Chapter 11 - The concept of Time: Manvantaras and life-spans of Men and Gods

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Maitreya said:

1. The ultimate irreducible particle of the parts of a gross effect (substance), which is ever separate (i.e. has not reached the stage of being an effect), and which is not combined with another in an aggregate, is called an atom (para- māṇu)^[1]. It is from the aggregation of atoms that men get the illusion of whole substance.

2. When the idea of peculiarity or of differences is separated (not considered), the entire substance in its essence which remains unaltered (with no change of dimensions) is called parama mahān (maximum dimension)^[2].

3. Oh Vidura, Time is also inferred as subtle, (medium), and the longest according as it pervades the atomic, medium, and the grossest (parama mahān) matter. It is God’s power which itself remains unmanifest, but occupies and encompasses the manifested substance and is competent to manage creation etc. of the universe.

4. That much period of time which is required to occupy an atom is the atomic period. That which is required to enjoy the matter in its entirety, is called parama mahān (the largest general—required to cross the totality of twelve Rāśis or Bhuvanakośa i.e. a period of a year and a period up to two parārdhas by the recurrence of the years.

5-8.^[3] Two paramāṇus make one aṇu. Three aṇus make one trasareṇu. It is the smallest particle which is visible and is noticed to be going up in the ray of the Sun coming through a window. The time which is required io occupy by three trasareṇus is called a truṭi. Hundred truṭis make up one vedha. Three vedhas is regarded as a lava. A nimiṣa is known to consist of three lavas. Three nimiṣas make up a kṣaṇa. Five kṣaṇas are said to form one kāṣṭhā. Fifteen kāṣṭhās make one laghu. Fifteen laghus are said to constitute one nāḍikā (or ghaṭikā). Two nāḍikās make one muhūrta. Six or seven nāḍikās make one prahara of men. It is also called yāma.

9. A copper vessel of six palas in weight and with sides sixteen aṅgulas in height, and with a capacity to contain a prastha of water, and with a hole (of the dimension) of a gold wire four aṅgulas in length and four māṣas (= I /3rd Tola) in weight—the time required to submerge (in water) such a vessel is called nāḍikā (ghaṭikā).

10. Oh respectful Vidura! Four and four yāmas make a day and a night of human beings. Fifteen days make one pakṣa. It is bright and dark.

11. The aggregate of two pakṣas makes one month which is a day and a night of the pitṛs (departed forefathers). Two months make a ṛtu (season). Six months make one ayana. It is northern (when the Sun apparently moves to the north) and the southern (when the Sun appears to move to the south of the equator).

12. The ayanas are called the day and the night of the Svarga. A year is made up of twelve months. One hundred years is said to be the maximum life of human beings.^[4]

13. The ever-vigilant controlling god (the Sun) occupies the sphere consisting of the planets, the nakṣatras (e.g. Aśvinī, Bharaṇī and other constellations) and other stars and revolves round the world beginning with atomic division of time and ending with one year (the period required to cross the bhuvana-kośa).

14. Oh Vidura, the period of a year is thus called saṃvatsara (the Solar year), parivatsara (related to Jupiter) Iḍāvatsara (of 360 days—savana) anuvatsara (the lunar year) and vatsara (related to nakṣatras).

15.^[5] Offer your worship to the God Sun who made the five kinds of the year and who by his own power (in the form of kāla) urges the powers of things to develop into effects (gross forms) in different ways, and who is a part of the element called tejas. He runs through the sky for removing the delusion of men (as if by dissuading them from waste of life in pleasures) and extending the fruits of guṇas by performance of sacrifices.

Vidura said:

16. The maximum span of life of the pitṛs (manes), gods and men has been stated, (as hundred years according to the measure of time of these). Please tell me the state (life-span) of those learned ones who stay beyond the three worlds.

17. Verily, you the revered one know the course of Time which is capable of destroying everything. The wise ones can visualize the universe by their yogic vision.

Maitreya said:

18. It is said that the cycle of four yugas, viz. kṛta, tretā, dvāpara and kali along with their sandhis (transitional periods at the beginning of a yuga) and aṃśas (the transitional period at the end of ayuga), consist of twelve thousand years of gods.

19-20.^[6] The period of yugas respectively (of kṛta etc.) is four thousand, three thousand, two thousand and one thousand (divine) years. The sandhyā period at the beginning and the aṃśa period at the end (of each yuga) is respectively eight hundred, six hundred, four hundred and two hundred years (of gods). The learned ones designate the period between sandhyā and aṃśa as yuga, and the (special) laws of conduct (dharma) have been ordained with reference to the (particular) yuga.

21. In the kṛta age, dharma accompanied men on (all his) four legs (viz. penance, purity, compassion and truth). With the increase of irreligion (adharma), religion became diminished by one leg, in each of the other yugas.

22. Oh Vidura, beyond the three worlds (from mahar loka) to Brahma Ioka, a day consists of one thousand cycles of four yugas. The night is also of the same duration when the Creator of the universe goes to sleep.

23. At the end of the night, the creation of the world starts and proceeds so long as it is god Brahma’s day which covers the period of fourteen Manus.

