स एव सृज्यः स च सर्गकर्ता स एव पात्यत्ति च पाल्यते च । ब्रह्माद्यवस्थाभिरशेषमूर्ति र्विष्णुर्वरिष्ठो वरदो वरेण्यः
He alone is the created, the creator of creation, the preserver and the preserved, and the one who devours; Viṣṇu, the supreme, the bestower of boons, the most excellent, with all forms including those of Brahmā and others.
श्रीमैत्रेय उवाच निर्गुणस्याप्रमेयस्य शुद्धस्याप्यमलात्मनः । कथं सर्गादिकर्तृत्वं ब्रह्मणोऽभ्युपगम्यते
Śrī Maitreya said: How is the authorship of creation and the rest attributed to Brahman, who is without qualities, immeasurable, pure, and of spotless nature?
श्रीपराशर उवाच शक्तयः सर्वभावानामचिन्त्यज्ञानगोचराः । यतोऽतो ब्रह्मणस्तास्तु सर्गाद्या भावशक्तयः । भवन्ति तपतां श्रेष्ठ पावकस्य यथोष्णता
Śrī Parāśara said: The powers of all beings are beyond thought and knowledge; thus, the creative and other powers of Brahman arise from him, O best of the ascetics, just as heat arises from fire.
तन्निबोध यथा सर्गे भगवान्सम्प्रवर्त्तते । नारायणाख्यो भगवान्ब्रह्म लोकपितामहः
Now listen to how the blessed Lord, known as Nārāyaṇa, the grandsire of the worlds, proceeds in creation.
उप्तन्नः प्रोच्यते विद्वन्नित्यमेवोपचारतः
O wise one, he is always said to be born, but only figuratively.
निजेन तस्य मानेन आयुर्वर्षशतं स्मृतम् । तत्पराख्यं तदर्द्ध च परार्द्धमभिधीयते
According to his own measure, his lifespan is said to be a hundred years; that is called a parā, and half of that is known as a parārdha.
कालस्वरूपं विष्णोश्च यन्मयोक्तं तवानघ । तेन तस्य निबोध त्वं परिमाणोपपादनम्
What I have described to you, O sinless one, as the form of time belonging to Viṣṇu—by that, understand now the calculation of his measure.
अन्येषां चैव जन्तूनां चराणामचराश्च ये । भूभूभृत्सागरादीनामशेषाणां च सत्तम
And likewise, O best of beings, for all other creatures, both moving and unmoving, including the earth, mountains, oceans, and all else.
काष्ठा पत्र्चदशाख्याता निमेषा मुनिसत्तम । काष्ठा पत्र्चदशाख्याता निमेषा मनिसत्तम । काष्ठा त्रिंशत्कला त्रिंशत्कला मौहूर्तिको विधिः
O best of sages, a 'kāṣṭhā', known as fifteen 'nimeṣas', is established; thirty 'kāṣṭhās' make one 'kalā', and thirty 'kalās' constitute a 'muhūrta', according to rule.
तावत्संख्यैरहोरात्रं मुहूर्तैर्मानुषं स्मृतम् । अहोरात्राणि तावानित मासः पक्षद्वयात्मकः
With that number of 'muhūrtas', a day and night is reckoned as human; such days and nights, in that measure, make a month, which consists of two fortnights.
तैः षड्भिरयनं वर्ष द्वेऽयनें दक्षिणोत्तरे । अयनं दक्षिणं रात्रिर्देवानामुत्तरं दिनम्
With six such months is formed a year, divided into the southern and northern courses; the southern course is night for the gods, and the northern course is their day.
दिव्यैर्वर्षसहस्त्रैस्तु कृतत्रेतदिसंज्ञितम् । चतुर्युगं द्वादशभिस्तद्विभागं निबोध मे
A thousand divine years are called the Kṛta, Tretā, and other yugas; know from me the division of the four yugas in twelve parts.
चत्वारि त्रीणि द्वै चैकं कृतादिषु यथाक्रमम् । दिव्याब्दानां सहस्त्राणि युगेष्वाहुः पुराविदः
Four, three, two, and one—such is the order for Kṛta and the other yugas; the ancient knowers declare these as thousands of divine years for each yuga.
तत्प्रमाणैः शतैः सन्ध्या पूर्वा तत्राभिधीयते । सन्ध्यांशश्चैव तत्तुल्यो युगस्यानन्तरो हि सः
With hundreds of those measures, the prior twilight (sandhyā) is described; and the twilight portion that follows the yuga is of equal measure.
सन्ध्यासध्यांशयोरन्तर्यः कालो मुनिसत्तम । युगाख्यः स तु विज्ञेयः कृतत्रेतादिसंज्ञितः
The interval between the twilight and its portion, O best of sages, is known as the yuga, named Kṛta, Tretā, and so on.
