Shloka 14

कालनिर्णयः (युग-मन्वन्तर-कल्पप्रमाणम्) — Measures of Time and Cosmic Cycles

Devanagari script

संध्यासंध्यांशयोर् अन्तर् यः कालो मुनिसत्तम युगाख्यः स तु विज्ञेयः कृतत्रेतादिसंज्ञितः

Transliteration

saṃdhyāsaṃdhyāṃśayor antar yaḥ kālo munisattama yugākhyaḥ sa tu vijñeyaḥ kṛtatretādisaṃjñitaḥ

Translation

O best of sages, the span of time that lies between the Sandhyā and the Sandhyāṃśa is known as a yuga; it bears the names Kṛta, Tretā, and the other ages.

Word by Word

• संध्यासंध्यांशयोः: of the twilight and the twilight-portion
• संध्यासंध्यांशयोः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संध्या + संध्यांश (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी (६/सम्बन्ध) द्विवचनम्; द्वन्द्वसमासः (संध्या च संध्यांशश्च)

• अन्तर्: between
• अन्तर्: अधिकरण (Adverbial locus)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्तर् (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अन्तरालवाचकं (between/within)

• यः: which/that (who)
• यः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (१/कर्ता) एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• कालः: time/period
• कालः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (१/कर्ता) एकवचनम्

• मुनिसत्तम: O best of sages
• मुनिसत्तम: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन (८) एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (मुनीनां सत्तमः)

• युगाख्यः: named ‘yuga’
• युगाख्यः: कर्ता (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युग + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (१/कर्ता) एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (युग इति आख्या यस्य)

• सः: that
• सः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (१/कर्ता) एकवचनम्

• तु: indeed
• तु: सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (contrast/emphasis)

• विज्ञेयः: to be known/understood
• विज्ञेयः: विधेय (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + √ज्ञा (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (१/कर्ता) एकवचनम्; विधिलिङ्गार्थक-कर्तव्यता/योग्यता: ‘ज्ञेय’ (gerundive)

• कृतत्रेतादिसंज्ञितः: called ‘Kṛta, Tretā, etc.’
• कृतत्रेतादिसंज्ञितः: विधेय (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत + त्रेता + आदि + संज्ञित (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (१/कर्ता) एकवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः; समासः: कृत-त्रेता-आदि-संज्ञितः

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: What portion is properly called a yuga between sandhyā and sandhyāṃśa

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Kalpa

Yuga: Satya/Treta/Dvapara/Kali

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The yuga proper is the interval between sandhyā and sandhyāṃśa, and the named ages proceed as an ordered sovereignty under the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Anchor one’s sense of historical change in devotion to the Lord as the steady ruler of time, reducing anxiety about societal decline.

Vishishtadvaita: Viṣṇu is the inner ruler of cosmic order (niyantṛ) while the world and time remain real modes (prakāra) dependent on Him.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Dvāpara Yuga

FAQs

What is the significance of sandhyā (twilight) in defining a yuga in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames a yuga in relation to transitional “junction” periods (sandhyā and its portion), indicating that cosmic ages are measured with attention to their boundary-phases, not only their main duration.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the concept of yuga to Maitreya here?

Parāśara defines yuga as a specific measurable time-span connected to sandhyā and sandhyā-aṃśa, and identifies that yuga as taking the conventional names Kṛta, Tretā, and the remaining ages.

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

Although the verse is technical, the Vishnu Purana’s time-structure ultimately serves its theology: the ordered flow of ages and their names is part of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu’s governance of cosmic law and rhythm.