Vayu Purana

संवत्सरस्तु प्रथमो द्वितीयः परिवत्सरः। इद्वत्सरस्तृतीयस्तु चतुर्थश्चानुवत्सरः ।। ३१.

The first is the year, the second is the parivatsara, the third is the idvatsara, and the fourth is the anuvatsara.

वत्सरः पञ्चमस्तेषां कालः स युगसंज्ञितः। तेषान्तु तत्त्वं वक्ष्यामि कीर्त्त्यमानं निबोधत ।। ३१.

The fifth among them is the vatsara; this time is known as a yuga. Now I will explain their true nature—listen as it is declared.

ऋतुरग्निस्तु यः प्रोक्तः स तु संवत्सरो मतः। आदित्ये यस्त्वसौ सारः कालाग्निः परिवत्सरः ।। ३१.

The fire of the seasons is called the year; the essence in the sun is the fire of time, known as the parivatsara.

शुक्लकृष्णा गतिश्चापि अपां सारमयः खगः। स इडावत्सरः सोमः पुराणे निश्चयो मतः ।। ३१.

The movement of waxing and waning, the bird made of the essence of waters, is the idvatsara; Soma is its determination in the Purāṇas.

यश्चायं तपते लोकांस्तनुभिः सप्तसप्तभिः। आशुकर्त्ता च लोकस्य सवायुरिति वत्सरः ।। ३१.

He who shines upon the worlds with his sevenfold rays, who swiftly acts for the world, is called Vatsara, the Sun and the Wind.

अहङ्कारात् रुदन् रुद्रः सद्भूतो ब्रह्मणस्त्रयः। स रुद्रो वत्सरस्तेषां विजज्ञे नीललोहितः। तेषां हि तत्त्वं वक्ष्यामि कीर्त्यमानं निबोधत ।। ३१.

From ego, crying, arose Rudra, truly existing from Brahmā; that Rudra, blue and red, became their Vatsara. Now I will declare their true nature—listen as it is spoken.

अङ्गप्रत्यङ्गसंयोगात् कालात्मा प्रपितामहः। ऋक्साम यजुषां योनिः पञ्चानां पतिरीश्वरः ।। ३१.

By the union of limbs and sub-limbs, the soul of time is the Grandfather; he is the source of Ṛk, Sāman, and Yajus, the lord and ruler of the five.

सोऽग्निर्यजुश्च सोमश्च स भूतः स प्रजापतिः। प्रोक्तः संवत्सरश्चेति सूर्यो योऽग्निर्मनीषिभिः ।। ३१.

He is Agni, Yajus, Soma, he is the being, he is Prajāpati; he is called the year, and the Sun, who is Agni, by the wise.

यस्मात् कालविभागानां मासर्त्वयनयोरपि। ग्रहनक्षत्रशीतोष्णवर्षायुःकर्मणां तथा। योजितः प्रविभागानां दिवसानाञ्च भास्करः ।। ३१.

Because of the divisions of time—months, seasons, and movements—of planets, stars, cold, heat, rain, life, and actions, the Sun is joined to the divisions of days.

वैकारिकः प्रसन्नात्मा ब्रह्मपुत्रः प्रजापतिः। एकेनैकोऽथ दिवसो मासोऽथर्तुः पितामहः ।। ३१.

Of the mental type, with a clear self, the son of Brahmā, Prajāpati; by one, he is one—the day, the month, the season, the Grandfather.

आदित्यः सविता भानुर्जीवनो ब्रह्मसत्कृतः। प्रभवश्चात्य यश्चैव भूतानां तेन भास्करः ।। ३१.

He is Āditya, Savitṛ, Bhānu, the giver of life, honored by Brahmā; he is the source and end of beings, and thus is the Sun.

ताराभिमानी विज्ञेयस्तृतीयः परिवत्सरः। सोमः सर्वौषधिपतिर्यस्मात्स प्रपितामहः ।। ३१.

The third, Parivatsara, is to be known as the lord of the stars; Soma, the lord of all herbs, from whom the Grandfather comes.

आजीवः सर्वभूतानां योगक्षेमकृदीश्वरः। अवेक्षणाणः सततं बिभर्ति जगदंशुभिः ।। ३१.

He is the sustainer of the life of all beings, the lord who brings about their welfare and protection; ever watchful, he upholds the world with his rays.

तिथीनां पर्वसन्धीनां पूर्णिमादर्शयोरपि। योनिर्निशाकरो यश्च योऽमृतात्मा प्रजापतिः ।। ३१.

He is the source of the lunar phases, the junctions of the lunar days, and of the full and new moons; he is the origin of the moon, the immortal one, and the lord of creatures.

तस्मात् स पितृमान् सोम ऋग्यजुश्छन्दआत्मकः। प्राणापानसमानाद्यैर्व्यानोदानात्मकैरपि ।। ३१.

