Srimad Bhagavatam Third Canto, Chapter Eleven ( by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)
TEXT 9
dvadasardha-palonmanam
caturbhis catur-angulaih
svarna-masaih krta-cchidram
yavat prastha jala-plutam
dvadasa-ardha--six; pala--of the scale of weight; unmanam--measuring pot; caturbhih--by weight of four; catuh-angulaih--four fingers by measure; svarna--of gold; masaih--of the weight; krta-chidram--making a hole; yavat--as long as; prastha--measuring one prastha; jala-plutam--filled by water.
TRANSLATION
The measuring pot for one nadika, or danda, can be prepared with a six-pala-weight [fourteen ounce] pot of copper, in which a hole is bored with a gold probe weighing four masa and measuring four fingers long. When the pot is placed on water, the time before the water overflows in the pot is called one danda.
PURPORT
It is advised herein that the bore in the copper measuring pot must be made with a probe weighing not more than four masa and measuring not longer than four fingers. This regulates the diameter of the hole. The pot is submerged in water, and the overflooding time is called a danda. This is another way of measuring the duration of a danda, just as time is measured by sand in a glass. It appears that in the days of Vedic civilization there was no dearth of knowledge in physics, chemistry or higher mathematics. Measurements were calculated in different ways, as simply as could be done.
also,
One truti - 8/13,500 second
One vedha - 8/135 second
One lava - 8/45 second
One nimesa - 8/15 second
One ksana - 8/5 second
One kastha - 8 seconds
One laghu - 2 minutes
One danda - 30 minutes
One prahara - 3 hours
One day - 12 hours
One night - 12 hours
One paksa - 15 days
