Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 43
Daśa-lakṣaṇam: The Ten Topics, Virāṭ-Puruṣa Sense-Manifestation, and the Supreme Shelter (Āśraya)
तत: कालाग्निरुद्रात्मा यत्सृष्टमिदमात्मन: । संनियच्छति तत् काले घनानीकमिवानिल: ॥ ४३ ॥
tataḥ kālāgni-rudrātmā yat sṛṣṭam idam ātmanaḥ sanniyacchati tat kāle ghanānīkam ivānilaḥ
তাৰ পাছত কল্পান্তে ভগৱান কালাগ্নি-ৰুদ্ৰ-স্বৰূপে নিজৰেই সৃষ্ট জগতখন সময় আহিলে সংহাৰ কৰে, যেন বায়ুৱে মেঘপুঞ্জ আঁতৰাই দিয়ে।
This creation is very appropriately compared to clouds. Clouds are created or situated in the sky, and when they are displaced they remain in the same sky without manifestation. Similarly, the whole creation is made by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His form of Brahmā, it is maintained by Him in the form of Viṣṇu, and it is destroyed by Him in the form of Rudra, or Śiva, all in due course. This creation, maintenance and destruction are nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.19-20) as follows:
FAQs
This verse explains that at the destined time, Time (Kāla), manifest as Rudra-like consuming fire, withdraws the created universe back into itself—creation is not permanent but cyclic and governed by the Supreme’s time-factor.
Śukadeva emphasizes that dissolution happens through the irresistible force of Time, which functions like Rudra’s destructive power—burning up and reabsorbing the manifested cosmos when its term is complete.
Remembering that everything material is temporary helps reduce attachment and anxiety, encouraging one to invest in bhakti and lasting spiritual progress rather than relying on unstable worldly arrangements.