4 - Inauguration of Creation 

Süta said: 

1-2. The period of the duration of the Prākrita creation is said to be a day of Brahmā. There is a similar period constituting the night. The lord effects creation during day time and dissolution during the night. He has neither a day nor a night (as we understand the terms). The time-duration by day and night is used in a seeondary sense. 

3-6. During the (so-called) day all the Vikrutis- the Vish- vedevas, the Prajāpatis and the sages stay by. During the night all of them are dissolved. They are produced (again) at the end of the night. A day of His constitutes our kalpa, llis night too similarly another kalpa. There are fourteen Manus by the time a thousand sets of four yugas come to a close. O brahmins, the Kruta yuga consists of four thousand years. Four hundred, three hundred, two hundred and hundred years respectively constitute the period of transition both at the beginning and end of a yuga.19 

19. Each yuga is prefixed and suffixed by a sandhyā which specifies the advent and culmination of a yuga. "The two sandhyas of a yuga are of equal length though their period of duration differs from yuga to yuga. Thus Krutayuga lasts for four thousand divine years and its sandhyâs for eight hundred such years; Tretä lasts for three thousand divine years and its sandhyās for six hundred such years; Dväpara lasts for two thousand and its sandhyas for four hundred; Kali lasts for one thousand and its sandhyās for two hundred such years. The total period of duration for the four yugas is ten thousand divine years and that for their sandhyâs is two thousand divine years. 

7-9. The amshaka, therefore, is one-sixth of the duration of each yuga. The period of duration of Treta, Dvāpara and Kali is respectively three thousand, two thousand and one thousand years without their amshaka parts. That of Kruta has been mentioned above. O men of holy rites, fifteen winks in the eyes of a man of normal health in normal condition constitute a kāşhthā. Thirty such kāşhthâs make one kalā. Thirty such kalas nake one muhurta. 

10-12. The night contains fifteen such muhūrtas and the day another fifteen muhūrtas. A (lunar) month according to human reckoning constitutes the night and day of the pitřus. Divided further, the dark half constitutes the day and the bright half constitutes their night when they go to sleep. Thirty human months make one month of the Pitrus. The period of three hundred and sixty months calculated according to human reckoning makes one year of the Pitrus. 

13. A hundred years calculated according to human reckoning make three years of the Pitrus. 

14. Twelve months according to human calculation make one year (of the mortals); twelve months of the manes (according to their own calculation) constitute their one year. 

15. According to Lingapurāņa one human year constitutes the period of day and night for the manes. Their days, nights and years and their further divisions are as follows: 

16. The period of Uttarāyana (northern transit of the sun' is the day for the manes; the period of Dakshiņāyana (southern transit us the sun) constitutes then night. These days and nights are calculated in accordance with the reckoning of the devas. 

17-23. Thirty human years constitute a divine month. O brahmins, a hundred human years constitute three divine months and ten days. Three hundred and sixty human years constitute a divine year. Three thousand and thirty human years constitute a year of the seven sages, Nine thousand and ninety years, according to human calculation make a year of Dhruva. Thirty six thousand human years make a century of divine years 'The people who know arithmetic ay that the three hundred and sixty thousand human years constitute the period of a thousand divine years. 

24-35. The duration of a yuga is calculated according to the divine reckoning. The first yuga is named Kruta; thereafter comes Tretã and then Dvāpara and Kali. O men of holy rites, these are the names of the four) yugas. Hence forth the number of years of each yuga which have been mentioned earlier in divine reckoning are now being counıcd according to human reckoning. The Kruta consist of one million four hundred and forty thousand human years; Tretä of one million eight hundred thousand years; Dvāpara of seven hundred twenty thousand years and Kali of three hundred and sixty thousand human years. Thus the duration of the four yugas, without the period of junction and transition totals to three million six hundred thousand human years. If Sandhyā periods are included, the set of four ages will consist of four million three hundred and twenty thousand years. A little over seventy one sets of four yugas-Kruta, Tretā, Dväpara and Kali-constitute a manvantara.20 The number of human years in a manvantara are thirty crores six million and seven hundred and twenty thousand, O excellent brahmins. The period of a manvantara, according to this Purāņa, is not more than this. 

