Vāyu said:
1. Henceforth I shall explain the decisive nature of omkāra as the imperishable Brahinan.1 It shall be remembered at the beginning that it consists of three letters.
1. This chapter is a continuation of the topic of Time initiated in the previous chapter (31. 24 ff.). The introductory statement regarding the decisive nature of Omkāra’ concludes with its identification with sou Maheśhvara.
2. In accordance with the letters, the presiding deities are ordained. There are Ruk, Yajur, Säman(Vedas), Väyu (the Wind- god), the Fire-god and water.
3. It is from the Akshara that the fourteen noble Atmans, the deities of the Devas, originated.
4. Among these letters (omkāra) is omnipresent, all-permeating, the knower of all Yogas. It is lettered at the beginning, middle and the end for the bliss of the people.
5. Seven sages, Indras, Devas, as well as Pitris—all who are evolved out of the letter, have (really) come out of Maheśhvara (Shiva), the God of gods.
6. For the benefit here and hereafter, they speak of it as the greatest region. Kāla, known as Yuga, has already been mentioned to you by me.
7. The Yugas are Kruta, Tretā, Dvåpara and Kali. They move in cycles like a wheel.
8. Devas, being subject to the control of Kala, felt dejected. They could not adjust to his magnitude and control.
9-10. Terrified by Kāla, the sages, Devas and Indra of great penance, restrained their speech, controlled their minds severely for a thousand years in the beginning of the Manvantara and resorted to the great lord (Shiva).
11. They said to the lord, “O great Lord! This Kala is the lord of Devas. He has four faces and four forms. Who can comprehend him? He is too deep.”
12. Then looking at Kāla of four faces, the great Lord said to Devas, “You need not be afraid. What desire of yours shall I grant You?
13. I shall do everything for you. Your endeavour will not go in vain.” Himself being the unconquerable Kāla, the lord spoke again.1
1. Verses 13-20 give us an interesting reification of Time. Identifying himself with Kāla, Maheśhvara explains the four faces and forms of Kāla as follows: A Yuga is a face of Kala.
Name of the Face Other Description
4. Kruta.. Colour-white; four tongues. Identified with
Brahma and Vaivasvata Manu.
3. Tretā .. Colour-blood-red. The three tongues are three sacrificial fires (viz, Garhapatya, Ahavaniya and Dakşhiņa) i.e. the institution of sacrifice was established in Tretä. Establishment of Kşhattriya Gotras.
2. Dvāpara ... Colour-reddish tawny. Two tongues, two feet.
Kşhattriyas firmly established.
1. Kali ... Colour-black, red eyes, one tongue.
14. “This white face of his, seen with four tongues, is the face of Kala and is called Kruta Yuga. This god Brahma, the most excellent among gods, and Vaivasvata is this face.
15. What I called the third-this blood-red coloured (face) with three licking tongues, is the Treta Yuga, o Brähmaņas.
16. In this age the institution of sacrifice is initiated from great Lord Shiva and is worshipped in this age. The three tongues are the three fires (Garhapatya, Ahavaniya and Dakşhina). After worshipping the fires, O Brāhmaṇas, the tongue of Käla begins to function.
17. This terrible face of reddish-tawny colour with two tongues is the Dvāpara age. I will remain two-footed in this age.
18-19. This fourth face of black colour and red eyes, the single-tongued, dark and huge, licking like a serpent again and again, is the terrible Kali age. It is terrifying to all the worlds. It is the fourth terrible face of the Kāla.
20. In this age, neither happiness nor salvation comes into being. The subjects are devoured by Kåla.
21. Brahmä shall be worshipped in the Kruta age; in the Tretā, it is sacrifice; Vişhnu in Dväpara; and I in all the four ages
22. Brahma, Vişhnu and sacrifice are the three parts of Kāla itself. But in all ages, the four-formed great Lord is the very Kala itself.
23. I am the progenitor of Kala, the initiator of Kāla.
24-25. O Excellent Devas of great power, you need not be afraid of the advent of Kali. For the welfare of the worlds, and for offering protection to the people and Devas, I shall be born (in Kali age) and be worshipped.”
26. Thus addressed, Devas and the sages bowed to the Lord of the universe with bent heads. They spoke to him again.
The gods and sages enquired:
27. How is this Käla, of great splendour, huge body, great prowess and four faces terrible to living beings?
The great Lord said:
28. “This Kāla has four forms, four fangs and four faces. For protecting the universe, he goes beyond, on all sides.
29. There is nothing impossible for him in the universe consisting of the mobile and immobile beings. Kāla creates the living beings and gradually annihilates them.
30. All are subject to the control of Kāla. Käla is not subject to anyone. Kāla always reckons (controls) all living beings.
31. He takes seventy-one steps, as mentioned before, which constitute a Manvantara with as many cycles of the sets of four Yugas.
32. Over-stepping one, when Kala completes a set of seventy-one steps, the Manvantara terminates.”
33. Having spoken thus to Devas, sages, Pitris and Dänavas, the lord vanished there itself, after being bowed to by them.
34. Thus the lord creates, annihilates Devas, sages, Pitris and Dänavas in course of Time (Kāla) again and again.
35. Hence, due to the fear of Kāla, the great Lord is worshipped in every Manvantara by Devas, sages, Pitris and Dänavas.
