332                        ALBERUNPS INDIA.

changes of existence and destruction are constantly
going on upon the surface of the earth. During the
other half, i.e. the night, there occurs the opposite of
everything which occurs in the day ; the earth is not
changing, because those things which produce the
changes are resting and all motions are stopped, as
nature rests in the night and in the winter, and con-

Page 169.     centrates itself, preparing for a new existence in the
day and in the summer.

Each day of Brahman is a kalpa, as also each night,
and a kalpa is that space of time which Muslim authors
call the year of the Sindhind.

Day of             Lastly follows the Purushdhordtra, i.e. the nychthe¬

meron of the All-soul, which is also called Mahdkalpct,
i.e. the greatest kalpa. The Hindus only use it for the
purpose of determining duration in general by some¬
thing like a notion of time, but do not specify it as
day and night, I almost feel inclined to think that
the day of this nychthemeron means the duration of
the soul's being connected with the v\r^, whilst the
night means the duration of their being separated from
each other, and of the resting of the souls (from the
fatigue of being mixed up with the vXf), and that that
condition which necessitates the soul's being connected
with the v\r] or its being separated from the v\r\ reaches
its periodical end at the end of this nychthemeron.
The Vishnu-Dharma says: "The life of Brahman is
the day of Purusha, and the night of Purusha has the
same length."

The Hindus agree in assigning to the life of Brahman
a hundred of his years. The number of our years which
corresponds to one of his years betrays itself to be a
multiplication of 360 with the number of our years,
which correspond to one nychthemeron of his. We
have already mentioned (p. 331) the length of the
nychthemeron of Brahman. Now the length of a year
of Brahman  is  3,110,400,000,000  of  our  years (i.e.