Shloka 16

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

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणो दिवसे ब्रह्मन् मनवस् तु चतुर्दश भवन्ति परिमाणं च तेषां कालकृतं शृणु

Transliteration

brahmaṇo divase brahman manavas tu caturdaśa bhavanti parimāṇaṃ ca teṣāṃ kālakṛtaṃ śṛṇu

Translation

O Brahmin, within a single day of Brahmā there arise fourteen Manus; now hear the measure of time that determines their span.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā / of Brahman
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (Singular)

• दिवसे: on the day
• दिवसे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahman (sage)
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• मनवः: Manus
• मनवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• चतुर्दश: fourteen
• चतुर्दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् + दश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (indeclinable-like numeral); मनवः इति पदस्य विशेषणम्

• भवन्ति: are / become
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• परिमाणम्: measure, extent
• परिमाणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• कालकृतम्: made by time / time-determined
• कालकृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काल + कृत (कृ-धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) विशेषणम् परिमाणम् इति

• शृणु: hear
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Measurement of cosmic time within Brahmā’s day, especially the number and duration of Manvantaras

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Kalpa

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Cosmic time is structured within Brahmā’s day into fourteen Manus, each with a fixed, measurable span.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Contemplate the vastness and regularity of cosmic cycles to cultivate detachment and steadiness in practice.

Vishishtadvaita: The ordered cycles imply a governed cosmos ultimately dependent on the supreme Lord as its regulator and cause.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Manu

FAQs

What is the significance of the Manvantara cycle in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse states that fourteen Manus occur within a single day of Brahmā, establishing the Purāṇic framework in which cosmic governance and epochs unfold in repeating, measurable cycles.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the duration of each Manu’s era (Manvantara)?

Here Parāśara signals a transition: after stating the number of Manus per Brahmā-day, he proceeds to define their time-span (parimāṇa) as determined by cosmic time (kāla).

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

Though Vishnu is not named in this line, the Vishnu Purana’s chronology is presented as an ordered, intelligible cosmos ultimately sustained by the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—within whose sovereignty these time-cycles operate.