yad ardham āyuṣas tasya
yad ardham āyuṣas tasya
parārdham abhidhīyate
pūrvaḥ parārdho ’pakrānto
hy aparo ’dya pravartate
A half of Brahmā’s life is called a parardha. The first parardha has passed and the second parardha has begun at present.
This verse describes how Brahmā’s life is divided into two parts.
|| 3.11.35 ||
pūrvasyādau parārdhasya
brāhmo nāma mahān abhūt
kalpo yatrābhavad brahmā
śabda-brahmeti yaṁ viduḥ
The first day in the first half of Brahmā’s life is called Brāhma-kalpa, which is known as Brāhma-kalpa because Brahmā was born on that day.
As described in the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa, there are thirty days starting with the waxing pratipat-tithi and ending with the dark moon tithi, with names starting with Śveta-varāha-kalpa and ending with Pitṛ-kalpa. This makes one month of Brahmā. These months are repeated twelve times to make one year. Fifty of those years is called a parardha. The first day in the first parardha is called Brahma-kalpa or Śveta-vārāha-kalpa. It is called Brāhma-kalpa because it is Brahmā’s birth tithi. It is described in the astronomical scriptures as occurring on the śukla-pratipat of Caitra month.
|| 3.11.36 ||
tasyaiva cānte kalpo ’bhūd
yaṁ pādmam abhicakṣate
yad dharer nābhi-sarasa
āsīl loka-saroruham
The kalpa at the end of the first half of Brahmā’s life is called the Pādma-kalpa because the planets took the form of a lotus in the navel lake of the Lord.
The Pitr-kalpa (kalpaḥ) which occurs at the every end of the first half of Brahmā’s life is also called the Pādma-kalpa. The reason why it is called Pādmakalpa is given. It is understood from this that in every kalpa a lotus which forms all the planets does not appear. It appears only sometimes.
|| 3.11.37 ||
ayaṁ tu kathitaḥ kalpo
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