Shloka 71

सूर्यरथ-कालचक्र-आयनविभागः, संध्योपासनम्, देवयान-पितृयानम्, विष्णुपद-गङ्गावतरणम्

Devanagari script

संवत्सरादयः पञ्च चतुर्मासविकल्पिताः निश्चयः सर्वकालस्य युगम् इत्य् अभिधीयते

Transliteration

saṃvatsarādayaḥ pañca caturmāsavikalpitāḥ niścayaḥ sarvakālasya yugam ity abhidhīyate

Translation

Five measures beginning with the year, each further distinguished by the four‑month divisions, constitute the settled standard by which all time is determined; this fixed reckoning is called a “yuga.”

Word by Word

• संवत्सरादयः: years and the rest (year etc.)
• संवत्सरादयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—संवत्सर-आदि (आदिशब्देन सह)

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; अत्र विशेष्य-सङ्ख्या (five)

• चतुर्मासविकल्पिताः: divided into four-month periods
• चतुर्मासविकल्पिताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्मास (प्रातिपदिक) + विकल्पित (कृदन्त, √कॢप्/कल्प् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; समासः—चतुर्मासेन विकल्पिताः (चतुर्मास-विकल्पित)

• निश्चयः: a fixed measure/definition
• निश्चयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निश्चय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सर्वकालस्य: of all time
• सर्वकालस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—सर्वः कालः (सर्वकाल)

• युगम्: a yuga (cycle)
• युगम्: Karma/Predicate-noun (Object or complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• इति: thus/so called
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• अभिधीयते: is called/denoted
• अभिधीयते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√धा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Measurement and classification of time (kāla-nirṇaya), including yuga as a determinate reckoning.

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Time is knowable through fixed units, and a settled cycle of such units is designated as a yuga.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Adopt disciplined time-reckoning (daily/seasonal cycles) to structure sādhana and reflect on cosmic order.

Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic order (kāla) is intelligible and sustained within the Lord’s governance, supporting a real, structured world dependent on Him.

FAQs

What is the significance of defining a yuga through fixed measures of time in the Vishnu Purana?

It presents time as an ordered, knowable structure—measured through standard units—supporting the Purana’s larger teaching that cosmic cycles unfold according to a determinate law (dharma/ṛta) under the Supreme governance of Vishnu.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the idea of a “yuga” in this context?

Parāśara frames “yuga” as a settled reckoning of time derived from recognized units (beginning with the year) and their customary divisions, emphasizing definition and measurability rather than mythic vagueness.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here, even though He is not named in the verse?

In the Vishnu Purana’s cosmology, the intelligible order of time itself is part of Vishnu’s sovereign regulation of the universe; precise cycles like yugas function as expressions of that supreme, sustaining Reality.