Shloka 8
Nītisāra: Virtuous Association, Household Dharma, and Kāla (Time) as the Supreme Regulator
कालेषु हरते वीर्यं काले गर्भे च वर्तते / कालो जनयते सृष्टिं पुनः कालो ऽपि संहरेत्
kāleṣu harate vīryaṃ kāle garbhe ca vartate / kālo janayate sṛṣṭiṃ punaḥ kālo 'pi saṃharet
No curso do Tempo, o vigor é levado; e no próprio Tempo o embrião permanece e se desenvolve no ventre. O Tempo faz surgir a criação, e o Tempo, de novo, a recolhe na dissolução.
Lord Viṣṇu (in instruction to Garuḍa/Vinatā-putra)
Concept: Kāla as the universal power that manifests, sustains, and dissolves; all embodied vigor and development are time-bound.
Vedantic Theme: Anityatā (impermanence) of nāma-rūpa; cyclic sṛṣṭi–saṃhāra under māyā/īśvara-śakti; impetus toward vairāgya.
Application: Cultivate urgency in dharma and sādhana; reduce attachment to youth/strength; contemplate mortality and cyclic change to stabilize the mind.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana (general): cosmology and saṃsāra discussions where kāla governs sṛṣṭi-pralaya; Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: time-bound consequences of karma and the inevitability of death
FAQs
This verse presents Kāla as the governing force that causes growth, decline, creation, and dissolution—encouraging detachment and dharmic living in awareness of impermanence.
By emphasizing that all embodied states—conception, development, strength, and eventual decline—are time-bound, it frames the soul’s journey as occurring through changing conditions of embodiment under Kāla’s rule.
Live with urgency and restraint: use strength and opportunity for dharma, service, and spiritual practice, knowing time inevitably diminishes bodily power and ends all worldly phases.