Shloka 31
Cosmic Appointments, Viṣṇu’s Vibhūtis, Fourfold Operation, and the Symbolism of Ornaments and Weapons
रुद्रः कालो ऽन्तकाद्याश् च समस्ताश् चैव जन्तवः चतुर्धा प्रलयायैता जनार्दनविभूतयः
rudraḥ kālo 'ntakādyāś ca samastāś caiva jantavaḥ caturdhā pralayāyaitā janārdanavibhūtayaḥ
रुद्रः कालोऽन्तकाद्याश्च समस्ताश्चैव जन्तवः। चतुर्धा प्रलयायैता जनार्दनविभूतयः॥
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
FAQs
This verse frames dissolution as operating through four channels—Rudra, Time, Death and allied forces, and all beings—showing pralaya as an ordered cosmic function rather than chaos.
Parāśara places Kāla among the primary agents of pralaya, implying that time is not merely a measure but a divine power that ripens all conditions toward dissolution.
Even the forces that end worlds—Rudra, Death, and Time—are presented as Vishnu’s vibhūtis, affirming Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty over both creation and dissolution.