Shloka 67

Devanagari script

युगेष्वावर्तते योगैर्मासरत्वयनहायनै: । सर्गप्रलययो: कर्ता तस्मै कालात्मने नम:,जो प्रत्येक युगमें योगमायाके बलसे अवतार धारण करते हैं और मास, ऋतु, अयन तथा वर्षोके द्वारा सृष्टि और प्रलय करते रहते हैं, उन कालरूप परमात्माको प्रणाम है

Transliteration

yugeṣv āvartate yogair māsa-ṛtū-ayana-hāyanaiḥ | sarga-pralayayoḥ kartā tasmai kālātmane namaḥ ||

Translation

ಪ್ರತಿ ಯುಗದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಯೋಗಮಾಯೆಯ ಬಲದಿಂದ ಅವತಾರ ಧರಿಸಿ, ಮಾಸ, ಋತು, ಅಯನ ಹಾಗೂ ವರ್ಷಗಳ ನಿಯತ ಚಕ್ರಗಳಿಂದ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿ–ಪ್ರಳಯಗಳನ್ನು ನಡೆಸುವ ಕಾಲಸ್ವರೂಪ ಪರಮಾತ್ಮನಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ.

Word by Word

युगेषुin (the) yugas/ages

आवर्ततेreturns/recurs (revolves)

योगैःby means of yogas/powers

मासmonth

ऋतुseason

अयनsolstice/half-year (ayana)

अहायनैःby days and years (time-units)

सर्गof creation

प्रलययोःof (the two aspects of) dissolution

कर्ताthe doer/creator

तस्मैto him

कालात्मनेto the one whose self is Time / the Time-souled (Lord)

नमःsalutation

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Kālātmā (Time as the Supreme Self)

Yuga

Māsa (month)

Ṛ

Ṛtu (season)

Ayana (solar course)

Hāyana (year)

Sarga

Pralaya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Time is presented as a form of the Supreme Reality that governs manifestation and dissolution through orderly cycles. Recognizing this cosmic governance encourages humility, detachment from fleeting outcomes, and devotion to the higher principle sustaining dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction setting, Bhishma offers a reverential statement (a namaskāra) describing the divine as Kālātmā—Time itself—who repeatedly manifests across yugas and regulates creation and dissolution through calendrical and cosmic cycles.