Verse 1.68 [The ‘day’ of Brahmā and the ‘Yugas’]

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

ब्राह्मस्य तु क्षपाहस्य यत् प्रमाणं समासतः ।
एकैकशो युगानां तु क्रमशस्तन्निबोधत ॥ ६८ ॥

brāhmasya tu kṣapāhasya yat pramāṇaṃ samāsataḥ |
ekaikaśo yugānāṃ tu kramaśastannibodhata || 68 ||

Learn in brief, in due order, the measure of the Brahmic ‘day and night,’ as also that of the ‘Time-cycles’ (Yugas) one by one.—(68)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Brahmā,’—The creator of living beings, has a region of his own; and what is going to be described is of Day and Night as obtaining in that region;—‘as also of the Time-cycles.’—‘Learn’ all this, ‘in brief,’ summarily; i.e., hear it from me.—‘one by one’—that is, of each time-cycle separately.

The present verse serves as the summary of what is going to be described, intended to draw the attention of the audience; it is with this view that they are exhorted to ‘learn.’—The ‘division of time’ having been already mentioned as the subject-matter of the context, the reiterated promise (implied in the exhortation to ‘learn’) is meant to indicate that a fresh subject is going to be introduced; the idea being that what is going to be described now is not merely what remains of the afore-mentioned ‘division of time,’ but it is also conducive to merit; as will be directly stated in verse 73, where it is stated that ‘Brahma’s day is known to be sacred’; which means that the knowledge of it brings merit.—(68)