Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 16

कालमान-निर्णयः

Determination of the Measures of Time

Devanagari script

चतुर्युगैकसप्तत्या मनोरंतरमुच्यते । कल्पे चतुर्दशैकस्मिन्मनूनां परिवृत्तयः

Transliteration

caturyugaikasaptatyā manoraṃtaramucyate | kalpe caturdaśaikasminmanūnāṃ parivṛttayaḥ

Translation

Soixante et onze cycles des quatre yuga sont appelés un Manvantara. Dans un seul Kalpa, il y a quatorze révolutions successives des Manu.

Word by Word

• catur-yuga-eka-saptatyā: by seventy-one caturyugas
• catur-yuga-eka-saptatyā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + yuga (प्रातिपदिक) + eka (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + saptati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd: तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); compound expressing measure: 'by (a count of) seventy-one caturyugas'

• manu-antaraम्: a manvantara
• manu-antaraम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manu (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd: प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: 'interval of Manu'

• ucyate: is called; is said
• ucyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Passive voice (कर्मणि), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• kalpe: in a kalpa
• kalpe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th: सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• caturdaśa: fourteen
• caturdaśa: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturdaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Numeral adjective (संख्याविशेषण), indeclinable-like in form here; used with eka-asmin

• eka-asmin: in this one (kalpa)
• eka-asmin: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + idam/asau? → asmin (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक: idam)
• Form: Puṃliṅga/Napumsaka, Locative (7th: सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); 'in this one (kalpa)' with numeral qualifier

• manūnām: of the Manus
• manūnām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th: षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• parivṛttayaḥ: revolutions; cycles; successions
• parivṛttayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parivṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st: प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: manvantara structure (71 caturyugas; 14 per kalpa)

Characters & Entities

• Manu
• Brahma

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It frames cosmic time (kāla) as an ordered, repeating rhythm—helping the seeker see worldly events as transient within vast cycles, and turn toward Shiva (Pati) as the timeless reality beyond yugas and kalpas.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

By emphasizing the immensity and recurrence of cosmic ages, the verse implicitly points to the need for a stable refuge: Saguna Shiva worship (including Linga-upasana) anchors the mind in devotion while one lives through changing epochs and conditions.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Contemplation on kāla (time) and impermanence, combined with steady japa of the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” is the practical takeaway—using devotion to transcend fear and attachment to cyclical change.