Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 12.4.1
श्रीशुक उवाच
कालस्ते परमाण्वादिर्द्विपरार्धावधिर्नृप ।
कथितो युगमानं च शृणु कल्पलयावपि ॥ १ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca
[shree-shuka uvaacha]
kālas te paramāṇv-ādir
[kaalas te paramaanv-aadir]
dvi-parārdhāvadhir nṛpa
[dvi-paraardhaavadhir nripa]
kathito yuga-mānaṁ ca
[kathito yuga-maanam cha]
śṛṇu kalpa-layāv api
[shrinu kalpa-layaav api]
Word-for-word
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca
—
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
kālaḥ
—
time
te
—
to you
parama-aṇu
—
(the smallest fraction of time measured in terms of) the indivisible atom
ādiḥ
—
beginning with
dvi-para-ardha
—
the two halves of Brahmā’s total life span
avadhiḥ
—
culminating in
nṛpa
—
O King Parīkṣit
kathitaḥ
—
has been described
yuga-mānam
—
the duration of the millennia
ca
—
and
śṛṇu
—
now hear
kalpa
—
Brahmā’s day
layau
—
annihilation
api
—
also.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-śuka uvāca
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
kālaḥ
time
kālas te paramāṇv-ādir
te
to you
parama-aṇu
(the smallest fraction of time measured in terms of) the indivisible atom
ādiḥ
beginning with
dvi-parārdhāvadhir nṛpa
dvi-para-ardha
the two halves of Brahmā’s total life span
avadhiḥ
culminating in
nṛpa
O King Parīkṣit
kathito yuga-mānaṁ ca
kathitaḥ
has been described
yuga-mānam
the duration of the millennia
ca
and
śṛṇu kalpa-layāv api
śṛṇu
now hear
kalpa
Brahmā’s day
layau
annihilation
api
also.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, I have already described to you the measurements of time, beginning from the smallest fraction measured by the movement of a single atom up to the total life span of Lord Brahmā. I have also discussed the measurement of the different millennia of universal history. Now hear about the time of Brahmā’s day and the process of annihilation.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King! I have already described to you the measurements of time, beginning from the smallest unit up to the total life span of Lord Brahmā. I have also discussed the measurement of the yugas. Now hear about maintenance and annihilation.
In the Fourth Chapter, Śukadeva concludes the sweet topics of Kṛṣṇa by describing the four types of destruction.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Sukadeva now turns from time's smallest measures to its grand sweep — the day and night of Brahma and the rhythms of cosmic dissolution. The very topic invites us to widen the lens beyond our 70-year story and meet our life within a far vaster pattern.
Reflection Questions
- What changes for me when I locate today inside Brahma's day rather than just inside my calendar?
- Which present worry shrinks under the scale of cosmic time?
My note
Source: vedabase.io