Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 47
Daśa-lakṣaṇam: The Ten Topics, Virāṭ-Puruṣa Sense-Manifestation, and the Supreme Shelter (Āśraya)
परिमाणं च कालस्य कल्पलक्षणविग्रहम् । यथा पुरस्ताद्व्याख्यास्ये पाद्मं कल्पमथो शृणु ॥ ४७ ॥
parimāṇaṁ ca kālasya kalpa-lakṣaṇa-vigraham yathā purastād vyākhyāsye pādmaṁ kalpam atho śṛṇu
कालस्य परिमाणं च स्थूल-सूक्ष्म-लक्षण-विग्रहम् अहं यथाक्रमं पुरस्ताद् व्याख्यास्ये; इदानीं तु पाद्मं कल्पं शृणु, राजन्।
The present duration of a kalpa of Brahmā is called the Varāha-kalpa or Śvetavarāha-kalpa because the incarnation of the Lord as Varāha took place during the creation of Brahmā, who was born on the lotus coming out of the abdomen of Viṣṇu. Therefore this Varāha-kalpa is also called Pādma-kalpa, and this is testified by ācāryas like Jīva Gosvāmī as well as Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura in pursuance of the first commentator, Svāmī Śrīdhara. So there is no contradiction between the Varāha and the Pādma-kalpa of Brahmā.
FAQs
This verse introduces Śukadeva’s intent to explain how time is measured and how a kalpa (a day of Brahmā) is identified by its defining features.
Śukadeva is guiding Parīkṣit through the Bhagavatam’s cosmological framework, transitioning from a summary mention to a fuller explanation, beginning with the Padma-kalpa.
Remembering the vastness and order of cosmic time helps cultivate detachment, urgency for spiritual practice, and steadiness in devotion amid life’s changes.