20. A manvantara comprises about seventyone mahăyugas which are equal to 12,000 years of the gods. The Purānas mention fourteen manvantaras. These derive their names from fourteen successive mythical progenitors and sovereigns of the earth. 

36. The number of years in one set of four yugas have been mentioned earlier. O excellent brahmins, a thousand such sets of four yugas constitute a kalpa (of Brahmä). 

37. During Brahmā's night the creatures perish; at the end of the night they are created again. There are twenty-eight crores of gods who move in aerial chariots. 

38. During the manvantaras and the intermediary periods their number increased to three hundred and ninety two crores. 

39-40. O brahmins, during the last kalpa their number came to seventy-eight thousand. In all kalpas this is the position in brief. When the dissolution is imminent people abandon the persons surviving the last day of the kalpa and go to Janaloka from the world, Mahar. 

41-42. The number of years in half a kalpa by divine calculation is two thousand eight hundred and sixty two crores and seven millions. The kalpa too shall be similarly calculated. A thousand such kalpas make a year of Brahma. 

43. Eight thousand years of Brahmâ make his yuga. A thousand yugas of Brahmä constitute a savana. 

44. Nine thousand such savanas constitute a day of Rudra. 

43-49. O great sages, the following are the names of some kalpas of Brahmā, viz-bhavodbhava, tapas, bhavya, rambha, kratu, rutu, vahni, havyavāha, såvitra, shuddha, majjāliya, madhyama, vairāja, nişhāda, mukhya, meghavähana, pañchama, chitraka, ākruti, jñāna, manas, sudarsha, brumha, shvetalohita, rakta, pītavāsas, asita, and sarvarúpaka. O excellent sages, thousands and crores of such kalpas have already elapsed. 

50. At the dissolution of a kalpa, whatever remains of crcation produced during day and night is destroyed. 

51-53. The destruction is subject to the behest of lord Shiva. When the creation is annihilated and the Pradhāna is stationed in itself, both Pradhāna and Purusha come to a standstill or remain inactive. O brahmins, it is only when the three guņas are not in equilibrium that creation takes place. When they are in equilibrium the creation is dissolved. The great lord is the cause of both. The creation is effected by him sportively in this manner. 

54-56. Such creations, effected through the agency of Pradhina are innumerable. The kalpas together with their Brahmās and Vişhņus are innumerable. But lord Shiva is only one. The activities of Prakruti emerging from Pradhāna are due to His sport. The activities as characterized by the guņas are threefold and destructible but the (uncreated) ātman has neither a beginning nor a middle nor an end.21 

21. Creation is the result of stimulation (kșhobha) of the guņas. When there is no stimulation, creation does not exist; consequently, the time units-kalpas, manvantaras, yugas, samvatsaras and other relatively bigger and smaller units disappear as a matter of course. 

57. The life-time of Brahmã consists of two halves called parārdhas.22 What is created during His day time is destroyed during His night. 

22. A kalpa (a period of four thousand cycles of four yugas) constitutes a day of Brahmā. It is divided into two halves: " parärdhas. A half kalpa covers a cycle of two thousand chaturyugas. At the end of a full kalpa a great fire consumes the world. 

58-61. The worlds bhūr, bhuvaḥ, svar and mahar perish; only the worlds above remain intact. At night, win the mobile and immobile perish and a vast sheet of water23 spreads like a single ocean, Brahmă goes to sleep in the water. He is there fore known as Nārāyana. At the end of the night he wakes up and beholds avoid what used to be the world of mobile and immobile beings. Then he, the most excellent among the knowers of Brahman decides to create. He assumes the form of a boar24 and lifts the earth submerged in the waters. He lifts it up and places it as before, together with all the rivers, rivulets and oceans.  

23. Ekärņava symbolises the state of the universe during the period of dissolution when the divided units are drawn together forming a single watery mass. For detail see MP-A Study. PP. 9-10. 

24. The Purānas often mention Varāha (Boar incarnation of Vişhnu) lifting the earth from the depth of the Ekārnava ocean. 

62-63. With great effort he makes the earth even. He gathers together all the mountains burned by fire on the earth. He establishes the four worlds, bhuḥ, etc. as before. He, the lord creator, then decides to create everything afresh.