Text 46] Bhagavatam is the Answer 605

Purusa as Karanodakagayi Visnu with all the potencies of mahat-tattva and
the sixteen principles of creative matter and instruments. The creative
instruments are eleven, and the ingredients are five, and all of them are
products of mahat or materialistic ego, and these creations by the Lord in
His feature of KaranodakagayiVisnu are called mahakalpa. Creation of
Brahma and dispersion of the material ingredients are called vikalpa, and
creation by Brahma in each day of his life is called kalpa. Therefore each
day of Brahma is called a kalpa, and there are thirty kalpas in terms of
Brahma’s days, which is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita as follows:

sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduh
ratrim yuga-sahasrantam te *horatravido janah (Bg. 8.17)

In the upper planetary system the duration of one complete day and night
is equal to one complete year of this earth. This is accepted even by the
modern scientist and testified by the astronauts. Similarly, in the region of
still higher planetary systems, the duration of day and night is still greater
than in the heavenly planets. The four yugas are calculated in terms of the
heavenly calendars and accordingly are twelve thousand years in terms of
the heavenly planets. This is called divya-yuga, and one thousand divya-
yugas make one day of Brahma. Creation during the day of Brahma is
called kalpa, and creation of Brahma is called vikalpa, and when vikalpas
are made possible by the breathing of Maha-Visnu they are called maha-
kalpa. There are regular and systematic cycles of these mahakalpas,
vikalpas and kalpas, and in answer to Maharaja Pariksit’s question about
them, Sukadeva Gosvami answered in the Prabhasa-khanda of the Skanda
Purana, and they are as follows:

prathamah svetakalpas tu dvitiyo nilalohitah
vamadevas trtiyas tu tato gathantaroparah
rauravah pajicamah proktah sasthah prana iti smrtah
saptamo ’tha brhatkalpah kandarpo ’stamah ucyate
savyotha navamah prokta isano dasamah smrtah
dhyana ekadasah proktas tatha sarasvato ‘parah
trayodasa udanas tu garudo ’tha caturdasah
kaurmah paiicadaso jiieyah paurnamasi prajapateh
sodaso ndarasimhas tu samadhis tu tato ‘parah
agneyo visnujah saurah somakalpas tato ’parah
dvavimso bhavanah proktah supuman iti caparah
vaikunthas carcisas tadvat vallikalpas tato’parah
