Shloka 18
ध्रुवस्य तपः — देवमायाविघ्नाः, विष्णोर्दर्शनम्, स्तुतिः, ध्रुवस्थानप्रदानम्
कालः क्रीडनकानां ते तदन्ते ऽध्ययनस्य च ततः समस्तभोगानां तदन्ते चेष्यते तपः
kālaḥ krīḍanakānāṃ te tadante 'dhyayanasya ca tataḥ samastabhogānāṃ tadante ceṣyate tapaḥ
For people, time itself becomes a toy: first it is spent in play, then in study; thereafter in tasting worldly enjoyments—and when even that is exhausted, at last they turn toward austerity.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Why Prahlāda embraced devotion despite worldly and paternal pressure
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: The verse outlines a conventional human progression—play, study, enjoyment, and only then austerity—used to dissuade premature renunciation.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Balance responsibilities with spiritual practice, while examining whether ‘later’ is an excuse for postponing inner transformation.
Vishishtadvaita: By implication, devotion to Viṣṇu need not wait upon age; bhakti can sanctify all āśramas when directed to the Supreme Person.
Phase: Teaching
Bhakti Quality: Early, innate devotion that transcends conventional life-stage sequencing
FAQs
This verse presents time as the governing power that moves beings through successive phases—play, learning, enjoyment, and finally austerity—showing how worldly life is organized and matured under a higher order.
He frames it as a natural sequence: once play, education, and enjoyment have run their course, a person is impelled to seek discipline and spiritual effort, indicating ripening rather than sudden rejection of life.
Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purana’s worldview treats kāla and dharma as operating under the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—who sustains cosmic order and guides beings toward ultimate spiritual fulfillment.