Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 11

Nārāyaṇa’s Impartiality, Absorption in Kṛṣṇa, and the Jaya–Vijaya Descent

Prelude to Prahlāda’s History

Devanagari script

कालं चरन्तं सृजतीश आश्रयं । प्रधानपुम्भ्यां नरदेव सत्यकृत् ॥ ११ ॥

Transliteration

kālaṁ carantaṁ sṛjatīśa āśrayaṁ pradhāna-pumbhyāṁ nara-deva satya-kṛt

Translation

Ó grande rei, o Senhor Supremo, controlador das energias material e espiritual e criador do cosmos, manifesta o fator tempo para que a prakṛti e a jīva atuem dentro de seus limites. Contudo, Ele jamais está sob o tempo nem sob a energia material.

Synonyms

• kālam: time
• kālam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• carantam: moving/flowing
• carantam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √car (चर् धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying kālam

• sṛjati: creates
• sṛjati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sṛj (सृज् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• īśa: O Lord
• īśa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन/8), Singular (एकवचन)

• āśrayam: support/refuge
• āśrayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āśraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• pradhāna-pumbhyām: in pradhāna and puruṣa (matter and person)
• pradhāna-pumbhyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pradhāna (प्रातिपदिक) + pumān/pum (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व: pradhāna + pumān), Dual (द्विवचन), Locative (सप्तमी/7) (also possible Instrumental by form; here taken as Locative: ‘in pradhāna and puruṣa’), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग)

• nara-deva: O king (god among men)
• nara-deva: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (कर्मधारय/षष्ठीभाव: ‘deva among men’), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन/8), Singular (एकवचन)

• satya-kṛt: truthful/true-doer
• satya-kṛt: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक) + √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (उपपद-समास: satyaṁ karoti), Kr̥danta (कृत्: कृत्), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन) (used as epithet)

Purport

One should not think that the Lord is dependent on the time factor. He actually creates the situation by which material nature acts and by which the conditioned soul is placed under material nature. Both the conditioned soul and the material nature act within the time factor, but the Lord is not subject to the actions and reactions of time, for time has been created by Him. To be more clear, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that creation, maintenance and annihilation are all under the supreme will of the Lord.

Characters & Entities

• King Parīkṣit
• Īśa (the Supreme Lord)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about time (kāla) and creation?

This verse states that the Supreme Lord sets time in motion and, as the shelter of both material nature (pradhāna) and the living beings, brings about creation while remaining the ultimate refuge.

Why does Śukadeva Gosvāmī address Parīkṣit Mahārāja here?

Śukadeva is instructing Parīkṣit on the Lord’s position as the controller of time and the underlying support of both matter and souls—key context for understanding divine justice and apparent inequality in the world.

Practical application of understanding kāla (time) in modern life?

Seeing time as the Lord’s unstoppable energy helps one become humble, prioritize spiritual practice, and take shelter of devotion rather than relying on temporary material arrangements.