Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 16
रुद्र-विष्णोः ऐकत्व-उपदेशः तथा धर्म-आज्ञा
Instruction on Rudra–Viṣṇu Unity and Divine Injunctions
चतुर्युगसहस्राणि ब्रह्मणो दिनमुच्यते । रात्रिश्च तावती तस्य मानमेतत्क्रमेण ह
caturyugasahasrāṇi brahmaṇo dinamucyate | rātriśca tāvatī tasya mānametatkrameṇa ha
Man sagt, tausend Reihen der vier Yugas bildeten den Tag Brahmās; und seine Nacht ist von gleichem Maß. So wird dieses Zeitmaß der Ordnung nach gelehrt.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Purāṇic teaching to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Significance: Cosmic time (kāla) is a binding framework within māyā (pāśa); contemplating Brahmā’s day/night relativizes worldly time and supports vairāgya and devotion to the timeless Pati.
Cosmic Event: Kalpa-scale reckoning: Brahmā’s day (1,000 caturyugas) and equal night; implies periodic pralaya at Brahmā’s nightfall.
FAQs
It frames creation within vast, ordered cycles, encouraging vairāgya (detachment) and humility: even Brahmā’s “day” and “night” are measured and finite, while Śiva as Pati is the transcendent ground beyond cyclic time.
By contrasting immense cosmic durations with the worshipper’s brief life, the text directs the mind toward stable refuge in Saguna Śiva—often approached through the Śiva-liṅga—whose grace leads beyond the rise-and-fall of kalpas.
A practical takeaway is japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with contemplation on impermanence, supported by daily Śiva-liṅga pūjā and, where traditional, Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as aids to steady remembrance.