Shloka 16
Īśvara-gītā: Brahman as All-Pervading—Kāla, Prakṛti–Puruṣa, Tattva-Evolution, and Mokṣa
कालः सृजति भूतानि कालः संहरति प्रजाः / सर्वे कालस्य वशगा न कालः कस्यचिद् वशे
kālaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni kālaḥ saṃharati prajāḥ / sarve kālasya vaśagā na kālaḥ kasyacid vaśe
Die Zeit (Kāla) erschafft die Wesen, und die Zeit zieht die Geschöpfe wieder ein. Alle stehen unter der Herrschaft der Zeit; doch die Zeit selbst steht unter niemandes Herrschaft.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing sages (Kurma Purana teaching context)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It highlights that all embodied beings are governed by change (kāla), implying the seeker should discern the changeless Self beyond birth and death; Time rules the manifest, while the Self is sought as that which is not overpowered by worldly transformations.
The verse supports vairāgya (dispassion) and steady contemplation: since Time creates and dissolves all conditions, the yogin practices detachment, endurance (titikṣā), and one-pointed meditation on Īśvara/Atman rather than transient states—an orientation consistent with Kurma Purana’s yoga-dharma and later Ishvara-Gita style teachings.
By presenting Kāla as the supreme governing principle within cosmic order, it aligns with the Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the same ultimate Lord—revered as Hari or Hara—presides over creation and dissolution through Time, emphasizing unity of divine sovereignty rather than rivalry.