Shloka 47
नैमित्तिक-प्राकृत-प्रलयवर्णनम्
Periodic and Elemental Dissolution; Reabsorption into Paramātman
द्विपरार्धात्मकः कालः कथितो यो मया तव तद् अहस् तस्य मैत्रेय विष्णोर् ईशस्य कथ्यते
dviparārdhātmakaḥ kālaḥ kathito yo mayā tava tad ahas tasya maitreya viṣṇor īśasya kathyate
The span of time consisting of two parārdhas has been explained by me to you; and that very measure, O Maitreya, is declared to be the Day of the sovereign Lord Viṣṇu.
Sage Parāśara
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Cosmic time: two parārdhas and its identification as the 'day' of Lord Viṣṇu
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Creation Stage: Kalpa
Concept: The immense measure of two parārdhas is conventionally described as the 'day' of the sovereign Lord Viṣṇu, framing cosmic time within divine lordship.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use cosmic time-scales to relativize personal anxieties and deepen reverence for the Lord who transcends yet governs time.
Vishishtadvaita: Time is treated as a dependent reality ordered under the Lord’s sovereignty, supporting Viṣṇu as the regulative inner ruler of cosmic processes.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
It marks an immense cosmic unit of time; the verse equates this vast duration with the “Day” (ahas) of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, framing time itself as governed by Him.
He states that the previously described measure—time made of two parārdhas—is not merely a calculation, but is specifically identified as the divine day of Viṣṇu, the ruling Lord.
Viṣṇu is presented as Īśa, the sovereign reality for whom cosmic time is a “day,” reinforcing His supremacy over the universe’s cycles and their order.