Shloka 10

प्रलय-त्रिविध-विभागः एवं प्राकृतप्रलय-वर्णनम्

Devanagari script

मासैर् द्वादशभिर् वर्षम् अहोरात्रं तु तद् दिवि त्रिभिर् वर्षशतैर् वर्षं षष्ट्या चैवासुरद्विषाम्

Transliteration

māsair dvādaśabhir varṣam ahorātraṃ tu tad divi tribhir varṣaśatair varṣaṃ ṣaṣṭyā caivāsuradviṣām

Translation

Twelve months make a year for humans. But in the heavens, that same span is reckoned as a single day and night. And for the gods, foes of the Asuras, a ‘year’ is made of three hundred such divine day-and-night cycles, with a further extension by sixty in that same reckoning.

Word by Word

• मासैः: by months
• मासैः: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural (measure)

• द्वादशभिः: by twelve
• द्वादशभिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश (सङ्ख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; numeral adjective agreeing with 'मासैः'

• वर्षम्: a year
• वर्षम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative/Accusative singular (as unit)

• अहोरात्रम्: a day-and-night
• अहोरात्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् + रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Dvandva used as a unit

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधार्थक particle

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• दिवि: in heaven
• दिवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• त्रिभिः: by three
• त्रिभिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (सङ्ख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; numeral adjective agreeing with 'वर्षशतैः'

• वर्षशतैः: by hundreds of years
• वर्षशतैः: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural; तत्पुरुष (वर्षाणां शतानि)

• वर्षम्: a year
• वर्षम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; unit being defined

• षष्ट्या: by sixty
• षष्ट्या: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष्टि (सङ्ख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular (measure)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय; conjunction

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय; emphatic particle

• असुरद्विषाम्: of the enemies of the Asuras (gods)
• असुरद्विषाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Possessive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असुर + द्विष् (कृदन्त: द्विष् धातु + क्विप्/शतृ-आधार) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural; तत्पुरुष (असुरान् द्विषन्ति ये)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Relative time-measures of humans and devas (divine day-year reckoning)

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Time is relative across realms: what humans call a year becomes a day-night for devas, establishing the scale for yuga computation.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Cultivate perspective: personal lifespans are small against cosmic time, encouraging humility and steadier devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: Multiple realms with differing kāla-measures remain real within the Lord’s ordered universe, illustrating graded experience without denying unity under Nārāyaṇa’s rule.

Characters & Entities

• Devas (Asura-dviṣ)
• Asuras

FAQs

What is the significance of divine time-reckoning in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse links human time to celestial time, establishing the scaling needed to understand larger cycles (like Manvantaras) governed under Vishnu’s cosmic order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the relationship between human and heavenly time?

He states that what humans call a year is treated in heaven as a single day-and-night, and then builds the deva ‘year’ from those celestial day-night units.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

By defining time’s measures and hierarchy, the text frames the universe as a structured, intelligible order—ultimately upheld by Vishnu as the Supreme Reality behind cosmic cycles.