Shloka 77

Devanagari script

कलाकाष्ठानिमेषादिदिनर्त्वयनहायनैः कालस्वरूपो भगवान् अपारो हरिर् अव्ययः

Transliteration

kalākāṣṭhānimeṣādidinartvayanahāyanaiḥ kālasvarūpo bhagavān apāro harir avyayaḥ

Translation

Through the measures of time—kalā, kāṣṭhā, nimeṣa, and the rest; through day and night, the seasons, the solar courses, and the years—Bhagavān Hari is known as the very form of Time: boundless, yet Himself imperishable.

Word by Word

• कला-काष्ठा-निमेष-आदि-दिन-ऋतु-अयन-हायनैः: by (units of) time such as kalā, kāṣṭhā, nimeṣa, day, season, solstice, year, etc.
• कला-काष्ठा-निमेष-आदि-दिन-ऋतु-अयन-हायनैः: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक) + काष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक) + निमेष (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक) + दिन (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋतु (प्रातिपदिक) + अयन (प्रातिपदिक) + हायन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समास (आदि-शब्देन समाहारः); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-समाहारप्रयोगः; तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन

• काल-स्वरूपः: whose nature is Time
• काल-स्वरूपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• अपारः: boundless
• अपारः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• हरिः: Hari
• हरिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• अव्ययः: imperishable
• अव्ययः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Vishnu as kāla-svarūpa expressed through measures of time from nimeṣa to years

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Kalpa

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Hari is manifest as Time itself—governing all temporal measures—yet remains avyaya, untouched by decay.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Use awareness of time’s flow to cultivate urgency for sādhana and detachment, anchoring the mind in the imperishable Lord beyond change.

Vishishtadvaita: Time is a real divine mode/energy under Bhagavān’s lordship; the Lord pervades temporal process while remaining transcendent and undecaying.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu (Hari)
• Kāla (Time)

FAQs

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

This verse identifies Hari as the very form of Time, meaning all temporal measures—from moments to years—function as expressions of Vishnu’s governing power over the cosmos.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the relationship between Vishnu and time-measurements?

Parāśara lists successive time-units (from nimeṣa up to years) to show that what we call “time” is not independent—its structure and continuity are grounded in Bhagavān’s own nature.

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

Vishnu is portrayed as both transcendent (imperishable, boundless) and immanent (present as the cosmic order of time), supporting a strongly theistic metaphysics central to later Vaiṣṇava Vedānta.