Shloka 34
Cosmic Appointments, Viṣṇu’s Vibhūtis, Fourfold Operation, and the Symbolism of Ornaments and Weapons
कालेन न विना ब्रह्मा सृष्टिनिष्पादको द्विज न प्रजापतयः सर्वे न चैवाखिलजन्तवः
kālena na vinā brahmā sṛṣṭiniṣpādako dvija na prajāpatayaḥ sarve na caivākhilajantavaḥ
噢，二次生者！若无时间（迦罗 Kāla），即使梵天也不能成就创造；诸般生主（Prajāpati）亦不能繁衍后裔；离开时间，亿万众生无一能显现。
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Role of Kāla (Time) as indispensable factor for creation and manifestation
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: revealing
Creation Stage: Secondary
Concept: Time is the indispensable divine principle without which even Brahmā and the Prajāpatis cannot create or manifest beings.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Recognize timing and seasonality in life as part of a larger order; cultivate patience and alignment with dharmic rhythms.
Vishishtadvaita: Kāla functions as the Lord’s regulated power within the real world-order, making all agency dependent on Him.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman (philosophical)
Antaryamin: Yes
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse presents Time as indispensable for manifestation: even Brahmā and the Prajāpatis cannot create without Kāla, showing that cosmic events unfold only under a higher ordering power.
Parāśara states that Brahmā is not autonomous in creation; his creative function succeeds only when Time operates, emphasizing a layered causality where secondary creators act under a superior principle.
In Vaishnava cosmology, Kāla functions as an aspect or instrument of the Supreme Reality (Vishnu), implying that all creative agencies ultimately depend on Vishnu’s sovereign order.