Shloka 31

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

Devanagari script

रुद्रः कालो ऽन्तकाद्याश् च समस्ताश् चैव जन्तवः चतुर्धा प्रलयायैता जनार्दनविभूतयः

Transliteration

rudraḥ kālo 'ntakādyāś ca samastāś caiva jantavaḥ caturdhā pralayāyaitā janārdanavibhūtayaḥ

Translation

Rudra; Time itself; Death and its dread powers; and all living beings—these are the four forces by which dissolution proceeds; in truth they are the vibhūtis of Janārdana (Viṣṇu).

Word by Word

• रुद्रः: Rudra
• रुद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कालः: Time
• कालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अन्तकाद्याः: Antaka and others
• अन्तकाद्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तक-आदि (प्रातिपदिक; अन्तक + आदि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• च: Coordination (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक; Indeclinable conjunction

• समस्ताः: all/entire
• समस्ताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Plural (agreeing with जन्तवः)

• च: and
• च: Coordination (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक; Indeclinable conjunction

• एव: indeed
• एव: Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारणार्थक निपात; Indeclinable emphatic particle

• जन्तवः: creatures
• जन्तवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• चतुर्धा: fourfold
• चतुर्धा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चतुर्धा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण; Indeclinable adverb (manner)

• प्रलयाय: for dissolution
• प्रलयाय: Sampradāna (Purpose/recipient; हेतु/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Dative, Singular

• एताः: these
• एताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Feminine, Nominative, Plural (agreeing with विभूतयः)

• जनार्दनविभूतयः: manifestations of Janārdana
• जनार्दनविभूतयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन-विभूति (प्रातिपदिक; जनार्दन + विभूति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Feminine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The fourfold agencies of pralaya—Rudra, Time, Death, and beings—as Janardana’s vibhutis

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Rudra, Kāla, Death and its forces, and all beings act as the fourfold means of dissolution, yet they are ultimately Janārdana’s manifested potencies.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Face mortality with devotional realism: understand destructive forces as within divine governance, cultivating detachment and steadiness.

Vishishtadvaita: Even terrifying cosmic functions (Rudra, death, time) are not independent; they subsist as modes/powers of Vishnu, preserving divine sovereignty with real plurality.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Vyuha Form: Sankarshana

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Janardana (Vishnu)
• Rudra (Shiva)
• Kala (Time)
• Antaka (Death)
• Jantavaḥ (all beings)

FAQs

What is the significance of the fourfold agencies of pralaya in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames dissolution as operating through four channels—Rudra, Time, Death and allied forces, and all beings—showing pralaya as an ordered cosmic function rather than chaos.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of Kāla (Time) in dissolution?

Parāśara places Kāla among the primary agents of pralaya, implying that time is not merely a measure but a divine power that ripens all conditions toward dissolution.

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

Even the forces that end worlds—Rudra, Death, and Time—are presented as Vishnu’s vibhūtis, affirming Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty over both creation and dissolution.