Shloka 18

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

Devanagari script

चतुर्युगाणां संख्याता साधिका ह्य् एकसप्ततिः मन्वन्तरं मनोः कालः सुरादीनां च सत्तम

Transliteration

caturyugāṇāṃ saṃkhyātā sādhikā hy ekasaptatiḥ manvantaraṃ manoḥ kālaḥ surādīnāṃ ca sattama

Translation

Seventy-one cycles of the four yugas, together with their junction-periods, are declared to be a Manvantara: the span of a Manu’s rule, and likewise the ordained measure of time for the gods and other celestial orders.

Word by Word

• चतुर्युगाणाम्: of the four-yugas (sets of four ages)
• चतुर्युगाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (चतुर्युगाणि = चारि युगानि)

• संख्याता: counted, computed
• संख्याता: Predicate adjective (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + ख्या (धातु) + क्त-प्रत्यय (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP)

• साधिका: with an addition/excess
• साधिका: Predicate adjective (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (संख्याता इत्यस्य)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• एकसप्ततिः: seventy-one
• एकसप्ततिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + सप्तति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक; कर्मधारय (एका सप्ततिः)

• मन्वन्तरम्: a manvantara (Manu-period)
• मन्वन्तरम्: Apposition/Predicate nominal (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मनोरन्तरम्)

• मनॊः: of Manu
• मनॊः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कालः: time, period
• कालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सुरादीनाम्: of the gods and others
• सुरादीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (सुराः आदयः येषाम्)

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

• सत्तम: O best one
• सत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उत्तम-विशेषण-प्रयोग (vocative epithet)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Definition of Manvantara in terms of yuga-cycles and junction periods (sandhyā/sandhyāṃśa)

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: precise

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Manvantara

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: A Manvantara equals seventy-one caturyuga cycles plus their junction periods, setting the ordained lifespan for Manu and the celestial orders.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Use the idea of ‘sandhi’ (junctions) as a spiritual metaphor: attend carefully to transitions in life and practice (beginnings/endings) with heightened awareness.

Vishishtadvaita: Time is not random but a dharma-governed order sustained by the Supreme who measures and apportions lifespans and offices.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Manu
• Devas (Suras)

FAQs

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

This verse defines a Manvantara as 71 four-yuga cycles (with added junction periods), establishing the Purana’s key framework for cosmic history and governance under successive Manus.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the structure of time across yugas and Manvantaras?

He presents time as nested cycles: yugas form a caturyuga, and 71 such caturyugas (including transitional additions) form a Manvantara—the operative epoch for Manu and celestial beings.

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

By defining the lawful measure of cosmic time, the text implies an intelligible, divinely upheld order—ultimately grounded in Vishnu as the Supreme regulator of creation’s cycles.