24. Every Manu rules during his own period which is somewhat longer than seventy-one catur-yugas (cycles of four yugas^[7]) In the eras of Manus, kings in the lineage of the Manu are born in succession. Hermits, gods, king of gods and his attendants are born simultaneously.

25. This is Brahma’s daily creation whereby the three worlds are made to function and in which the birds, beasts, men, pitṛs and gods are born according to their karmas.

26. In the Manu-eras, the Supreme Lord retains his sattvaguṇa and protects the universe by incarnating as Manus and manifesting himself in other human forms.

27. At the end of (Brahmā’s) day, assuming a bit of the tamo-guṇa, he restrains his prowess, and with everything else withdrawn in him due to the force of kāla, he keeps quiet.

23. When it is the nightfall without any moon or the sun (in existence), the three worlds bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, suvaḥ lie concealed in him.

29. When the three worlds get consumed by the fire from the mouth of Saṅkarṣaṇa (Śeṣa) who is his power, Bhṛgu and others, being distressed by the heat goto Jana-loka from Mahar- loka.

30. In the meanwhile, due to Pralaya (world-end), oceans, with huge billows whipped up by extremely terrible and powerful, winds, overflow and inundate the three worlds.

31. On that water, on the bed of the serpent Śeṣa, lies Hari with his eyes closed in yogic sleep, while sages in the Janaloka sing his praise.

32. In due course of time, with such types of days and nights as described above, even the long span of life of hundred years of this (god Brahmā), comes to an end.

33. Half of the life (of god Brahmā) is called parārdha. The first parārdha (of his life) has passed. Now the other half is running.

34. At the beginning of the previous parārdha, there was the great kalpa called Brahma kalpa, as Brahmā was then born. They knew him as Śabda-Brahma.

35. At the end of that kalpa, there was another kalpa called Padma kalpa, as there sprouted up the world-lotus from the lake-like navel of Hari.

36. Oh Vidura, the present kalpa of the second parārdha is known as Varāha (pertaining to the boar), as Hari assumed the boar-form in this (kalpa).

37. The period called dvi-parārdha is regarded as (a negligible period like) a wink of the unmanifested, infinite beginningless Soul of the Universe.

38. This kāla beginning from paramāṇu (its lowest unit) upto the end dvi-parārdha (duration of Brahmadeva’s life) can control those who have attachment to house etc. He has no power over the Almighty God, the bhūman.

39. This egg of the universe consisting of sixteen vikāras^[8] (modifications) and eight prakṛtis^[9] which is covered from outside by the (seven) sheaths of the earth etc., is fifty crores (of yojanas) in breadth.

40-41. Each of these sheaths (covering the universe) is ten times greater (than its previous one). This universe appears as an atom when merged (in him). Crores of such universes lie in him. That is the highest essential form of Viṣṇu, the great Puruṣa. It is called the imperishable Brahman, the cause of all causes.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

It may be noted that the Bhāgavata Purāṇa and the Veḍānta (vide Brahma Sūtra II.2.12-17) do not subscribe to the atomic theory of the Vaiśeṣikas.

[2]:

Having the duration of two parārdhas—Kramasandarbha.

[3]:

These verses contain the following measures of time:—

2 paramāṇus = 1 aṇu; 3 aṇus= 1 trasareṇu; 3 trasareṇus = 1 truṭi; 100 truṭis = 1 vedha; 3 vedhas = 1 lava; 3 lavas = 1 nimiṣa; 3 nimiṣas = 1 kṣaṇa; 5 kṣaṇas = 1 kāṣṭhā; 15 kāṣṭhās = 1 laghu; 15 laghus = nāḍikā; 2 nāḍikās = 1 muhūrta; 6/7 nāḍikās = 1 yāma or prahara.

[4]:

Bhāgavata Candrikā adds that the maximum life of Pitṛs and gods is one hundred years according to their respective measures of time.

[5]:

Padaratnāvalī takes this verse as applicable to god Viṣṇu: Perform your sacrifices to Hari the antaryāmin, of the five kinds of the year, etc.

[6]:

The classification of the Yugas terms of divine (gods’) years is as follows:

	kṛta	tretā	dvāpara	kali	Total Divine years
sandhyā	400	300	200	100	= 1000
yuga	4000	3000	2000	1000	= 10,000
sandhyāṃśa	400	300	200	100	= 1000
	===	===	===	===	===
	4800	3600	2400	1200	= 12,000

[7]:

This line indicating the vagueness implied in ‘longer than’ (sādhikā) is repeated in other Purāṇas also (e.g. Viṣṇu P. 1.3.18). Baldev Upadhyaya on the strength of Vāyu Purāṇa. (57.35) suggests that it should be emended as ‘sandhikā’ (viḍe Purāṇa Vimarśa,pp. 291-93). The Bhāgavata Purāṇa seems to have adopted the reading from the Viṣṇu Purāṇa. which is generally accepted as earlier than the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. vide Purāṇa Vimarśa. pp. 542-45.

[8]:

viz., mind, ten organs of knowledge and action and five elements (mahābhūtas).

[9]:

viz., Prakṛti, mahat, ahaṅkāra and five characteristics of elements (e.g. sound, touch etc.).