Shloka 37
Kāla-vibhāga: The Divisions of Time from Atom to Brahmā, and the Lord Beyond Time
अयं तु कथित: कल्पो द्वितीयस्यापि भारत । वाराह इति विख्यातो यत्रासीच्छूकरो हरि: ॥ ३७ ॥
ayaṁ tu kathitaḥ kalpo dvitīyasyāpi bhārata vārāha iti vikhyāto yatrāsīc chūkaro hariḥ
হে ভারতবংশীয়! এই কল্পটি ব্রহ্মার জীবনের দ্বিতীয় পরার্ধেরও বলা হয়; এটি ‘বারাহ-কল্প’ নামে প্রসিদ্ধ, কারণ তাতেই হরি শূকর-অবতার ধারণ করেছিলেন।
The different millenniums known as the Brāhma, Pādma and Vārāha kalpas appear a little puzzling for the layman. There are some scholars who think these kalpas to be one and the same. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, the Brāhma-kalpa in the beginning of the first half appears to be the Pādma-kalpa. We can, however, simply abide by the text and understand that the present millennium is in the second half of the duration of the life of Brahmā.
FAQs
This verse states that the (second) kalpa being discussed is famously called the Vārāha-kalpa because Lord Hari manifested in it as the boar incarnation, Vārāha.
Śukadeva is speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, a descendant of the Bharata dynasty, and uses ‘Bhārata’ as an honorable form of address while explaining cosmic time and kalpas.
Recalling that Hari protects the world in many forms strengthens faith and steadiness during uncertainty, encouraging devotees to see divine protection behind life’s upheavals.