Padma Purana — Srishti Khanda, Shloka 12

The Tārakāmaya War: Divine Mustering, Māyā Countermeasures, Aurva Fire, and Viṣṇu’s Slaying of Kālanemi

Devanagari script

कालपाशान्समाविध्य हयैः शशिकरोपमैः । वाय्वीरितजलाकारैः कुर्वन्लीलाः सहस्रशः

Transliteration

kālapāśānsamāvidhya hayaiḥ śaśikaropamaiḥ | vāyvīritajalākāraiḥ kurvanlīlāḥ sahasraśaḥ

Translation

Binutas niya ang mga tali ng Panahon sa pamamagitan ng mga kabayong maningning na gaya ng sinag ng buwan; at sa pag-aanyong tulad ng tubig na itinutulak ng hangin, nagsagawa siya ng di-mabilang na libong mapaglarong gawa.

Word by Word

• कालपाशान्: nooses of Time (Death)
• कालपाशान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla-pāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः: कालस्य पाशाः (nooses of Time/Death)

• समाविध्य: having hurled/shot, having struck
• समाविध्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√vidh (विध् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having pierced/struck/shot’

• हयैः: by/with horses
• हयैः: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• शशिकरोपमैः: like moonbeams
• शशिकरोपमैः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaśi-kara-upama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुषः: शशिकरस्य उपमाः (comparable to moonbeams)

• वाय्वीरितजलाकारैः: with water-forms driven by wind
• वाय्वीरितजलाकारैः: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāyu-īrita-jala-ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष-श्रृङ्खला: वायुनā ईरितम् (wind-driven) + जलस्य आकाराः (forms of water)

• कुर्वन्: doing, making
• कुर्वन्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• लीलाः: sports, playful acts
• लीलाः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: līlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

• सहस्रशः: a thousandfold, in thousands
• सहस्रशः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasraśas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण/आवृत्तिवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of multiplicity)

Speaker

Uncertain (context not provided for Adhyaya 41.12); likely a narrator within the Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue frame typical of Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Geographic Context

Type: celestial_realm

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: कालपाशान्समाविध्य → कालपाशान् + समाविध्य; शशिकरोपमैः → शशिकर-उपमैः; कुर्वन्लीलाः → कुर्वन् + लीलाः.

FAQs

What does the phrase “kālapāśa” (noose of Time) imply in this verse?

It poetically depicts Time as a binding force that ensnares beings and events; “piercing the nooses of Time” suggests transcending or overpowering temporal limitation through divine or extraordinary agency.

Why are the horses compared to moonbeams (śaśikaropama)?

The simile emphasizes brilliance, cool radiance, and speed—an otherworldly luminosity that marks the action as cosmic rather than ordinary.

What is the ethical or spiritual lesson conveyed by the imagery of “līlā” (divine play)?

The verse frames overwhelming power as effortless play, encouraging the reader to see cosmic processes as guided by a higher order and to loosen attachment to fear of Time and change.