Shloka 23

Cosmic Appointments, Viṣṇu’s Vibhūtis, Fourfold Operation, and the Symbolism of Ornaments and Weapons

Devanagari script

कालस् तृतीयस् तस्यांशः सर्वभूतानि चापरः इत्थं चतुर्धा संसृष्टौ वर्तते ऽसौ रजोगुणः

Transliteration

kālas tṛtīyas tasyāṃśaḥ sarvabhūtāni cāparaḥ itthaṃ caturdhā saṃsṛṣṭau vartate 'sau rajoguṇaḥ

Translation

Time is His third portion, and another portion is all living beings. Thus, in creation, rajo-guṇa operates in a fourfold way.

Word by Word

• kālaḥ: Time
• kālaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tṛtīyaḥ: third
• tṛtīyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛtīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying kālaḥ)

• tasya: of him/of that
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• aṃśaḥ: portion
• aṃśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• sarvabhūtāni: all beings
• sarvabhūtāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), बहुवचन; समासः कर्मधारय (sarvāṇi bhūtāni)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• aparaḥ: another
• aparaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (implied aṃśaḥ/part)

• ittham: thus
• ittham: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ittham (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• caturdhā: in fourfold manner
• caturdhā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: caturdhā (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: in four ways)

• saṃsṛṣṭau: in the creation/mixture
• saṃsṛṣṭau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• vartate: exists/operates
• vartate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• asau: that (he/it)
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• rajo-guṇaḥ: the quality of rajas
• rajo-guṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rajas (प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (rajasya guṇaḥ)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How the guṇas function in sṛṣṭi and how the Lord’s portions operate through time and beings

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Primary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Rajo-guṇa operates in creation through a structured, fourfold deployment that includes time and the emergence of beings.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Contemplate change and striving as guṇa-driven processes, reducing egoic ownership of activity.

Vishishtadvaita: Guṇas and time function under the Lord’s governance, indicating an ordered, dependent cosmos rather than an independent prakṛti.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Time (Kāla)
• Rajo-guṇa
• All beings (Sarva-bhūtāni)

FAQs

What is the significance of Kāla (Time) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The verse presents time as a primary factor within creation, indicating that cosmic manifestation proceeds in an ordered way through Kāla rather than as a random event.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the operation of rajo-guṇa here?

Parāśara describes rajas as functioning “fourfold” during creation—emphasizing its role as the activating power that drives manifestation and the arising of beings within the framework of time.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when the verse discusses guṇas and time, the Purāṇic theology treats these as subordinate, ordered principles within Vishnu’s sovereign cosmic governance, aligning creation with a supreme, sustaining Reality.