Vayu Purana

नक्षत्रचन्द्रसूर्याश्च ग्रहास्तारागणैः सह। अभ्यन्तरं प्रकाशन्ते लोकालोकस्य वै गिरेः ॥ ५०.

The stars, Moon, Sun, planets, and groups of stars illuminate the interior of the Lokāloka mountain.

एतावानेव लोकस्तु निरालोकस्त्वतः परम्। लोकालोक एकधा तु निरालोकस्त्वनेकधा ॥ ५०.

Only this much is the world; beyond it is darkness. Lokāloka is one, but darkness is manifold.

लोकालोकन्तु सन्धत्ते यस्मात् सूर्यः परिग्रहम्। तस्मात्सन्ध्येति तामाहुरुषाव्युष्ट्योर्यदन्तरम् । उषा रात्रिः स्मृता विप्रैर्व्युष्टिश्चापि त्वहः स्मृतम् ॥ ५०.

Lokāloka forms the boundary because the Sun encircles it; therefore, the interval between dawn and daybreak is called 'sandhya.' Dawn is remembered as night by the sages, and daybreak is remembered as day.

सूर्यं हि ग्रसमानानां सन्ध्याकाले हि रक्षसाम्। प्रजापतिनियोगेन शापस्तेषां दुरात्मनाम् । अक्षयत्वञ्च देहस्य प्रापिता मरणं तथा ॥ ५०.

At the time of sandhya, when the demons attempt to swallow the Sun, by the command of Prajapati, a curse was placed upon those evil ones, granting them immortality of body and also death.

तिस्रः कोट्यस्तु विख्याता मन्देहा नाम राक्षसाः। प्रार्थयन्ति सहस्रांशुमुदयन्ति दिने दिने। तापयन्तो दुरात्मानः सूर्यमिच्छन्ति खादितुम् ॥ ५०.

Three crores of demons known as Mandehas are famous; they seek the thousand-rayed one, rising day after day, tormenting the wicked and desiring to devour the Sun.

अथ सूर्यस्य तेषाञ्च युद्धमासीत् सुदारुणम्। ततो ब्रह्मा च देवाश्च ब्राह्मणाश्चैव सत्तमाः। सन्ध्येति समुपासन्तः क्षेपयन्ति महाजलम् ॥ ५०.

Then, a fierce battle arose between them and the Sun; thereafter, Brahma, the gods, and the foremost Brahmins, worshipping at sandhya, pour forth great waters.

ओङ्कारब्रह्मसंयुक्तं गायत्र्या चाभिमन्त्रितम्। तेन दह्यन्ति ते दैत्या वज्रभूतेन वारिणा ॥ ५०.

Combined with the syllable Om and empowered by the Gayatri, with this, those demons are burned by water made as hard as thunder.

ततः पुनर्महातेजा महाद्युतिपराक्रमः. योजनानां सह स्राणि ऊर्द्ध्वमुत्तिष्ठते शतम् ॥ ५०.

Then again, the one of great radiance and immense might rises upward for a hundred yojanas together with the rays.

ततः प्रयाति भगवान् ब्राह्मणैः परिवारितः। वालखिल्यैश्च मुनिभिः कृतार्थैः समरीचिभिः ॥ ५०.

Then the Blessed One proceeds, surrounded by Brahmins and by accomplished sages called Valakhilyas, shining like rays.

काष्ठा निमेषा दश पञ्च चैव त्रिंशच्च काष्ठा गणयेत् कलान्तम् । त्रिंशत् कलाश्चैव भवेन्मुहूर्त्तस्तैस्त्रिंशता रात्र्यहनी समेते ॥ ५०.

One should count ten and five nimeṣas as a kāṣṭhā, and thirty kāṣṭhās make up a kalā; thirty kalās make a muhūrta, and with thirty such, day and night together are reckoned.

ह्रासवृद्धी त्वहर्भागैर्दिवसानां यथाक्रमम्। सन्ध्या मुहूर्तमानन्तु ह्रासे वृद्धौ समा स्मृता ॥ ५०.

The increase and decrease of days occur in due order by their portions; the period of twilight is considered to be a muhūrta, equal in both decrease and increase.

लेखाप्रभृत्यथादित्ये त्रिमुहूर्त्तागते तु वै। प्रातस्तनः स्मृतः कालो भागस्त्वह्नः स पञ्चमः ॥ ५०.

When the sun, beginning from the crescent phase, has traversed three muhūrtas, that time is called prātastana, the fifth part of the day.

तस्मात् प्रातस्तनात्कालात् त्रिमुहूर्त्तस्तु सङ्गवः। मध्याह्नस्त्रिमुहूर्त्तस्तु तस्मात्कालाच्च सङ्गवात् ॥ ५०.

From that time called prātastana, after three muhūrtas is saṅgava; and from that time, after three muhūrtas more, is midday.

तस्मान्मध्यन्दिनात् कालादपराह्न इति स्मृतः । त्रय एव मुहूर्त्तास्तु तस्मात् कालाच्च मध्यमात् ॥ ५०.

