Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 20
Transmission of Bhāgavata Wisdom and Brahmā’s Vision of the Supreme Lord on Ananta
तमस्यपारे विदुरात्मसर्गं विचिन्वतोऽभूत्सुमहांस्त्रिणेमि: । यो देहभाजां भयमीरयाण: परिक्षिणोत्यायुरजस्य हेति: ॥ २० ॥
tamasy apāre vidurātma-sargaṁ vicinvato ’bhūt sumahāṁs tri-ṇemiḥ yo deha-bhājāṁ bhayam īrayāṇaḥ parikṣiṇoty āyur ajasya hetiḥ
噢，毗度罗！当梵天如此寻觅自身之源时，大时轮临至——毗湿奴手中永恒之轮——令具身众生心生如惧死般的恐怖。
FAQs
This verse describes Time as the Lord’s powerful wheel (tri-nemī) that awakens fear in embodied beings and steadily consumes their lifespan.
Maitreya is narrating cosmic creation to Vidura; here he explains that as Brahmā searched in darkness for the source of creation, the force of Time—an instrument of the unborn Lord—became manifest.
Remembering that time reduces life moment by moment encourages urgency in spiritual practice—prioritizing bhakti, self-discipline, and detachment from distractions.