Therefore, Soma, possessing ancestors, is of the nature of the Rig, Yajur, and Sama meters, and also consists of the vital airs—prāṇa, apāna, samāna, vyāna, and udāna.

कर्मभिः प्राणिनां लोके सर्वचेष्टाप्रवर्त्तकः। प्राणापानसमानानां वायूनाञ्च प्रवर्त्तकः ।। ३१.

By actions in the world of living beings, he is the instigator of all activity, and he sets in motion the vital airs—prāṇa, apāna, samāna, and the winds.

पञ्चानाञ्चेन्द्रियमनोबुद्धिस्मृति जलात्मनाम्। समानकालकरणः क्रियाः सम्पादयन्निव ।। ३१.

He brings about the actions of the five senses, mind, intellect, memory, and the elements of water, as if producing them at the same time.

सर्वात्मा सर्वलोकानामावहः प्रवहादिभिः। विधाता सर्वभूतानां क्षमी नित्यं प्रभञ्जनः ।। ३१.

He is the self of all, the bearer of all worlds through the currents and the like; he is the creator of all beings, ever patient, and the eternal disperser.

योनिरग्नेरपां भूमे रवेश्चन्द्रमसश्चयः। वायुः प्रजापिर्भूतं लोकात्मा प्रपितामहः ।। ३१.

He is the source of fire, water, earth, the sun, and the moon; Vāyu is the progenitor of beings, the soul of the worlds, and the great grandsire.

प्रजापति मुखैर्देवैः सम्यगिष्टफलार्थिभिः। त्रिभिरेव कपालैस्तु अम्बकैरोषधिक्षये। इज्यते भगवान् यस्मात्तस्मात् त्र्यम्बक उच्यते ।। ३१.

Because the blessed one is worshipped by the gods, the faces of Prajāpati, desiring the fruits of proper sacrifice, with three skulls and three eyes at the destruction of plants, he is therefore called Tryambaka.

गायत्री चैव त्रिष्टुप् च जगती चैव या स्मृता। त्र्यम्बका नामतः प्रोक्ता योनयः सवनस्य ताः ।। ३१.

Gāyatrī, Triṣṭubh, and Jagatī—these are remembered as the sources of the Soma pressing, and are called by the name Tryambaka.

ताभिरेकत्वभूताभिस्त्रिविधाभिः स्ववीर्यतः। त्रिसाधनपुरोडाशस्त्रि कपालः स वै स्मृतः ।। ३१.

With these threefold forms, united as one by his own power, the sacrificial cake prepared with three implements is remembered as having three skulls.

इत्येतत्पञ्चवर्षं हि युगं प्रोक्तं मनीषिभिः। यच्चैव पञ्चधात्मा वै प्रोक्तः संवत्सरो द्विजैः। सैकं षट्कं विजज्ञेऽथ मध्वादीनृतवःकिल ।। ३१.

Thus, this five-year cycle is declared by the wise as a yuga; and the year, said by the twice-born to have fivefold nature, is known as a group of six, and then the seasons such as Madhu and others.

ऋतुपुत्रार्त्तवः पञ्च इति सर्गः समासतः। इत्येष पवमानो वै प्राणिनां जीवितानि तु ।। ३१.

The five seasons, offspring of the seasons, are thus the creation in brief; thus, this purifier is indeed the life of living beings.

नदी वेगसमायुक्तं कालो धावति संहरन्। अहोरात्रकरस्तस्मात् स वायुरभवत्पुनः ।। ३१.

Time, endowed with the speed of a river, runs on, gathering up all; therefore, he who causes day and night is again Vāyu.

एते प्रजानां पतयः प्रधानाः सर्वदेहिनाम् । पितरः सर्व लोकानां लोकात्मानः प्रकीर्तिताः ।। ३१.

These are the lords of creatures, the chief ones among all embodied beings; they are called the fathers of all worlds, the souls of the worlds.

ध्यायतो ब्रह्मणो वक्रादुद्यन् समभवद्भवः। ऋषिर्विप्रो महादेवो भूतात्मा प्रपितामहः ।। ३१.

From the curved mouth of Brahmā, as he meditated, arose Bhava—the sage, the seer, the great god, the soul of beings, the great grandsire.

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां प्रणवायोपपद्यते। आत्मवेशेन भूतानामङ्गप्रत्यङ्गसम्भवः ।। ३१.

The lord of all beings is manifested as Praṇava; by entering into beings, he becomes the origin of every limb and part.

अग्निः संवत्सरः सूर्यश्चन्द्रमा वायुरेव च। युगाभिमानी कालात्मा नित्यं संक्षेपकृद्विभुः। उन्मादकोऽनुग्रहकृत्स इद्वत्सर उच्यते ।। ३१.

Agni, the year, the sun, the moon, and Vāyu—he is the presiding spirit of the yugas, the soul of time, ever the summarizer and the mighty one; he is the agitator, the giver of grace, and is called the year.