From that time called midday, the next period is known as afternoon; from that time, after three muhūrtas, is the middle period.

अपराह्ने व्यतीपाते काल- सायाह्न उच्यते। दशपञ्चमुहूर्त्ताद्वै मुहूर्त्तास्त्रय एव च ॥ ५०.

When the afternoon passes, that time is called sāyāhna (evening); from the tenth and fifth muhūrtas, there are three muhūrtas as well.

दशपञ्चमुहूर्त्तं वै अहर्विषुवति स्मृतम्। दशपञ्चमुहूर्त्ताद्वै रात्रिन्दिवमिति स्मृतम् ॥ ५०.

The tenth and fifth muhūrtas are considered the equinox of the day; from the tenth and fifth muhūrtas, day and night are thus reckoned.

वर्ध्धते ह्रसते चैव अयने दक्षिणोत्तरे। अहस्तु ग्रसते रात्रिं रात्रिस्तु ग्रसते त्वहः ॥ ५०.

Increase and decrease occur in the southern and northern solstices; the day consumes the night, and the night in turn consumes the day.

शरद्वसन्तयोर्मध्ये विषुवन्तद्विभाव्यते। अहोरात्रं कलाश्चैव सप्त सोमः समश्रुते ॥ ५०.

Between autumn and spring, the equinox is recognized; day and night, and their divisions, are seven, as is the moon, according to tradition.

तथा पञ्चदशाहानि पक्ष इत्याभिधीयते। द्वौ पक्षौ च भवेन्मासो द्वौ मासावन्तरावृतुः। ऋतुत्रयमयनं स्याद्द्वैऽयने वर्षमुच्यते ॥ ५०.

Thus, fifteen days are called a fortnight; two fortnights make a month, two months make a season, three seasons make a solstice, and two solstices are called a year.

निमेषादिकृतः कालः काष्ठाया दश पञ्च च। कलायास्त्रिंशतः काष्ठा मात्राघीतिद्वयात्मिका ॥ ५०.

Time beginning from a nimeṣa is made up of ten and five for a kāṣṭhā; thirty kāṣṭhās make a kalā, and a mātrā consists of two measured beats.

शतघ्नैकोनकास्त्रिंशन्मात्रात्रिशत् षडुत्तरा। द्विषष्टिभाक् त्रयोविंशन्मात्रायाञ्च चला भवेत् ॥ ५०.

A hundred, one, and thirty mātrās, plus thirty-six more, and sixty-two parts, and twenty-three mātrās—these constitute the moving measure.

चत्वारिंशत्सहस्राणि शतान्यष्टौ च विद्युतिः। सप्ततिञ्चापि तत्रैव नवतिं विद्धि निस्वये ॥ ५०.

Forty thousand and eight hundred are the flashes of lightning; and there, know that seventy and ninety are the silent ones.

चत्वार्येव शतान्याहुर्विद्युतौ वैधसंयुगे। चरांशो ह्येष विज्ञेयो नालिका चात्र कारणम् ॥ ५०.

They say there are only four hundred in the lightning of the Vedic sacrifice; this is the moving portion, and the nālikā is the measure here.

संवत्सरादयः पञ्च चतुर्मानविकल्पिताः। निश्चयः सर्वकालस्य युग इत्यभिधीयते ॥ ५०.

The five—year, etc.—are conceived as fourfold by the sages; the determination of all time is called a yuga.

संवत्सरस्तु प्रथमो द्वितीयः परिवत्सरः। इद्वत्सरस्तृतीयस्तु चतुर्थश्चानुवत्सरः। पञ्चमो वत्सरस्तेषां कालस्तु परिसंज्ञितः ॥ ५०.

The first is the year, the second is the parivatsara, the third is the idvatsara, the fourth is the anuvatsara, and the fifth is the vatsara; these are the names of time.

विंशशतं भवेत्पूर्णं पर्वणां तु रवेर्युगम्। एतान्यष्टादशस्त्रिंशदुदयो भास्करस्य च ॥ ५०.

A complete yuga of the Sun consists of twenty hundred full parvan days; and the Sun's rising occurs thirty-eight times thirty-two.

ऋतवस्त्रिंशतः सौरा अयनानि दशैव तु। पञ्चत्रिंशत् शतं चापि षष्टिर्मासाश्च भास्करः ॥ ५०.

There are thirty seasons of the Sun, and exactly ten ayanas; and the Sun also has thirty-five hundred and sixty months.

त्रिंशदेव त्वहोरात्रं स तु मासश्च भास्करः। एकषष्टिस्त्वहोरात्रा दनुरेको निभाव्यते ॥ ५०.

Indeed, a month of the Sun is thirty days and nights; and sixty-one days and nights are reckoned as one sign of the zodiac.

अह्नान्तु त्र्यधिकाशीतिः शतं चाप्यधिकं भवेत्। मानं तच्चित्रभानोस्तु विज्ञेयं भुवनस्य तु ॥ ५०.

The number of days in a year is one hundred and eighty-three more than a hundred; this is to be understood as the measure of Citrabhānu (the Sun) for the world.