Shloka 11

प्रलय-त्रिविध-विभागः एवं प्राकृतप्रलय-वर्णनम्

Devanagari script

तैस् तु द्वादशसाहस्रैश् चतुर्युगम् उदाहृतम् चतुर्युगसहस्रं तु कथ्यते ब्रह्मणो दिनम्

Transliteration

tais tu dvādaśasāhasraiś caturyugam udāhṛtam caturyugasahasraṃ tu kathyate brahmaṇo dinam

Translation

By those twelve thousand divine years, the Caturyuga—the cycle of the four ages—is declared. And a thousand such Caturyugas are said to form a single day of Brahmā, within whose vast order the universe rises and rests, sustained by the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

• तैः: by those
• तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

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

• द्वादशसाहस्रैः: by twelve thousands
• द्वादशसाहस्रैः: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादश + साहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural; तत्पुरुष (द्वादश सहस्राणि)

• चतुर्युगम्: a caturyuga (four-age cycle)
• चतुर्युगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; unit; तत्पुरुष (चत्वारि युगानि)

• उदाहृतम्: is declared
• उदाहृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-आ-हृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'is declared/said'

• चतुर्युगसहस्रम्: a thousand caturyugas
• चतुर्युगसहस्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्युग + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (चतुर्युगानां सहस्रम्)

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

• कथ्यते: is called
• कथ्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, कर्मणि-प्रयोग, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; Present passive: 'is called/said'

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Shashthi-Sambandha (Possessive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Genitive singular

• दिनम्: day
• दिनम्: Pradhana (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; predicate nominal

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Derivation of caturyuga and Brahmā’s day from divine-year measures

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Kalpa

Cosmic Hierarchy: Brahmanda

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: A caturyuga is defined by 12,000 divine years, and 1,000 caturyugas form a day of Brahmā—revealing the immense cosmic rhythm governed by the Supreme.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Let contemplation of kalpa-scale time deepen vairāgya and stabilize bhakti beyond short-term anxieties.

Vishishtadvaita: Jagat is sustained within Brahmā’s day by the Supreme (Viṣṇu) as efficient and material cause, affirming real cosmos dependent on Him (śeṣa-śeṣin relation).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Yuga (Satya/Tretā/Dvāpara/Kali)
• Caturyuga (Mahāyuga)

FAQs

What is the significance of the Caturyuga (Mahāyuga) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse defines the four-yuga cycle as totaling 12,000 divine years, establishing the basic unit used to measure larger cosmic periods.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Brahmā’s day in relation to the yugas?

He states that Brahmā’s single day is made of 1,000 Caturyugas, linking human-era cycles to the vast calendar of cosmic creation and dissolution.

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

Even while describing Brahmā’s time-measures, the Purāṇic vision frames cosmic order as ultimately upheld by Viṣṇu as the supreme ground of reality and governance of the universe.