Shloka 24
वासुदेवस्वरूपनिरूपणं—सर्गक्रमश्च
Vāsudeva’s Nature and the Ordered Process of Creation
विष्णोः स्वरूपात् परतो हि ते ऽन्ये रूपे प्रधानं पुरुषश् च विप्र तस्यैव ते ऽन्येन धृते वियुक्ते रूपान्तरं तद् द्विज कालसंज्ञम्
viṣṇoḥ svarūpāt parato hi te 'nye rūpe pradhānaṃ puruṣaś ca vipra tasyaiva te 'nyena dhṛte viyukte rūpāntaraṃ tad dvija kālasaṃjñam
O brāhmaṇa, beyond the essential nature of Viṣṇu two other forms are spoken of: Pradhāna, primordial matter, and Puruṣa, the conscious principle. And there is yet another aspect of that same Reality: when upheld as a distinct, separate mode, O twice-born, that form is known as Time (Kāla).
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How Viṣṇu’s essential nature relates to Pradhāna, Puruṣa, and Kāla (Time) as spoken-of forms
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Creation Stage: Primary
Concept: From Viṣṇu’s own reality are spoken the modes called Pradhāna (matter) and Puruṣa (conscious principle), and when distinguished as a separate operative mode, that same reality is termed Kāla (Time).
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: See time, matter, and embodied consciousness as dependent realities under divine governance; cultivate surrender and ethical urgency without despair.
Vishishtadvaita: Strongly supports Viśiṣṭādvaita: prakṛti (pradhāna), jīva/puruṣa, and kāla are real but derivative modes (prakāras) of the one Viṣṇu, who remains their inner ruler and ultimate cause.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Antaryamin: Yes
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
Time is presented as a distinct mode of the same Supreme Reality, functioning as the sustaining principle that differentiates and sequences cosmic processes.
He identifies them as two “other forms” spoken of in relation to Viṣṇu—Pradhāna as the primordial material principle and Puruṣa as the conscious principle—both ultimately grounded in the Supreme.
Viṣṇu is affirmed as the foundational Supreme Reality, with Pradhāna, Puruṣa, and even Kāla understood as dependent aspects or modes related to His transcendence and governance of the cosmos.