Shloka 11
Śuka’s Manifestation from the Araṇi (Āraṇeya-janma) — शुकजन्म (आरणेय-सम्भव)
एतस्यापि निशामाहुस्तृतीयमिह कुर्वतः । पञठ्चकल्पसहस््राणि तावदेवाहरुच्यते,इस तृतीय भौतिक सर्गकी सृष्टि करनेवाले अहंकारकी रात्रि पाँच हजार कल्पोंकी होती है। उसका दिन भी उतना ही बड़ा बताया जाता है
etasyāpi niśām āhus tṛtīyam iha kurvataḥ | pañca-kalpa-sahasrāṇi tāvad evāhur ucyate ||
Yājñavalkya said: “Of this (cosmic principle) too, they speak of a ‘night’—belonging to the third stage here, as it carries on its work. That night is said to last five thousand kalpas, and its day is declared to be of the same measure.”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Cosmic processes operate in immense, balanced cycles of ‘day’ and ‘night’ (activity and quiescence). Recognizing this scale supports dharmic steadiness, humility, and detachment from transient gains and losses.
In the Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Yājñavalkya explains measures of cosmic time, stating that the ‘night’ associated with a third stage of creation lasts five thousand kalpas, and its ‘day’ is of equal duration.