The Laws of Manu — SBE Vol. 25 (trans. Georg Bühler, 1886)

And the doctrines of the Veda decrease, as we with their twilights preceding and following, the thousands and hundreds are diminished by one (in each).

81. In the Krita age Dharma is four-footed and entire, and (so is) Truth ; nor does any gain accrue to men by unrighteousness.

82. In the other (three ages), by reason of (unjust) gains, Dharma is deprived successively of one foot, and through (the prevalence of) theft, falsehood, and fraud the merit (gained by men) is diminished by one-fourth (in each).

83. (Men are) free from disease, accomplish all their aims, and live four hundred years in the Krita (age), but in the Tret4 and (in each of) the succeeding (ages) their life is lessened by one quarter.

84. The life of mortals, mentioned in the Veda, the de-

' The reading of Manu, sasamdhyAamseshu £a for samdhamseshu tata/, seems preferable, but his ekapayena is inferior to the ekapAdena of the Mahabharata.

7 Nilakan‘ha explains Agama in this verse and the next by ‘doctrine.’ I translate it by ‘gain,’ in accordance with the rendering adopted for Manu, but willingly acknowledge that the other rendering is possible in both works, and that the meaning may be ‘nor does any unrighteous doctrine, opposed to that (Dharma), prevail’ (Mah.), ‘nor is any unrighteous doctrine spread among men’ (Manu),

3 The reading krite tretfyuge tveshâm instead of Manu’s krite tretidishu hyesham is more archaic.

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hear, in each successiveage, as well as the lives (of men), their blessings (Asishaz), and the rewards which the Veda yields’.

27. One set of duties (is prescribed) for men in the Krita age, different ones in the Treta and in the Dvapara, and (again) another (set) in the Kali age, in proportion as (those) ages decrease in length. .

28. In the Krita age the chief (virtue is the performance of) austerities, in the Treta (divine) knowledge is most excellent, in the Dvapara they declare sacrifices (to be best), in the Kali liberality alone.

29. The wise know such (a period of) twelve thousand (divine) years (to be understood by) the term an age (of the gods); that (period) being multiplied by one thousand is called a day of Brahman.

30. (Know his) night to be as long?. At the beginning of that (day) the lord who is the Universe finally awakes, after having entered deep meditation sired results (Asishah) of sacrificial rites, and the (supernatural) power of embodied (spirits) are fruits proportioned among men according to (the character of) the age’.

85. One set of duties (is prescribed) for men in the Krita age, different ones in the Treta and in the Dvadpara, and again another (set) in the Kali age, in proportion as (those) ages decrease in length.

86. In the Krita age the chief (virtue) is declared to be (the performance of) austerities, in the Treta (divine) knowledge, in the Dvdpara (the performance of) sacrifices, in the Kali liberality alone.

86. In the Krita age the chief (virtue) is declared to be (the performance of) austerities, in the Treta (divine) knowledge, in the Dvdpara (the performance of) sacrifices, in the Kali liberality alone.

41-72. These twelve thousand (years), which thus have been mentioned above as the total of four (human) ages, are called one age of the gods. But know that the sum of one thousand ages of the gods (makes) one day of Brahman, and that his night has the same length’.

1 The Sanskrit text of the two Slokas agrees somewhat better than the translation. It looks as if neither of them was the original version, which probably declared that the age of men, their blessings, and the rewards of deeds, such as they are promised in the Veda, diminish in each successive age. Another version, which almost exactly agrees with Manu’s, occurs Mah. III, 200, 115.

2 Both the Mah. and Manu have the accusative case ratrim, which does not agree with the preceding verb gneyam (Manu) uéyate (Mah.) It would seem that both give adaptations of an older verse, where a word like ahus, which governed the accusative, occurred. Though the verb was changed, the further alteration of the case was forgotten.

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and having slept during the period of. destruction.

31. Those (only) who know that Brahman’s day ends after (the completion of) one thousand ages (of the gods) and that his night lasts a thousand ages, are (really) men acquainted with (the length of) days and nights.

32. When imperishable Brahman awakes at the end of his night, he modifies himself and creates the element (called) the Great One (and) from that mind which is discrete.

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1. Luminous Brahman is the seed from which single element this whole twofold creation, the immovable and the movable, has been produced.

2. Awaking at the beginning of his day, he creates the world by means of Ignorance—even first the element, (called) the Great One, (next) speedily mind which is discrete ;

3. And conquering here resplendent (mind) which goes far, enters many paths, and has the nature of desire and doubt, creates the seven mind-born ones.

4. Mind, impelled by the desire to create, performs the work of creation by modifying itself ; thence ether is produced; they declare that sound is the quality of the latter.

73. Those (only) who know that the holy day of Brahman, indeed, ends after (the completion of) one thousand ages (of the gods), and that his night lasts as long, are (really) men acquainted with (the length of) days and nights.

75. Mind, impelled by the desire to create, performs the work of creation by modifying itself; thence ether is produced; they declare that sound is the quality of the latter,

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5. But from ether, modifying itself, springs the pure, powerful wind, the vehicle of all perfumes ; touch is considered to be its quality,

5. But from ether, modifying itself, springs the pure, powerful wind, the vehicle of all perfumes ; touch is considered to be its quality,

6. Next from wind, modifying itself, proceeds the brilliant light which illuminates and is white; that is declared to possess the quality of colour ;

4. And from light, modifying itself, (comes) water which possesses taste; from water smell and earth; (such) is declared (to be)the creation of (them) all.

8. The qualities of each earlier-named (element) enter each of the later-named ones, and whatever place (in the sequence) each of them occupies, even so many qualities it is declared to possess‘.

g. If some, perceiving a smell in water through a want of care, attribute (that quality to water), one must know that it belongs to earth alone, (and that it is) adventitious in water and wind.

10, Those ‘Atmans of seven kinds’, which possess various powers, were severally unable to create beings without fully uniting themselves.

11. These great Atmans, uniting and mutually combining

76. But from ether, modifying itself, springs the pure, powerful wind, the vehicle of all perfumes ; that is held to possess the quality of touch.

47. Next from wind, modifying itself, proceeds the brilliant light which illuminates and dispels darkness; that is declared to possess the quality of colour.

78. And from light, modifying itself, (is produced) water, declared to possess the quality of taste; from water earth, which has the quality of smell; such is the creation in the beginning.

zo. Among them each succeeding (element) acquires the quality of the preceding one, and whatever place (in the sequence) each of them occupies, even so many qualities it is declared to possess.

1 The position of this verse in the Mahabharata makes the conjecture, put forward in the note to the translation, that the correct position of Manu I, 20 is after verse 78, exceedingly probable.

2 According to Nflakav://a, the seven Atmans, called above, ver. 3, the seven mind-born ones, are Mahat, Ahamkéra, and the five subtile elements.

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with each other, entered the body; hence one speaks of Purusha [i.e. him who resides (usha) ina fortress (pur)].

12. In consequence of that entering (srayana), the body (sartra) becomes endowed with a (perceptible) form, and consists of sixteen’ (constituent parts).

That the great elements? enter together with the karman (merit and demerit).

13. Taking with him all the elements, that first creator of created beings (enters it) in order to perform austerities; him they call the lord of created beings.

14. He, indeed, creates the creatures, both the immovable and the movable; then that Brahma creates gods, sages, manes, and men,

15. The worlds, rivers, oceans, the quarters of the compass, mountains, trees, men, Kinnaras, Rakshas, birds, tame and wild beasts, and snakes, the imperishable and the perishable, both the immovable and the movable.