Shloka 24

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

Devanagari script

एकार्णवे तु त्रैलोक्ये ब्रह्मा नारायणात्मकः भोगिशय्यागतः शेते त्रैलोक्यग्रासबृंहितः

Transliteration

ekārṇave tu trailokye brahmā nārāyaṇātmakaḥ bhogiśayyāgataḥ śete trailokyagrāsabṛṃhitaḥ

Translation

When the three worlds become a single ocean, Brahmā—whose very essence is Nārāyaṇa—reclines upon the serpent-couch (Śeṣa), as though enlarged by having absorbed the threefold cosmos into Himself.

Word by Word

• एकार्णवे: in the single ocean (cosmic flood)
• एकार्णवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (in the single ocean / one flood)

• तु: but; indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ (but/indeed)

• त्रैलोक्ये: in the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + लोक (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; (in the three worlds)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नारायणात्मकः: having Nārāyaṇa as his essence
• नारायणात्मकः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारायण + आत्मक (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (having the nature of Nārāyaṇa)

• भोगिशय्यागतः: having gone to the serpent-bed
• भोगिशय्यागतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भोगिन् + शय्या + गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) ‘gone/come to’; तत्पुरुषः (come to the serpent-couch)

• शेते: lies; rests
• शेते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √शी (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• त्रैलोक्यग्रासबृंहितः: expanded by swallowing the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यग्रासबृंहितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रैलोक्य + ग्रास + बृंहित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √बृंह् (धातु) + क्त; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; तत्पुरुषः (swollen/expanded by the swallowing of the three worlds)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: What occurs to Brahmā and the cosmos during the oceanic state of dissolution

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Kalpa

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: In dissolution, the cosmos is reabsorbed, and Brahmā—having Nārāyaṇa as his very self—rests upon the serpent-couch, implying Nārāyaṇa as the indwelling ground of creation and withdrawal.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Meditate on Nārāyaṇa as the stable support beneath changing states; cultivate śānta-bhakti through japa and visualization of the Lord on Śeṣa during inner ‘pralaya’ (rest).

Vishishtadvaita: Explicitly presents Brahmā as ‘nārāyaṇātmaka’ (dependent self of Nārāyaṇa), supporting qualified non-dualism: the world and jīvas are real yet inseparable modes supported by the Supreme.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Narayana (Vishnu)
• Shesha (Ananta)

FAQs

What is the significance of the 'single ocean' (ekārṇava) in the Vishnu Purana?

It signifies pralaya, when the differentiated worlds collapse into undivided cosmic waters, marking the suspension of manifest creation before the next cycle begins.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Brahmā as 'nārāyaṇātmakaḥ'?

He presents Brahmā’s creative identity as dependent on and grounded in Nārāyaṇa—Brahmā functions through the Supreme Lord rather than as an independent ultimate principle.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Vishnu (Nārāyaṇa) is shown as the sovereign substratum of the cosmos—absorbing the worlds at dissolution and remaining as the supreme, enduring reality beyond creation and destruction.