Shloka 5
Sṛṣṭi–Pratisṛṣṭi: Viṣṇu as Kāla and the Ninefold Creation Schema
व्यक्तं विष्णुस्तथाव्यक्तं पुरुषः काल एव च / क्रीडतो बालकस्येव चेष्टास्तस्य निशामय
vyaktaṃ viṣṇustathāvyaktaṃ puruṣaḥ kāla eva ca / krīḍato bālakasyeva ceṣṭāstasya niśāmaya
显现者为毗湿奴（Viṣṇu），未显现者亦复如是；祂是普鲁沙（Puruṣa），亦实为时间迦罗（Kāla）本身——观其神圣游戏：其动静如孩童嬉戏。
Lord Vishnu
Concept: The Lord is simultaneously Viṣṇu (manifest), the unmanifest, Puruṣa, and Kāla; creation’s movements are His līlā.
Vedantic Theme: Līlā-vāda alongside non-duality: the Absolute appears as many without losing transcendence; time and causality are within His sovereignty.
Application: Transform fear of change into devotion: treat life’s flux as līlā; cultivate remembrance during transitions and uncertainty.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana devotional passages praising Viṣṇu as both immanent and transcendent (general)
FAQs
This verse frames the Supreme as both the perceptible world (vyakta) and the subtle, unconditioned source (avyakta), teaching non-dual divine sovereignty over all states of existence.
By identifying the Supreme as Puruṣa and also as Time (kāla), it implies that the soul’s changing states and journeys occur within His governance—encouraging surrender and right understanding rather than fear of change.
Cultivate steadiness: see life’s shifts as governed by a higher order (kāla) and respond with dharmic action and devotion, rather than anxiety or attachment to temporary forms.