Vayu Purana

इहामुत्र हितार्थाय वदन्ति परमं पदम्। पूर्वमेव मयोक्तस्ते कालस्तु युगसंज्ञितः ।। ३२.

For the sake of welfare here and hereafter, they speak of the supreme state; I have already told you before, Time is known as the yugas.

कृतं त्रेता द्वापरञ्च युगादिः कलिना सह। परिवर्त्तमानैस्तैरेव भ्रममाणेषु चक्रवत् ।। ३२.

Kṛta, Tretā, and Dvāpara are the beginnings of the yugas, along with Kali; as they revolve, they move in cycles like a wheel.

देवतास्तु तदोद्विग्नाः कालस्य वशमागताः. न शक्नुवन्ति तन्मानं संस्स्थापयितुमात्मना ।। ३२.

Then the deities, distressed and subject to the power of Time, are unable by themselves to establish its measure.

तदा ते वाग्यता भूत्वा आदौ मन्वन्तरस्य वै। ऋषयश्चैव देवाश्च इन्द्रश्चैव महातपाः ।। ३२.

At that time, at the beginning of the manvantara, the sages, the gods, and mighty Indra, having become silent, approached.

समाधाय मनस्तीव्रं सहस्रं परिवत्सरान्। प्रपन्नास्ते महादेवं भीताः कालस्य वै तदा ।। ३२.

Having fixed their minds intensely for a thousand years, they, being afraid of Time, sought refuge in the great god.

अयं हि कालो देवेशश्चतुर्मूर्तिश्चतुर्मुखः । कोऽस्य विद्यान्महादेव अगाधस्य महेश्वर ।। ३२.

This Time is the lord of gods, four-formed and four-faced; who can know his knowledge, O great Maheśvara, who is unfathomable?

अथ दृष्ट्वा महादेवस्तं तु कालञ्चतुर्मुखम्। न भेतव्यमिति प्राह को वः कामः प्रदीयताम् ।। ३२.

Then, seeing that Time with four faces, the great god said, 'Do not fear; what is your desire? Let it be granted.'

तत्करिष्याम्यहं सर्वं न वृथायं परिश्रमः । उवाच देवो भगवान् स्वयङ्कालः सुदुर्जयः ।। ३२.

'I will accomplish all this; your effort will not be in vain,' said the blessed god himself, who is Time, most difficult to overcome.

यदेतस्य मुखं श्वेतं चतुर्जिह्वं हि लक्ष्यते। एतत् कृतयुगं नाम तस्य कालस्य वै मुखम्। असौ देवः सुरश्रेष्ठो ब्रह्मा वैवस्वतो मुखः ।। ३२.

That face of his which is white and marked by four tongues is known as the Kṛta Yuga, the face of Time; that god, the best of gods, is Brahmā, the Vaivasvata face.

यदेतद्रक्तवर्णाभं तृतीयं वः स्मृतं मया । त्रिजिह्वं लेलिहानं तु एतत् त्रेतायुगं द्विजाः ।। ३२.

That which is described by me as the third, resembling the color of blood, with three tongues, licking, O twice-born, this is the Tretā Yuga.

अत्र यज्ञप्रवृत्तिस्तु जायते हि महेश्वरात्। ततोऽत्र इज्यते यज्ञस्तिस्रो जिह्वास्त्रयोऽग्नयः । इष्ट्वा चैवाग्नयो विप्राः कालजिह्वा प्रवर्त्तते ।। ३२.

In this age, the performance of sacrifice arises from the Great Lord; therefore, in this age, sacrifice is performed, three tongues, three fires; and, O Brāhmaṇas, after offering into the fires, the tongue of Time is set in motion.

यदेतद्वै मुखं भीमं द्विजिह्वं रक्तपिङ्गलम्। द्विपादोऽत्र भविष्यामि द्वापरं नाम तद्युगम् ।। ३२.

That which is this terrible face, with two tongues, red and tawny, in this I will be two-footed; that age is called Dvāpara.

यदेतत् कृष्णवर्णाभं तुरीयं रक्तलोचनम्। एकजिह्वं पृथुश्यामं लेलिहानं पुनः पुनः ।। ३२.

That which is the fourth, resembling black in color, with red eyes, with one tongue, broad and dark, licking again and again—

ततः कलियुगं घोरं सर्वलोकभयङ्करम्। कल्पस्य तु मुखं ह्येतच्चतुर्थं नाम भीषणम् ।। ३२.

