Shloka 7
कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना
आद्ये कृतयुगे सर्गो ब्रह्मणा क्रियते यतः क्रियते चोपसंहारस् तथान्ते च कलौ युगे
ādye kṛtayuge sargo brahmaṇā kriyate yataḥ kriyate copasaṃhāras tathānte ca kalau yuge
In the first, the Kṛta-yuga, creation is set in motion by Brahmā; and likewise, at the close of the Kali-yuga, withdrawal and dissolution are brought about.
Sage Parāśara (in discourse to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Creation begins in the first (Kṛta) yuga and dissolution occurs at the close of Kali; linkage of yuga-cycle to sarga and upasaṃhāra
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative, summative
Creation Stage: Kalpa
Yuga: Satya
Concept: Within the yuga-cycle, Brahmā initiates creation in Kṛta-yuga, and at Kali’s end the process of withdrawal culminates in dissolution.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Live with awareness of beginnings and endings: invest in practices (dharma, japa, seva) that remain meaningful even as circumstances decline.
Vishishtadvaita: Brahmā functions as a subordinate agent; ultimate sovereignty remains with the Supreme who empowers creation and retraction—supporting a dependent-real cosmos (śeṣa-śeṣi relation).
FAQs
This verse frames time as cyclical: creation begins at the opening of the Kṛta Yuga, and dissolution/withdrawal occurs at the close of the Kali Yuga, marking the cosmic reset.
He anchors the cycle with two decisive thresholds—initiation (sarga) and termination (upasaṃhāra)—showing that the ages culminate in dissolution before the next cycle begins.
Though Brahmā is named as the agent of creation, the Purāṇic framework treats such cosmic functions as operating under the supreme sovereignty of Vishnu, who is the ultimate ground of order behind cyclical manifestation and withdrawal.