Listen, O Vyāsa, as the measure of time is revealed. In the cycle of ages, the Tretā Yuga spans three thousand years, while the Dvāpara Yuga is said to last two thousand years, with its dawn and twilight each comprising two hundred years. The Kali Yuga, according to the wise, endures for one thousand years. Altogether, the count of the yugas is thus: four thousand years for the Kṛta Yuga, three thousand for Tretā, two thousand four hundred for Dvāpara, and one thousand two hundred for Kali. This totals twelve thousand years for the complete cycle of yugas. Afterward, O dear one, the Creator again brings forth the world in its entirety. Each yuga, multiplied seventy-one times, forms the span of a Manu’s reign, O best of the twice-born. The sun’s course is described in two ways: the southern and the northern paths. With the passing of one Manu, another arises, and the same span of time repeats. At each juncture, the sage who sees the truth declares the course of time. Up to a thousand yugas, the wise speak of this as the night of Brahmā. When a thousand yugas are completed, O best of the twice-born, the seventy ages and their fractions have been recounted to you. Fourteen Manus, enhancers of fame, preside over these cycles. These Manus, O Vyāsa, are celebrated as lords of creatures, their blessedness renowned. Between the reigns of Manus, dissolutions occur, and at the end of each dissolution, new creations arise. Even in hundreds of years, it is impossible to recount all these cycles. The emanation and dissolution of beings, O Bhārata, take place where all the gods dwell together with the seven sages. When the thousand ages are fulfilled, this is called a full kalpa. At the beginning of each kalpa, Brahmā stands at the forefront, accompanied by the hosts of Ādityas, O twice-born. He alone is the creator of all beings, and at the end of each kalpa, he creates anew, again and again. United with the great lords, he alone exists, O Vyāsa. Dissolution does not affect those who reside in the excellent forest of Mahākāla, O Vyāsa. Free from disease and distress, unchanging in every age, here in this delightful forest dwell Brahmā, the grandsire of the worlds, along with Marīci, Kaśyapa, Rudra, Bhṛgu, and others. Thus, O Vyāsa, in the beginning, the kalpa is established in this way. The distinctions of kalpas have been described in the auspicious forest of Mahākāla. Many signs of yoga remain in this sacred forest, O noble one. Again and again, this city will come into being; indeed, it is said to be immovable. On earth, O Vyāsa, it will be renowned as ‘Pratikalpa.’ Recitation of scriptures, offerings into the fire, and ancestral rites performed for forefathers and deities—at the beginning of each cycle, those who arrive and behold the great god Maheshvara are blessed. Men, weary from the dust of worldly involvement, enter the waters of the Shipra for relief. The fruit gained by dwelling in Kashi for a thousand manvantaras is immense. At the end of each cycle and at the end of the kalpa, that auspicious city remains unchanged. Those fortunate souls who feel devotion for this sacred place are especially blessed. Whoever hears this auspicious and meritorious story arising in each cycle is uplifted. As it was born in each age, so have I described it to you, O sinless one. The holy story of the Shipra, pure and destroyer of sin, has been recounted. The beautiful pond has been described, as well as the place that frees from ghosts.