1"Bhikkhus, there are these four incalculable divisions of an eon. [n.838] Cattāri kappassa asaṅkheyyānī. Despite the word "incalculable" (Ce and Ee asaṅkheyya; Be asaṅkhyeyya), the length of this period is finite. For similes illustrating the length of an eon—said to be too difficult to express in numbers—see SN 15:5 –6, II 181–82. And for the number of eons that have "elapsed and gone by," see SN 15:7 –8, II 182–84. What four?

(1) "The time during which an eon dissolves, which cannot easily be calculated as ‘so many years’ or ‘so many hundreds of years’ or ‘so many thousands of years’ or ‘so many hundreds of thousands of years.’ [n.839] Mp explains that there are three ways the dissolution of an eon takes place: by water, fire, and wind. When the eon is destroyed by fire, it is consumed up to the devas of streaming radiance. When it is destroyed by water, it is dissolved up to the devas of refulgent glory. When it is destroyed by wind, it disintegrates up to the devas of great fruit.

2(2) "The time during which an eon remains in a state of dissolution, which cannot easily be calculated as ‘so many years’ or ‘so many hundreds of years’ or ‘so many thousands of years’ or ‘so many hundreds of thousands of years.’

3(3) "The time during which an eon evolves, which cannot easily be calculated as ‘so many years’ or ‘so many hundreds of years’ or ‘so many thousands of years’ or ‘so many hundreds of thousands of years.’

4(4) "The time during which an eon remains in a state of evolution, which cannot easily be calculated as ‘so many years’ or ‘so many hundreds of years’ or ‘so many thousands of years’ or ‘so many hundreds of thousands of years.’

"These, bhikkhus, are the four incalculable divisions of an eon."

1"Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, kappassa asaṅkhyeyyāni. Katamāni cattāri?

Yadā, bhikkhave, kappo saṁvaṭṭati, taṁ na sukaraṁ saṅkhātuṁ – ettakāni vassānīti vā, ettakāni vassasatānīti vā, ettakāni vassasahassānīti vā, ettakāni vassasatasahassānīti vā.

2Yadā, bhikkhave, kappo saṁvaṭṭo tiṭṭhati, taṁ na sukaraṁ saṅkhātuṁ – ettakāni vassānīti vā, ettakāni vassasatānīti vā, ettakāni vassasahassānīti vā, ettakāni vassasatasahassānīti vā.

3Yadā, bhikkhave, kappo vivaṭṭati, taṁ na sukaraṁ saṅkhātuṁ – ettakāni vassānīti vā, ettakāni vassasatānīti vā, ettakāni vassasahassānīti vā, ettakāni vassasatasahassānīti vā.

4Yadā, bhikkhave, kappo vivaṭṭo tiṭṭhati, taṁ na sukaraṁ saṅkhātuṁ – ettakāni vassānīti vā, ettakāni vassasatānīti vā, ettakāni vassasahassānīti vā, ettakāni vassasatasahassānīti vā.

Imāni kho, bhikkhave, cattāri kappassa asaṅkhyeyyānī"ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.