arms raised, weakened by austerity, suffering from hunger and thirst; the grandsire said to his peaceful son, 'Sit down'; thus Niṣāda was born, and the note became Niṣādavan.

एकविंशतिमः कल्पो विज्ञेयः पञ्चमो द्विजाः। प्राणोऽपानः समानश्च उदानो व्यान एव च ।। २१.

The twenty-first kalpa is to be known as the fifth, O twice-born; Prāṇa, Apāna, Samāna, Udāna, and Vyāna are present.

ब्रह्मणो मानसाः पुत्राः पञ्चैते ब्रह्मणः समाः। तैस्त्वर्थवादिभिर्युक्तैर्वाग्भिरिष्टो महेश्वरः ।। २१.

These five are the mind-born sons of Brahma, equal to Brahma; by them, with words joined to statements of meaning, the great Lord was praised.

यस्मात्परिगतैर्गीतः पञ्चभिस्तैर्महात्मभिः। स्वरस्तु पञ्चमः स्निग्धः तस्मात्कल्पस्तु पञ्चमः ।। २१.

Because those five great souls sang with understanding, the fifth note is sweet, and thus the fifth kalpa is established.

द्वाविंशस्तु तथा कल्पो विज्ञेयो मेघवाहनः। यत्र विष्णुर्महाबाहुर्मेघो भूत्वा महेश्वरम्। दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रन्तु अवहत् कृत्तिवाससम् ।। २१.

The twenty-second kalpa is to be known as Meghavahana, in which mighty-armed Vishnu became a cloud and bore Maheshvara, the wearer of hides, for a divine thousand years.

तस्य निःश्वसमानस्य भाराकान्तस्य वै मुखात्। निर्जगाम महाकायः कालो लोकप्रकाशनः। यस्त्वयं पठ्यते विप्रैर्विष्णुर्वै कश्यपात्मजः ।। २१.

As he, heavy with burden, exhaled, from his mouth emerged the great-bodied Time, illuminator of the worlds, who is recited by the sages as Vishnu, son of Kashyapa.

त्रयोविंशतिमः कल्पो विज्ञेयश्चिन्तकस्तथा। प्रजापतिसुतः श्रीमान् चितिश्च मिथुनञ्च तौ ।। २१.

The twenty-third kalpa is to be known as Chintaka; the illustrious son of Prajapati, Citi, and his mate were born.

ध्यायतो ब्रह्मणश्चैव यस्माच्चिन्ता समुत्थिता। तस्मात्तु चिन्तकः सो वै कल्पः प्रोक्तः स्वयम्भुवा ।। २१.

Because from Brahma's meditation arose thought, therefore that kalpa is called Chintaka by the self-born one.