Shloka 31
Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies
ततः ससाध्वसो विप्रस् तां पप्रच्छायतेक्षणाम् कथ्यतां भीरु कः कालस् त्वया मे रमतः सह
tataḥ sasādhvaso vipras tāṃ papracchāyatekṣaṇām kathyatāṃ bhīru kaḥ kālas tvayā me ramataḥ saha
Then the brāhmaṇa, seized by anxiety, questioned her, the long‑eyed lady: “Tell me, timid one—what span of time has passed while I have been delighting with you?”
Narrator (Sage Parāśara) describing the brāhmaṇa’s words within the story, addressed to Maitreya
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The bewildering passage of time experienced during dalliance with a divine/extraordinary woman
Teaching: Historical
Quality: revealing
Concept: Pleasure can veil awareness, and time may be experienced as radically distorted under delusion.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Cultivate mindfulness and periodic self-audit so enjoyment does not eclipse duty and discernment.
Vishishtadvaita: The episode presupposes a real, ordered world governed by the Lord’s niyati (cosmic order) even when the jiva’s cognition is clouded.
FAQs
This verse highlights how time can pass imperceptibly amid enjoyment, underscoring Kāla as a governing force that shapes human fate and the unfolding of worldly events.
By narrating the brāhmaṇa’s sudden anxiety and his question about elapsed time, the dialogue frames pleasure as transient and points to the larger Purāṇic lesson: Kāla moves independently of personal experience.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the line, the Purāṇic worldview implies that Kāla and cosmic order ultimately rest within the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—who upholds and regulates the universe’s unfolding.