कृतं त्रेता द्वाररश्च कलिश्चैव चतुर्युगम् । प्रोच्यते तस्तहस्त्र च ब्रह्मणो दिवसं मुने
Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali—these four yugas are proclaimed; a thousand such cycles make a day of Brahmā, O sage.
ब्रह्मणो दिवसे ब्रह्मन्मनवस्तु चतुर्दश । भवन्ति परिमाणं च तेषां कालकृतं श्रृणु
In a day of Brahmā, O brāhmaṇa, there are fourteen Manus; listen to the measure of their time, as determined by calculation.
सप्तर्षयः सुराः शक्रो मनुस्तत्सूनवो नृपाः । एककाले हि सृज्यन्ते संह्रियन्ते च पूर्ववत्
The Seven Sages, the gods, Indra, Manu, and the kings who are his sons—all are created and dissolved together, just as before.
चतुर्यगुणां संख्याता साधिका ह्रोकासप्ततिः । मन्वन्तरं मनोः कालः सुरादीनां च सत्तम
Seventy-one and a little more, multiplied by four, is the period called a manvantara, O best of beings, which is the time of Manu and the gods.
अष्टौ शत सहस्त्राणि दिव्ययां संख्यया स्मृतम् । द्विपत्रचाशत्तथान्यानि सहस्त्राण्यधिकानि तु
Eight hundred and seventy-two thousand, in divine reckoning, is remembered; and there are other thousands, twice as many and more.
त्रिंशत्कोट्यस्तु सम्पूर्णाः संख्याताः संख्याया द्विज । सप्तषष्टिस्तथान्यानि नियुतानि महामुने
Three hundred million are counted as the full number, O twice-born; and there are sixty-seven more 'niyutas', O great sage.
विंशतिस्तु सह्स्त्राणि कालोऽयमधिकं विना । मन्वन्तरस्य सड्खयेयं मानुषैर्वत्सरैर्द्विज
There are twenty thousand more, without excess; this is the reckoning of a manvantara in human years, O twice-born.
चतुर्दशगुणो ह्योष कालो ब्राह्ममहः स्मृतम् । ब्राह्मो नैमित्तिको नाम तस्यान्ते प्रतिसत्र्चरः
Fourteen times that period is called a day of Brahmā; at its end comes what is known as the incidental (naimittika) dissolution.
तदा ही दह्राते सर्वं त्रैलोक्यं भूर्भुवादिकम् । जनं प्रयान्ति तापार्था महर्लोकनिवासिनः
Then, at that time, all the three worlds—Bhū, Bhuvaḥ, and others—are dissolved; those dwelling in Maharloka, seeking relief from heat, go to Janaloka.
एकार्णवे तु त्रैलोक्ये ब्रह्म नारायणात्मकः । भोगिशय्यां गतः शेते त्रैलोक्यग्रासबृंहितः
When the three worlds are a single ocean, Brahmā, whose essence is Nārāyaṇa, lies upon the serpent-bed, magnified by the absorption of the worlds.
जनस्थैर्योगिभिर्देवाश्चिन्त्यमानोऽब्जसम्भवः । तत्प्रमाणां हि तां रात्रिं तदन्ते सृजते पुनः
The gods and yogis in Janaloka contemplate the lotus-born one; for a night of equal measure, and at its end, he creates again.
एवं तु ब्रह्मणो वर्षमेवं वर्षशतं च यत् । शतं हि तस्य वर्षाणां परमायुर्महात्मनः
In this way, a year of Brahmā is as has been described, and a hundred such years is his lifespan; for a hundred years is the supreme lifespan of that great being.
एकमस्य व्यतीतं तु परार्द्ध ब्रह्मणोऽनघ । तस्यान्तेऽभून्महाकल्पः पाद्य इत्यभिविश्रुतः
O sinless one, one parārdha of Brahmā has passed; at its end occurred the great kalpa known as Pādya.
द्वितीयस्य परार्द्धस्य वर्तमानस्य वै द्विज । वाराह इति कल्पोऽयं प्रथमः परिकीर्तितः
O twice-born, in the second parārdha, which is now ongoing, the first kalpa is renowned as the Vārāha Kalpa.
श्रीमैत्रेय उवाच यथा ससर्ज देवोऽसौ देवर्षिपितृदानवान् । मनुष्यतिर्यग्वृक्षादीन्भूव्योमसलिलौकसः
Śrī Maitreya said: Tell me how that divine one created the gods, sages, ancestors, and Dānavas, as well as humans, animals, trees, and all beings dwelling on earth, in the sky, and in water.