Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 22
Nārada’s Questions and Brahmā’s Reply: Vāsudeva as the Source; Sarga–Visarga; Virāṭ-rūpa Mapping
कालाद् गुणव्यतिकर: परिणाम: स्वभावत: । कर्मणो जन्म महत: पुरुषाधिष्ठितादभूत् ॥ २२ ॥
kālād guṇa-vyatikaraḥ pariṇāmaḥ svabhāvataḥ karmaṇo janma mahataḥ puruṣādhiṣṭhitād abhūt
Tras la encarnación del primer Puruṣa (Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu), se manifiesta el mahattattva. Luego aparece el tiempo; en su curso, por naturaleza se entremezclan y transforman las tres guṇas, y bajo el sostén del Puruṣa nace la actividad kármica.
By the omnipotency of the Supreme Lord, the whole material creation evolves by the process of transformation and reactions one after another, and by the same omnipotency, they are wound up again one after another and conserved in the body of the Supreme. Kāla, or time, is the synonym of nature and is the transformed manifestation of the principles of material creation. As such, kāla may be taken as the first cause of all creation, and by transformation of nature different activities of the material world become visible. These activities may be taken up as the natural instinct of each and every living being, or even of the inert objects, and after the manifestation of activities there are varieties of products and by-products of the same nature. Originally these are all due to the Supreme Lord. The Vedānta-sūtras and the Bhāgavatam thus begin with the Absolute Truth as the beginning of all creations ( janmādy asya yataḥ ).
FAQs
This verse states that Time initiates the agitation and intermixture of the three guṇas, which leads to transformation and the arising of the mahat-tattva under the Supreme Person’s supervision.
He is answering King Parīkṣit’s inquiries by explaining Bhagavatam’s Sāṅkhya-based account: material manifestation begins when the guṇas are stirred by Time, producing the mahat principle, all under the Lord’s presiding control.
It encourages detachment and devotion: recognizing that moods and material changes are guṇa-driven and time-driven, one can seek steadiness by taking shelter of the Supreme Person beyond the guṇas.