Shloka 16

Īśvara-gītā: Brahman as All-Pervading—Kāla, Prakṛti–Puruṣa, Tattva-Evolution, and Mokṣa

Devanagari script

कालः सृजति भूतानि कालः संहरति प्रजाः / सर्वे कालस्य वशगा न कालः कस्यचिद् वशे

Transliteration

kālaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni kālaḥ saṃharati prajāḥ / sarve kālasya vaśagā na kālaḥ kasyacid vaśe

Translation

กาลสร้างสรรพสัตว์ทั้งปวง และกาลก็ถอนคืนหมู่ประชา ทั้งหมดอยู่ใต้บังคับของกาล แต่กาลไม่อยู่ใต้บังคับของผู้ใด.

Word by Word

• kālaḥ: time
• kālaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sṛjati: creates
• sṛjati: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sṛj (सृज् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• bhūtāni: beings/elements
• bhūtāni: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• kālaḥ: time
• kālaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• saṃharati: withdraws/destroys
• saṃharati: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ + √hṛ (हृ धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• prajāḥ: creatures/subjects
• prajāḥ: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• sarve: all (beings)
• sarve: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनामसदृश (pronominal)

• kālasya: of time
• kālasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vaśagāḥ: subject to (its) control
• vaśagāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaśa + ga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (वशं गच्छन्ति/वशगाः = subject to)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• kālaḥ: time
• kālaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kasyacit: of anyone/anybody's
• kasyacit: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + cit (अव्यय)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• vaśe: under control
• vaśe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/State/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing sages (Kurma Purana teaching context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Characters & Entities

• Kāla (Time)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

It highlights that all embodied beings are governed by change (kāla), implying the seeker should discern the changeless Self beyond birth and death; Time rules the manifest, while the Self is sought as that which is not overpowered by worldly transformations.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports vairāgya (dispassion) and steady contemplation: since Time creates and dissolves all conditions, the yogin practices detachment, endurance (titikṣā), and one-pointed meditation on Īśvara/Atman rather than transient states—an orientation consistent with Kurma Purana’s yoga-dharma and later Ishvara-Gita style teachings.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

By presenting Kāla as the supreme governing principle within cosmic order, it aligns with the Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the same ultimate Lord—revered as Hari or Hara—presides over creation and dissolution through Time, emphasizing unity of divine sovereignty rather than rivalry.