Shloka 31
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
कालेन गच्छता सो ऽथ कालं चक्रे महीपतिः पितेव सास्रं पुत्रेण मृगपोतेन वीक्षितः
kālena gacchatā so 'tha kālaṃ cakre mahīpatiḥ piteva sāsraṃ putreṇa mṛgapotena vīkṣitaḥ
As time moved onward, that lord of the earth met Time’s decree. Like a father in tears, watched by his child—like a young fawn gazing up—he passed from the world, showing that even sovereignty is gathered back into the Supreme Order upheld by Lord Viṣṇu.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Concept: Time inevitably reclaims all embodied power, so sovereignty and life must be oriented toward the Supreme Lord rather than transient bonds.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Contemplate impermanence daily (kāla-smṛti) and invest your strongest attachments in Bhagavān through steady sādhana.
Vishishtadvaita: Kāla operates under Viṣṇu’s lordship; all beings are dependent modes (prakāra) of the Supreme, who remains the inner ruler (antaryāmin).
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Bhakti Type: shanta
Antaryamin: Yes
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse frames Time as an unavoidable decree that even a mighty king must undergo, underscoring the Purana’s theme that worldly power is subordinate to cosmic order.
By describing the king’s end in intimate, human imagery—tearful like a father under his son’s gaze—Parāśara uses lineage history to teach detachment and the certainty of Time.
Though Viṣṇu is not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana’s framework treats Kāla and cosmic governance as operating within the Supreme Reality upheld by Viṣṇu, before whom all kingship is transient.