Viṣṇu purāṇa(毘濕奴往世書)Book I-Chapter III - Measure of time, Moments of Kashthas, etc.第一冊–第三章–時間的衡量，Kāṣṭhas的瞬間，等等

Measure of time. Moments or Kāṣṭhās, &c.; day and night; fortnight, month, year, divine year: Yugas, or ages: Mahāyuga, or great age: day of Brahmā: periods of the Manus: a Manvantara: night of Brahmā, and destruction of the world: a year of Brahmā: his life: a Kalpa: a Parārrdha: the past, or Pādma Kalpa: the present, or Vārāha.

時間的衡量。瞬間或 ①Kāṣṭhas 等；日夜; 雙週、月、年、②divine year神年：③Yugas，(宇迦)：④Mahāyuga(週期年代)，或great age：⑤梵天之日(day of Brahmā；Kalpa;劫)：⑥馬努年代：⑦曼萬塔拉Manvantara：⑧梵天之夜，以及世界的毀滅：⑨梵天之年：他的一生： a Kalpa： a Parārrdha：過去，或 Pādma Kalpa：現在，或 ⑩Vārāha。

①Kāṣṭhas：在這裏指的是以眨眼的時間作為時間量測的單位(最小為Nimeṣa)。15個Nimeṣa=1個Kāṣṭha(相當於1.6秒 (Surya Siddhanta說法)或6.4秒(吠陀經說法)。

②divine year：神年(佛道：天年)相當於360個太陽年(即人類年)

③Yuga(宇迦；週期)：人類歷史分為四個年代（又稱達摩時代或世界時代）－Kṛta-yuga（發音為Krita-yuga；又名Satya-yuga）、Tretā-yuga、Dvāpara-yuga 和Kali-yuga——每個年代都有25 %年代dharmic(衰退)和長度的下降百分比，比例（caraṇas；發音為charanas）為4:3:2:1（例如Satya：100% 開始；Kali：25% 開始，0% 結束），顯示靈性的進化意識和物質意識的進化。Kali-yuga 之後是下一個週期的 Satya-yuga，其中一個週期稱為 catur-yuga（發音為 chatur-yuga；又稱 mahā-yuga）。每個年代分為一個主要時期（又名yuga 本身）和兩個yuga-sandhis（又名yuga-sandhyās；連接時期）⁠—yuga-sandhyā（黎明）和yuga-sandhyāṃśa（又名yuga-sandhyānśa；黃昏）⁠—其中每個 yuga-sandhi 持續主要週期的 10%。長度以神年（又稱天年或天年）給出，其中一個神年持續 360 個太陽（人類）年。一個chatur-yuga持續432萬太陽年（12,000天年），其中Krita-yuga有1,728,000年(4800天年)，Treta-yuga有1,296,000年(3600天年)，Dvapara-yuga有864,000年(2400天年)，Kali-yuga有432,003年(約1200天年)。

④Mahāyuga或great age：每一個Mahāyuga有71個Yuga=852000天年=306,720,000年。

⑤梵天之日：就是一個Kalpa(劫)=43.2億(432,000,000)太陽年

⑥馬努年代：就是一個Manvantara=一個Mahāyuga306,720,000 年（852,000 個(天)神年）

⑦曼萬塔拉Manvantara：同第⑥

⑧night of Brahmā(梵天之夜)：在梵天之夜，所有的創造物都進入了一種不顯化的狀態。白天仍然顯現且未解放的靈魂不再外在顯現，而是堅持以「種子」的形式存在。夜晚過後，它們會在梵天的白天顯現出來。儘管人們可能會誤解梵天之夜是宇宙消解的一段時期，但它實際上是一段靜止的時期。它可以被想像成一個冬天，創造的種子在此期間處於休眠狀態。儘管意識的形式並未顯化，但它是普遍意識的粒子。梵天之夜與絕對不顯者不同，後者永遠不受創造週期的影響。時間也是一個劫=43.2億(432,000,000) 太陽年

⑨Year of Brahmā(梵天之年)= 3,110,400,000,000太陽年(8,640,000,000天年)

⑩Vārāha：根據《薄伽梵往世書》，毘濕奴化身為野豬（varāha）來舉起大地，而根據《阿耆尼往世書》、《梵天往世書》和《Matsya往世書》，原因是殺死了惡魔Hiraṇyākṣa (金目)。

 

Maitreya said:

How can creative agency be attributed to that Brahma, who is without qualities, illimitable, pure, and free from imperfection?

彌勒說：

「無功德、無量、清淨、無瑕疵的梵天，怎麼有創造性呢？」

Parāśara said:

The essential properties of existent things are objects of observation, of which no foreknowledge is attainable; and creation, and hundreds of properties, belong to Brahma, as inseparable parts of his essence, as heat, oh chief of sages, is inherent in fire. Hear then how the deity Nārāyāna, in the person of Brahmā, the great parent of the world, created all existent things.

波羅奢羅說：

「存在事物的本質屬性是觀察的對象，無法預知它們；創造以及數百種屬性都屬於梵天，作為其本質不可分割的一部分，正如熱—聖賢之首阿 ! 那是火所固有的。那麼，請聽聽神靈Nārāyāna如何以世界偉大之父梵天(Brahmā) 的身份創造了一切存在的事物。

Brahmā is said to be born: a familiar phrase, to signify his manifestation; and, as the peculiar measure of his presence, a hundred of his years is said to constitute his life: that period is also called Param, and the half of it, Parārddham. I have already declared to you, oh sinless Brahman, that Time is a form of Viṣṇu: hear now how it is applied to measure the duration of Brahmā, and of all other sentient beings, as well as of those which are unconscious, as the mountains, oceans, and the like.

