Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 29
Mārkaṇḍeya-varṇanam
The Description of Mārkaṇḍeya
नाशमायाति विप्रेन्द्र तस्मिन्काले जगत्त्रयम् । मानुषेण सहस्रेण यत्प्रमाणं भवेच्छृणु ॥ २९ ॥
nāśamāyāti viprendra tasminkāle jagattrayam | mānuṣeṇa sahasreṇa yatpramāṇaṃ bhavecchṛṇu || 29 ||
โอ พราหมณ์ผู้ประเสริฐ! ในกาลนั้นไตรโลกย่อมถึงความพินาศ บัดนี้จงฟังเถิด—ขนาดของกาลนั้นเมื่อคำนวณเป็นพันปีของมนุษย์เป็นประการใด
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It highlights the inevitability of pralaya (dissolution) for all the three worlds, directing the listener to understand cosmic time as a way to cultivate detachment and seek the imperishable (moksha).
By stressing that even the entire jagattraya perishes in time, the verse indirectly points to taking refuge in the timeless Lord; bhakti becomes the stable support when worldly and even heavenly attainments are transient.
It points to kala-nirṇaya (determination of time measures), a practical foundation used in Jyotiṣa (Vedic astronomy/astrology) for computing large cycles and understanding scriptural cosmological chronology.