Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 27
Aditi’s Payo-vrata and Viṣṇu’s Promise to Appear as Her Son
Prelude to Vāmana
त्वमादिरन्तो भुवनस्य मध्य- मनन्तशक्तिं पुरुषं यमाहु: । कालो भवानाक्षिपतीश विश्वं स्रोतो यथान्त:पतितं गभीरम् ॥ २७ ॥
tvam ādir anto bhuvanasya madhyam ananta-śaktiṁ puruṣaṁ yam āhuḥ kālo bhavān ākṣipatīśa viśvaṁ sroto yathāntaḥ patitaṁ gabhīram
Ô mon Seigneur, Tu es le commencement, la manifestation au milieu et la dissolution ultime des trois mondes; les Veda Te célèbrent comme le Purusha suprême, réservoir de puissances sans limite. Ô Natha, comme le courant des eaux profondes attire branches et feuilles tombées, ainsi Toi, en tant que Temps éternel, attires à Toi tout ce qui est dans cet univers.
The time factor is sometimes described as kāla-srota, waves of time. Everything in this material world is within the time factor and is being carried away by waves of attraction, which represent the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
FAQs
This verse identifies the Lord Himself as Kāla, the force that draws the entire universe into dissolution—like a deep current that sweeps away all within it.
In her prayer for divine protection and restoration of the devas’ fortune, Aditi glorifies Viṣṇu as the ultimate reality behind creation, maintenance, and dissolution—thereby affirming that only He can grant true refuge.
Remembering that time carries everything away encourages detachment from temporary gains, steadiness in loss, and deeper reliance on devotion to the eternal Lord.