「據說梵天誕生了：這是一個熟悉的短語，表示他的顯現；而且，作為他存在的特殊衡量標準，據說他的一百歲構成了他的一生：這段時期也稱為Param，其中一半稱為Parārddham。我已經向你說過，噢，無罪的婆羅門，時間是毘濕奴的一種形式：現在聽聽如何用它來衡量梵天和所有其他有情眾生，以及那些無意識的眾生的持續時間，如山脈、海洋等。

Oh best of sages, fifteen twinklings of the eye make a Kāṣṭhā; thirty Kāṣṭhās, one Kalā; and thirty Kalās, one Muhūrtta. Thirty Muhūrttas constitute a day and night of mortals: thirty such days make a month, divided into two half-months: six months form an Ayana (the period of the sun's progress north or south of the ecliptic): and two Ayanas compose a year. The southern Ayana is a night, and the northern a day of the gods. Twelve thousand divine years, each composed of (three hundred and sixty) such days, constitute the period of the four Yugas, or ages. They are thus distributed: the Krita age has four thousand divine years; the Tretā three thousand; the Dvāpara two thousand; and the Kali age one thousand: so those acquainted with antiquity have declared. The period that precedes a Yuga is called a Sandhyā, and it is of as many hundred years as there are thousands in the Yuga: and the period that follows a Yuga, termed the Sandhyānsa, is of similar duration. The interval between the Sandhyā and the Sandhyānsa is the Yuga, denominated Krita, Tretā, &c. The Krita, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali, constitute a great age, or aggregate of four ages: a thousand such aggregates are a day of Brahmā, and fourteen Menus reign within that term. Hear the division of time which they measure.

噢，最偉大的聖人，十五個眨眼就形成了一個 Kāṣṭha(1.6秒)；三十Kāṣṭha就是一個Kalā；三十Kalā，就是一個一Muhūrtta。三十個Muhūrttas 構成凡人的一天和一夜：三十個這樣的日子構成一個月，分為兩個半月：六個月構成Ayana（太陽在黃道以北或以南運行的周期） ：兩個Ayana(音：愛亞娜)構成一年。南部的愛亞娜是夜晚，北部的則是眾神的白天。一萬二千年神年，每一年由三百六十個這樣的日子組成，構成了四個時代的時期。它們是這樣分佈的：Krita時代有四千年神年；Tretā三千；Dvāpara 兩千；Kali時代是一千(年)：熟悉古代的人都這樣宣稱。Yuga之前的時期稱為Sandhyā，它的長度與Yuga的數千年一樣多：而Yuga之後的時期稱為Sandhyānsa，其持續時間相似。Sandhyā 和 Sandhyānsa 之間的間隔是 Yuga，命名為 Krita、Tretā 等。克利塔（Krita）、特雷塔（Tretā）、杜瓦帕拉（Dvāpara）和卡利（Kali）構成了一個偉大的時代，或四個時代的聚合：一千個這樣的聚合是梵天的一天，十四個Menus支配這個時代。聽聽他們測量的時間劃分。

Seven Ṛṣis, certain (secondary) divinities, Indra, Manu, and the kings his sons, are created and perish at one period; and the interval, called a Manvantara, is equal to seventy-one times the number of years contained in the four Yugas, with some additional years: this is the duration of the Manu, the (attendant) divinities, and the rest, which is equal to 852.000 divine years, or to 306.720.000 years of mortals, independent of the additional period. Fourteen times this period constitutes a Brāhma day, that is, a day of Brahmā; the term (Brāhma) being the derivative form. At the end of this day a dissolution of the universe occurs, when all the three worlds, earth, and the regions of space, are consumed with fire. The dwellers of Maharloka (the region inhabited by the saints who survive the world), distressed by the heat, repair then to Janaloka (the region of holy men after their decease). When the-three worlds are but one mighty ocean, Brahmā, who is one with Nārāyaṇa, satiate with the demolition of the universe, sleeps upon his serpent-bed—contemplated, the lotus born, by the ascetic inhabitants of the Janaloka—for a night of equal duration with his day; at the close of which he creates anew. Of such days and nights is a year of Brahmā composed; and a hundred such years constitute his whole life[7]. One Parārddha[8], or half his existence, has expired, terminating with the Mahā Kalpa[9] called Pādma. The Kalpa (or day of Brahmā) termed Vārāha is the first of the second period of Brahmā's existence.

七個 Ṛṣis(聖人)，某些（次要）神祇，因陀羅（Indra）、馬努（Manu）和他的兒子國王，在一個時期被創造和滅亡；這個間隔，稱為Manvantara，等於四個年代所函蓋的年數的七十一倍，再加上一些額外的年數：這是Manu、從屬神靈和其餘諸神的持續時間，即等於 852,000 神年，或 306,720,000 太陽年，與附加期限無關。這段時期十四次構成梵天，即梵天的一天；這個期間Brahma是衍生形式。在這一天結束時，宇宙發生了崩解，所有三個世界、地球和太空區域都被火吞噬了。Maharloka（倖存於世的聖人居住的地區）的居民因炎熱而苦惱，然後前往Janaloka（聖人死後的地區）。當三個世界只是一片浩瀚的海洋時，與Nārāyaṇa合一的Brahmā，滿足於宇宙的毀滅，就睡在他的蛇床上——思惟，蓮花生長—由Janaloka的苦行居民所生－度過一段美好的時光。黑夜與白晝一樣長；在其結束時他重新創造。這樣的日夜就組成了梵天之年；這樣的一百年就構成了他的一生。一個Parārddha，或說他的一半存在，已經終止，以稱為Pādma的Mahā Kalpa結束。劫（或梵天的日子）被稱為婆羅訶（Vārāha），是梵天存在的第二個時期的第一個時期。」