Shloka 15

देवकी-विवाहः, आकाशवाणी, भूरभारावतरण-याचना, क्षीराब्धि-स्तुति, केशावतार-नियोजनम्

Devanagari script

प्रजापतिपतिर् ब्रह्मा पूर्वेषाम् अपि पूर्वजः कलाकाष्ठानिमेषात्मा कालश् चाव्यक्तमूर्तिमान्

Transliteration

prajāpatipatir brahmā pūrveṣām api pūrvajaḥ kalākāṣṭhānimeṣātmā kālaś cāvyaktamūrtimān

Translation

برهما، سيّدُ البراجاپتِيّات، وسَلَفُ الأسلافِ الأوّلين، هو الزمانُ نفسُه: جوهرُ الكَلا والكاشْثا والنِّمِيش؛ زمانٌ ذو صورةٍ غيرِ متجلّية.

Word by Word

प्रजापति-पतिःlord of the Prajāpatis

ब्रह्माBrahmā

पूर्वेषाम्of the former/earlier ones

अपिalso/even

पूर्वजःthe ancestor/one born before

कला-काष्ठा-निमेष-आत्माwhose essence is (time-units) kalā, kāṣṭhā, and nimeṣa

कालःTime

चand

अव्यक्त-मूर्तिमान्having an unmanifest form

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Brahmā

Kāla (Time)

Avyakta (the Unmanifest)

FAQs

What is the significance of Kāla (Time) being described as unmanifest in the Vishnu Purana?

It presents Time as a subtle, unseen regulator—beyond sensory form—yet the power by which all change, measurement, and cosmic order proceed.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the structure of time in this context?

He links Time to concrete units like nimeṣa, kāṣṭhā, and kalā, showing that cosmic processes are governed through precise gradations of temporality.

What is the theological importance of this verse for Vaishnava cosmology?

By portraying sovereignty through Kāla, the text supports the idea that the universe is ordered by a supreme principle—ultimately grounded in the Vishnu-centric vision of cosmic governance.