36-37. Hence in the Kali age, a Brāhmana should perform penance strenuously. The fruit of the merit of a person resorting to the great Lord is very great. Hence abandoning the heaven and descending to the earth at the advent of the terrible Kali, Devas and the sages desire to perform penance. They are engrossed in holy rites. The Lord too takes incarnation frequently in the Kali age.
38-39. Thousands of Devas, saints and kings have passed away in course of time, in Vaivasvata Manvantara. Deväpi, the king in the race of Pūru, Manu and his descendants in the family of Ikşhväku are endowed with great Yogic strength. They wait for the change in Kāla.
40. When the Kali age terminates, and Treta Yuga arrives, in that future Tretă Yuga along with the seven sages, the gotras of Kşhattriyas will be established. They are narrated.
41. The Kşhattriyas become firmly established at the end of Dvāpara, along with the sages. When Kruta, Treta and Dvāpara pass away, the Kali age arrives, wherein sinful men pass their time.
42. Shrutis and Smrutis record the (completion and) passing away of the seven Manvantaras. The serial order of the termination of yugas is the same in all these.
43. The rise of Brāhmaṇas and Kshatriyas is mutual along with that of the Yugas. Just as they come into existence from them, those that have come into being pass away along with them.
44. When the Kşhattriyas were exterminated by Räma, son of Jamadagni, the widows were made unchaste by the rulers of the earth. Now I shall tell you about those that have gone to heaven. Understand.
45. They mention Aida i.e. Aila (Purūravas) as the founder of Ikşhvāku race.1 There was a line of other Kşhattriya kings on the earth.
1. The statements in vv 45, 46 regarding Aida (i.e. Aila, Purūravas) as the founder of the Ikşhvaku race is wrong. Vide AIHT, pp. 145-46 for the table of Royal-Genealogies.
46-47. Ikşhvāku kings were born in the race of Aila; full hundred kings of that family were crowned; the extent of the Bhoja family of kings is twice that number, There were three hundred Kşhattriya kings divided into four lines as I have already mentioned (?)
48-49. Now hear about the kings that have gone before, as I mention about them. There were a hundred Prativindhyas,1 a hundred Haihayas, a hundred Dhārtarāşhtras, eighty Janamejayas, a hundred families of very powerful kings.
1. Vide Pargiter in AIHT p. 130. But the kings mentioned here belong to the past epoch.
50. There were a hundred Paulas; Kāśhi, Kusha and others were a hundred. Shaśhabindus who have gone, constitute a thousand. These performed horse-sacrifices wherein thousands and thousands (of gold coins) were given as gifts.
51. Thus, all the saintly kings who passed away in the previous Yugas, have been mentioned briefly. They cannot be mentioned in detail.
52. These have made the race of Yayati flourish. Sustaining the worlds, these have been glorified as lustrous.
53-54. Those who hear and retain in memory their account get the five rare boons of Brahmaloka, viz. longevity, sons, wealth, fame and prosperity and they go to the region of Brahma.
55. Four thousand years, they say, constitute the Kruta Yuga.2 Four hundred years oonstitute Sandhyā (transitional period) and four hundred years the part of Sandhyā (Sandhyāmsha).
2. The years mentioned in Yuga calculations are ‘years of gods’. Verses 55-63 give the period of divine years of each Yuga as follows:
Name of the Period Sandhya Sandhyāṁsa Total
Yuga
1. Kruta 4000 400 400 =4800
2. Treta 3000 300 300 =3600
3. Dvapara2000 200 200 =2400
4. Kali 1000 100 100 =1200
Total period of four yugas (Chaturyugi or Mahă-yuga) = 12,000 years.
The author identifies four parts (pādas) of this Purana with Yugas. Thus Kruta=Prakriya Pāda, Treta= Anushanga Pāda, Dvāpara=Upodghāta Pāda, kali = (Upa-) Samhāra Pada.
The number of years in a Mahāyuga=12,000 years.
The number of verses in this Purāņa=12,000.
56. The Kruta yuga, the Prukriyāpāda (the preliminary period) consists of four thousand years. Out of it, four hundred years constitute the transitional period (at the beginning and at the end of the yuga).
57. In the Tretā age the period is three thousand years with three hundred years of Sandhyā (twilight period) and three hundred years of Sandhyāṁsha (transitional period).
58. Tretā age, the Anuşhangapāda (of the Chaturyugi) consists of three thousand years and two thousand years period is proclaimed for Dväpara Age.
59. The twilight period (Sandhya) consists of two hundred years and the transitional period (Sandhyāmsha) is of the same duration. The third pada (of Chaturyuga) called Upodghātapāda is in Dväpara Age.
60. Persons expert in calculation opine one thousand years (as the period) of Kali age. Its Sandhyā period is of hundred years and Sandhyamsha period is also of a hundred years.
61. The fourth, Samhāra (Upa-samhāra) päda, is stated to be in Kali Age. Four Yugas have (each of them) the twilight and transitional periods.
62-63. (This totals up to twelve thousand.) Thus learned men knew that this Purana (also) consists of twelve thousand verses.
64. Just as Vedas are divided into four Pādas, a Yuga also has four Padas. Just as god Brahmă ordained a Yuga to consist of four parts (feet), so he has ordained four parts (Padas-feet) to this Purana* as well.
* Surānām in the text is a misprint for Purānam, as recorded in A. that reading is accepted.