8) KALPAS

There was a sage named Savarni. He told the wind-gold Vayu, ―We know that the present kalpa is called varaha kalpa. But how long is a kalpa? And what are the various other kalpas? Please tell us the answers to these questions.‖ Vayu said the following. There are 4,320,000,000 years in a kalpa. Each kalpa is only one of Brahma‘s days and one thousand kalpas constitute one year for Brahma. Eight thousand such years constitute Brahma‘s yuga and one thousand of these yugas are called a savana. Two thousand savanas constitute a trivrita and this is the period of time for which Brahma lives. The kalpas since the original creation were as follows.

(1) Bhava.

(2) Bhuva.

(3) Tapah.

(4) Bhava.

(5) Rambha.

(6) Ritu.

(7) Kratu.

(8) Vahni.

(9) Havyavahana.

(10) Savitra.

(11) Bhuvah.

(12) Oushika.

(13) Kushika.

(14) Gandharva.

(15) Rishabha.

(16) Shadaja.

(17) Marjaliya.

(18) Madhyama.

(19) Vairaja. The great Vairaja Manu was born in this kalpa and his son was the great sage Dadhichi.

(20) Nishada. The race of nishadas (hunters) were created during this period.

(21) Panchama.

(22) Meghavahana. The word megha means cloud and vahana means to bear. In this kalpa, Vishnu adopted the form of a cloud and bore Shiva on his back. It is thus that the kalpa received its name.

(23) Chintaka.

(24) Akuti.

(25) Vijnati.

(26) Mana.

(27) Bhava.

(28) Vrihat.

(29) Shvetalohita.

(30) Rakta.

(31) Pitavasa.

(32) Sita.

(33) Krishna

(34) Vishvarupa. The goddess Sarasvati appeared in this kalpa.

In each dvapara yuga, a Vedavyasa is born. The Vayu Purana lists the names of the twenty-eight Vedavyases who have been born so far.

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