Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 36
Brahmā’s Day, the Four Pralayas, and the Supreme Shelter Beyond Cause–Effect
कालस्रोतोजवेनाशु ह्रियमाणस्य नित्यदा । परिणामिनामवस्थास्ता जन्मप्रलयहेतव: ॥ ३६ ॥
kāla-sroto-javenāśu hriyamāṇasya nityadā pariṇāminām avasthās tā janma-pralaya-hetavaḥ
All material entities undergo transformation and are constantly and swiftly eroded by the mighty currents of time. The various stages of existence that material things exhibit are the perpetual causes of their generation and annihilation.
FAQs
This verse says Time moves like a swift current that constantly carries all changing things forward, and the successive states produced by transformation become the causes of both their manifestation (birth) and dissolution (pralaya).
In Canto 12, Śukadeva explains cosmic dissolution and impermanence to detach Parīkṣit Mahārāja from temporary identifications and fix his attention on the eternal Supreme Lord.
Remembering that everything is carried forward by time helps reduce attachment and procrastination, encouraging steady bhakti—hearing, chanting, and serving—before opportunities and circumstances change.