Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 15
Kāla-vibhāga: The Divisions of Time from Atom to Brahmā, and the Lord Beyond Time
य: सृज्यशक्तिमुरुधोच्छ्वसयन् स्वशक्त्या पुंसोऽभ्रमाय दिवि धावति भूतभेद: । कालाख्यया गुणमयं क्रतुभिर्वितन्वं- स्तस्मै बलिं हरत वत्सरपञ्चकाय ॥ १५ ॥
yaḥ sṛjya-śaktim urudhocchvasayan sva-śaktyā puṁso ’bhramāya divi dhāvati bhūta-bhedaḥ kālākhyayā guṇamayaṁ kratubhir vitanvaṁs tasmai baliṁ harata vatsara-pañcakāya
Oh Vidura: el sol vivifica a todos los seres con su calor y luz ilimitados. Para liberarlos del engaño del apego material, va menguando la duración de sus vidas, y mediante sacrificios (yajñas) ensancha el sendero de elevación a los cielos. Por ello, al sol —forma del kāla— que corre por el firmamento con gran velocidad, ofrézcansele reverencias y arghya-bali con todos los elementos de adoración una vez cada cinco años.
FAQs
This verse describes Time as the Lord’s own potency that drives creation and manifests the guṇa-based material world, moving beings through cosmic order while bewildering the conditioned soul.
In Canto 3, Chapter 11, Śukadeva explains the structure of time to show how the universe runs under divine control; he links it with sacrifice because ritual action operates within the guṇas and time’s divisions.
Recognize time as God’s governing energy, become less illusioned by constant change, and align one’s actions with devotion rather than mere guṇa-driven achievement.