Verse 22 [Nine Māṇas (measure of Time)]

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English commentary of verse 22:

पूर्णताकृशतयोर्यदन्तरं तत्र कालि विजहत्क्रमे स्थिता ।
दर्शितक्रमविभागसंभ्रमं कालमद्यतनमत्तुमीहसे ॥ २२ ॥

pūrṇatākṛśatayoryadantaraṃ tatra kāli vijahatkrame sthitā |
darśitakramavibhāgasaṃbhramaṃ kālamadyatanamattumīhase || 22 ||

Comparative analysis of commentaries and excerpts in English:

[Nine Māṇas (measure of Time)]

The Siddhā now addresses Śakti as kāli suitably. She shines as time, (as the eighth day of the dark or bright fortnight (kṛṣṇa and śukla aṣṭamis) in the pitṛmāṇa, (i.e between pūrṇimā and amāvāsyā.) Though she shines as such time without distinction apparently creates a gradual distinction in time as night and day, months, seasons, years etc., and removes the same and exists as the eternal Time (kāli); In other words,she neither creates nor destroys time. She is the unbroken and the endless flow of time (kāla cakra), apparently day killing night and night devouring the day. They are the opening and closing of her eyes.^[1] Here the suggestion is that the full moon as knowledge dispelling non-knowledge i.e new moon and in turn new moon shading or swallowing knowledge i.e full moon.

(Thus ends the First Vimarśa)

Non-existence of Time (Kāla) aspect

[Non-existence of Time (Kāla) aspect in the junction of creation and destruction is the display of Kālī’s power (time eternal)]

Measures of time are nine and here pitṛmāṇa (dark fortnight) is reckoned. Kālī in the form of pitṛmāṇa, shines, at the junctures of Pūrṇimā and Amāvāsya, and as the midpoint, the eighth day of waxing and waning moon. She is then unattached and unpolluted by Time. But she creates an apparent progressive distinction in time as day and night, months, seasons, years etc., and she becomes the consumer of the same time when she indulges in the destructive process, thus she exists as the Eternal Kālī (time eternal). In other sense she neither creates nor destroys at that point. She is the continuous, endless flow of time^[2] (Kālacakra), apparently the day consuming night and night consuming the day. This phenomenon is referred to as the opening and closing of Kālī’s eyes.

Notes and Sanskrit references:

[1] Cf. [Divyacakorikā] p 48-[Cidgaganacandrikā] 22—end of I Vimarśa.—

navavidhakālamānātmakakālapuruṣamahāmānaśrīcekrapi pūrvaślokasūcita pitṛmānaprabhṛti divyaprājāpatyabrāhmanāmakaśaivacatuṣkoṇātmanā caturvidha pāramārthika kālamāna gaṇitasāmarasyenāpi karmopāsanopayogi tayā vidhā'vidhākramākramātmakaṃ “sargasaṃhṛtiśarīrayordvayoḥ” ityadinā vakṣyamāṇa sṛṣṭisaṃhārādyarthakramabheda mupadarśayan sūtraprāyamādimaṃ vimarśārthamupasaṃharati.

[2] Cf. [Kramaprakāśikā] p 14-[Cidgaganacandrikā]-22.—

pralayasargayoryadantaraṃ sandhikālastatra vastūnāṃ
srakṣyamāṇānāṃ praleṣyamāṇānāṃ vā kālakramo nāsti |
tatra tādṛśeṣu vastuṣu kramavibhāgaṃ didarśayiṣantaṃ
brahmaṇo divasasyādyatanaṃ kālaṃ kālī śaktirūpā'ttuṃ prayatate |