Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 34
Kāla-vibhāga: The Divisions of Time from Atom to Brahmā, and the Lord Beyond Time
यदर्धमायुषस्तस्य परार्धमभिधीयते । पूर्व: परार्धोऽपक्रान्तो ह्यपरोऽद्य प्रवर्तते ॥ ३४ ॥
yad ardham āyuṣas tasya parārdham abhidhīyate pūrvaḥ parārdho ’pakrānto hy aparo ’dya pravartate
تنقسم مئة سنة من عمر براهما إلى قسمين: النصف الأول والنصف الثاني (باراردها). لقد انقضى النصف الأول، والنصف الثاني جارٍ الآن.
The duration of one hundred years in the life of Brahmā has already been discussed in many places in this work, and it is described in Bhagavad-gītā (8.17) also. Fifty years of the life of Brahmā are already over, and fifty years are yet to be completed; then, for Brahmā also, death is inevitable.
FAQs
This verse explains that a parārdha is half of Brahmā’s total lifespan, and it states that one half has already elapsed while the second half is currently underway.
In this section of Canto 3, Śukadeva outlines Vedic cosmology—how time governs creation and dissolution—so the listener understands the vast scale of the universe and turns the heart toward the eternal Lord beyond time.
By reflecting that even Brahmā’s immense lifespan is divided and passes, one develops detachment from temporary achievements and prioritizes lasting spiritual practice—bhakti and remembrance of the Supreme.