Matsya Purana — Measures of Time: Caturyuga Computation, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

त्रिंशद्यानि तु वर्षाणि दिव्यो मासस्तु स स्मृतः मानुषाणां शतं यच्च दिव्या मासास्त्रयस्तु वै तथैव सह संख्यातो दिव्य एष विधिः स्मृतः //

Transliteration

triṃśadyāni tu varṣāṇi divyo māsastu sa smṛtaḥ mānuṣāṇāṃ śataṃ yacca divyā māsāstrayastu vai tathaiva saha saṃkhyāto divya eṣa vidhiḥ smṛtaḥ //

Translation

Trente années humaines sont tenues pour un mois divin. De même, cent années humaines équivalent à trois mois divins. Ainsi se transmet traditionnellement cette méthode de calcul du « temps divin ».

Word by Word

• triṃśat: thirty

• yāni: which/so many (as)

• tu: indeed

• varṣāṇi: years

• divyaḥ: divine

• māsaḥ: month

• saḥ: that

• smṛtaḥ: is remembered/considered

• mānuṣāṇām: of humans

• śatam: a hundred

• yat ca: and which

• divyāḥ: divine

• māsāḥ: months

• trayaḥ: three

• vai: indeed

• tathā eva: just so/in the same way

• saha: together/accordingly

• saṃkhyātaḥ: computed/reckoned

• divyaḥ: divine

• eṣaḥ: this

• vidhiḥ: rule/method

• smṛtaḥ: is remembered/traditionally stated

Speaker

• Suta (narrating the Matsya Purana’s teaching on cosmic time; presented as authoritative instruction within the Purana’s chronology section)

Entities Mentioned

• Divine time (divya-kāla)
• Human time (mānuṣa-kāla)

Tags

• CosmicTime
• Manvantara
• PuranicChronology
• DivyaMasa
• KalaGanana

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

It gives the technical framework of cosmic time-reckoning used to state vast cycles (yugas, manvantaras) that culminate in periodic dissolutions (pralayas), though this verse itself is specifically about converting human years into divine months.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

By clarifying long-cycle chronology, it supports Purāṇic ethics that place dharma within time—helping kings and householders understand the scale of ages (yugas) and the urgency of righteous conduct in a limited human lifespan.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple-rule is stated here; its ritual value is indirect—time conversion is foundational for calendrical planning and for understanding Purāṇic durations cited in rites, vows, and cosmological narratives.