Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 41

Kāliya-damana: Kṛṣṇa Subdues the Serpent and Purifies the Yamunā

Devanagari script

कालाय कालनाभाय कालावयवसाक्षिणे । विश्वाय तदुपद्रष्ट्रे तत्कर्त्रे विश्वहेतवे ॥ ४१ ॥

Transliteration

kālāya kāla-nābhāya kālāvayava-sākṣiṇe viśvāya tad-upadraṣṭre tat-kartre viśva-hetave

Translation

Obeisances unto You, who are time itself, the shelter of time and the witness of time in all its phases. You are the universe, and also its separate observer. You are its creator, and also the totality of all its causes.

Synonyms

• kālāya: to Time
• kālāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Caturthī (4th), Ekavacana

• kāla-nābhāya: to Him whose center is Time
• kāla-nābhāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + nābhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Caturthī (4th), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: kālasya nābhiḥ (whose navel/center is time; time-centered)

• kālāvayava-sākṣiṇe: to the witness of the divisions of time
• kālāvayava-sākṣiṇe: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + avayava (प्रातिपदिक) + sākṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Caturthī (4th), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: kālasya avayavānām sākṣī (witness of time’s parts/moments)

• viśvāya: to the universe / the all
• viśvāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka used substantively, Caturthī (4th), Ekavacana

• tad-upadraṣṭre: to the overseer of that (universe)
• tad-upadraṣṭre: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + upadraṣṭṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Caturthī (4th), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: tasya upadraṣṭā (the overseer of that [universe])

• tat-kartre: to the creator of that
• tat-kartre: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Caturthī (4th), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: tasya kartā (maker of that)

• viśva-hetave: to the cause of the universe
• viśva-hetave: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + hetu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Caturthī (4th), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: viśvasya hetuḥ

Purport

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, although appearing in different incarnations, can never be limited by time, since He is time itself, the shelter of time, and the witness of time in all its phases.

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• Kāliya

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about Krishna as Time (Kāla)?

This verse praises Kṛṣṇa as Kāla itself—the all-powerful principle that governs change—while also affirming Him as the witness and controller of time’s divisions.

Why did the wives of Kāliya offer these prayers to Krishna?

After Kṛṣṇa subdued Kāliya, the Nāga-patnīs prayed to Him to seek mercy and protection for their husband, glorifying Kṛṣṇa as the supreme Lord who creates, oversees, and causes the universe.

How can the teaching of this shloka be applied in modern life?

By remembering that time is under the Supreme Lord, one can face change, loss, and uncertainty with devotion, humility, and steadiness—seeing life’s events as occurring under divine supervision.