Then comes the dreadful Kali Yuga, terrifying to all the worlds; this is indeed the fourth, fearsome face of the age-cycle.

न मुखं नापि निर्वाणं तस्मिन् भवति वै युगे। कालग्रस्ता प्रजा चापि युगे तस्मिन् भविष्यति ।। ३२.

In that age, there is neither face nor liberation; in that age, the beings will be seized by Time.

ब्रह्मा कृतयुगे पूज्यस्त्रेतायां यज्ञ इच्यते। द्वापरे पूज्यते विष्णुरहम्पूज्यश्चतुर्ष्वपि ।। ३२.

Brahmā is worshipped in Kṛta Yuga, sacrifice is said to be in Tretā; in Dvāpara, Viṣṇu is worshipped, and I am worshipped in all four.

ब्रह्मा विष्णुश्च यज्ञश्च कालस्यैव कलास्त्रयः। सर्वेष्वेव हि कालेषु चतुर्मूर्तिर्महेश्वरः ।। ३२.

Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and sacrifice are the three aspects of Time; in all the ages, the Great Lord is the four-formed one.

अहं जनो जनयिता (वः) कालः कालप्रवर्त्तकः। युगकर्ता तथा चैव परं परपरायणः ।। ३२.

I am the people, the creator (of you), Time, the mover of Time; the maker of the ages, and the supreme, the ultimate refuge.

तस्मात् कलियुगं प्राप्य लोकानां हितकारणात्। अभयार्थञ्च देवानामुभयोर्लोकयोरपि ।। ३२.

Therefore, upon the arrival of Kali Yuga, for the welfare of the worlds, and for the sake of fearlessness for the gods, in both worlds—

तदा भव्यश्च पूज्यश्च भविष्यामि सुरोत्तमाः। तस्माद्भयं न कार्यं च कलिं प्राप्य महौजसः ।। ३२.

Then I will be auspicious and worthy of worship, O best of gods; therefore, there should be no fear upon the coming of Kali, O mighty ones.

एवमुक्ता स्ततः सर्वा देवता ऋषिभिः सह। प्रणम्य शिरसा देवं पुनरूचुर्जगत्पतिम् ।। ३२.

Thus addressed, then all the deities, together with the sages, having bowed their heads to the god, again spoke to the Lord of the universe.

महातेजा महाकायो महावीर्यो महाद्युतिः। भीषणः सर्वभूतानां कथं कालश्चतुर्मुखः ।। ३२.

O one of great splendor, great form, great might, great radiance, O terrifying one of all beings, how is Time four-faced?

एष कालश्चतुर्मूर्तिश्चतुर्दंष्ट्रश्चतुर्मुखः। लोकसंरक्षणार्थाय अतिक्रामति सर्वशः ।। ३२.

This Time is four-formed, four-fanged, four-faced; for the protection of the worlds, he passes through all things.

नासाध्यं विद्यते चास्य सर्वस्मिन् सचराचरे। कालः सृजति भूतानि पुनःसंहरति क्रमात् ।। ३२.

There is nothing unattainable for him in all that moves and does not move; Time creates beings and again withdraws them in order.

सर्वे कालस्य वशगा न कालः कस्यचिद्वशे। तस्मात्तु सर्वभूतानि कालः कलयते सदा ।। ३२.

All are subject to Time; Time is subject to none; therefore, Time always measures out all beings.

विक्रमस्य पदान्यस्य पूर्वोक्तान्येकसप्ततिः। तानि मन्वन्तराणीह परिवृत्तयुगक्रमात् ।। ३२.

The seventy-one steps of his stride, as previously stated, are the Manvantaras here, in the succession of changing ages.

एकं पदं परिक्रम्य पदानामेकसप्ततिः। यदा कालः प्रक्रमते तदा मन्वन्तरक्षयः ।। ३२.

When Time completes one step, out of the seventy-one steps, then, when Time advances, there is the end of a Manvantara.

एवमुक्त्वा तु भगवान् देवर्षिपितृदानवान्। नमस्कृतश्च तैः सर्वैस्तत्रैवान्तरधीयत ।। ३२.

Having spoken thus, the Blessed Lord vanished there itself, after being saluted by all the gods, sages, ancestors, and demons.

एवं स काले भगवान् देवर्षिपितृदानवान्। पुनः पुनः संहरते सृजते च पुनः पुनः ।। ३२.

In this way, at each moment, the Blessed Lord repeatedly withdraws and again creates the gods, sages, ancestors, and demons.