Shloka 72
सूर्यरथ-कालचक्र-आयनविभागः, संध्योपासनम्, देवयान-पितृयानम्, विष्णुपद-गङ्गावतरणम्
संवत्सरस् तु प्रथमो द्वितीयः परिवत्सरः इद्वत्सरस् तृतीयस् तु चतुर्थश् चानुवत्सरः वत्सरः पञ्चमश् चात्र कालो ऽयं युगसंज्ञितः
saṃvatsaras tu prathamo dvitīyaḥ parivatsaraḥ idvatsaras tṛtīyas tu caturthaś cānuvatsaraḥ vatsaraḥ pañcamaś cātra kālo 'yaṃ yugasaṃjñitaḥ
The first is called Saṃvatsara; the second, Parivatsara; the third, Idvatsara; the fourth, Anuvatsara; and the fifth, Vatsara. This very cycle of time is here designated as a “yuga.”
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Specific nomenclature of the five-year cycle (pañca-saṃvatsara) termed ‘yuga’.
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Concept: A ‘yuga’ here is defined as a five-year cycle with distinct year-names used for precise calendrical reckoning.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use named cycles and periodic review (annual/quinquennial) to track vows, festivals, and long-term spiritual goals.
Vishishtadvaita: Regularity of time supports the reality of dharma-practice in a structured world upheld by the Supreme.
FAQs
This verse defines a “yuga” in a calendrical sense as a cycle of five named years, showing how Purāṇic time is structured not only by the four great yugas but also by practical cycles used to reckon time.
Parāśara lists successive year-designations and concludes that this patterned sequence itself is a recognized unit of time, emphasizing systematic classification of kāla for cosmological and ritual reckoning.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana frames kāla as part of the divinely sustained cosmic order—time’s cycles function within the sovereignty of the Supreme Reality who upholds the universe.