FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.14.29

कदाचिदीश्वरस्य भगवतो विष्णोश्चक्रात्परमाण्वादिद्विपरार्धापवर्गकालोपलक्षणात्परिवर्तितेन वयसा रंहसा हरत आब्रह्मतृणस्तम्बादीनां भूतानामनिमिषतो मिषतां वित्रस्तहृदयस्तमेवेश्वरं कालचक्रनिजायुधं साक्षाद्भगवन्तं यज्ञपुरुषमनाद‍ृत्य पाखण्डदेवता: कङ्कगृध्रबकवटप्राया आर्यसमयपरिहृता: साङ्केत्येनाभिधत्ते ॥ २९ ॥
kadācid īśvarasya bhagavato viṣṇoś cakrāt paramāṇv-ādi-dvi-parārdhāpavarga-kālopalakṣaṇāt parivartitena vayasā raṁhasā harata ābrahma-tṛṇa-stambādīnāṁ bhūtānām animiṣato miṣatāṁ vitrasta-hṛdayas tam eveśvaraṁ kāla-cakra-nijāyudhaṁ sākṣād bhagavantaṁ yajña-puruṣam anādṛtya pākhaṇḍa-devatāḥ kaṅka-gṛdhra-baka-vaṭa-prāyā ārya-samaya-parihṛtāḥ sāṅketyenābhidhatte.
[kadaachid eeshvarasya bhagavato vishnosh chakraat paramaanv-aadi-dvi-paraardhaapavarga-kaalopalakshanaat parivartitena vayasaa ramhasaa harata aabrahma-trina-stambaadeenaam bhootaanaam animishato mishataam vitrasta-hridayas tam eveshvaram kaala-chakra-nijaayudham saakshaad bhagavantam yajna-purusham anaadritya paakhanda-devataah kanka-gridhra-baka-vata-praayaa aarya-samaya-parihritaah saanketyenaabhidhatte.]
kadācit — sometimes īśvarasya — of the Supreme Lord bhagavataḥ — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead viṣṇoḥ — of Lord Viṣṇu cakrāt — from the disc paramāṇu-ādi — beginning from the time of minute atoms dvi-parārdha — the duration of the life of Brahmā apavarga — ending kāla — of time upalakṣaṇāt — having the symptoms parivartitena — revolving vayasā — by the chronological order of ages raṁhasā — swiftly harataḥ — taking away ā-brahma — beginning from Lord Brahmā tṛṇa-stamba-ādīnām — down to the small clumps of grass bhūtānām — of all living entities animiṣataḥ — without blinking the eyes (without fail) miṣatām — before the eyes of the living entities (without their being able to stop it) vitrasta-hṛdayaḥ — being afraid in the heart tam — Him eva — certainly īśvaram — the Supreme Lord kāla-cakra-nija-āyudham — whose personal weapon is the disc of time sākṣāt — directly bhagavantam — the Supreme Personality of Godhead yajña-puruṣam — who accepts all kinds of sacrificial ceremonies anādṛtya — without caring for pākhaṇḍa-devatāḥ — concocted incarnations of God (man-made gods or demigods) kaṅka — buzzards gṛdhra — vultures baka — herons vaṭa-prāyāḥ — like crows ārya-samaya-parihṛtāḥ — who are rejected by authorized Vedic scriptures accepted by the Āryans sāṅketyena — by concoction or with no basis of authority indicated by scripture abhidhatte — he accepts as worshipable.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kadācid īśvarasya bhagavato viṣṇoś cakrāt paramāṇv-ādi-dvi-parārdhāpavarga-kālopalakṣaṇāt parivartitena vayasā raṁhasā harata ābrahma-tṛṇa-stambādīnāṁ bhūtānām animiṣato miṣatāṁ vitrasta-hṛdayas tam eveśvaraṁ kāla-cakra-nijāyudhaṁ sākṣād bhagavantaṁ yajña-puruṣam anādṛtya pākhaṇḍa-devatāḥ kaṅka-gṛdhra-baka-vaṭa-prāyā ārya-samaya-parihṛtāḥ sāṅketyenābhidhatte.
kadācit
sometimes
īśvarasya
of the Supreme Lord
bhagavataḥ
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
viṣṇoḥ
of Lord Viṣṇu
cakrāt
from the disc
paramāṇu-ādi
beginning from the time of minute atoms
dvi-parārdha
the duration of the life of Brahmā
apavarga
ending
kāla
of time
upalakṣaṇāt
having the symptoms
parivartitena
revolving
vayasā
by the chronological order of ages
raṁhasā
swiftly
harataḥ
taking away
ā-brahma
beginning from Lord Brahmā
tṛṇa-stamba-ādīnām
down to the small clumps of grass
bhūtānām
of all living entities
animiṣataḥ
without blinking the eyes (without fail)
miṣatām
before the eyes of the living entities (without their being able to stop it)
vitrasta-hṛdayaḥ
being afraid in the heart
tam
Him
eva
certainly
īśvaram
the Supreme Lord
kāla-cakra-nija-āyudham
whose personal weapon is the disc of time
sākṣāt
directly
bhagavantam
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
yajña-puruṣam
who accepts all kinds of sacrificial ceremonies
anādṛtya
without caring for
pākhaṇḍa-devatāḥ
concocted incarnations of God (man-made gods or demigods)
kaṅka
buzzards
gṛdhra
vultures
baka
herons
vaṭa-prāyāḥ
like crows
ārya-samaya-parihṛtāḥ
who are rejected by authorized Vedic scriptures accepted by the Āryans
sāṅketyena
by concoction or with no basis of authority indicated by scripture
abhidhatte
he accepts as worshipable.
The personal weapon used by Lord Kṛṣṇa, the disc, is called hari-cakra, the disc of Hari. This cakra is the wheel of time. It expands from the beginning of the atoms up to the time of Brahmā’s death, and it controls all activities. It is always revolving and spending the lives of the living entities, from Lord Brahmā down to an insignificant blade of grass. Thus one changes from infancy, to childhood, to youth and maturity, and thus one approaches the end of life. It is impossible to check this wheel of time. This wheel is very exacting because it is the personal weapon of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sometimes the conditioned soul, fearing the approach of death, wants to worship someone who can save him from imminent danger. Yet he does not care for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose weapon is the indefatigable time factor. The conditioned soul instead takes shelter of a man-made god described in unauthorized scriptures. Such gods are like buzzards, vultures, herons and crows. Vedic scriptures do not refer to them. Imminent death is like the attack of a lion, and neither vultures, buzzards, crows nor herons can save one from such an attack. One who takes shelter of unauthorized man-made gods cannot be saved from the clutches of death.

It is stated: hariṁ vinā mṛtiṁ na taranti. No one can save himself from the cruel hands of death without being favored by Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad-gītā it is stated, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: whoever fully surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa can be saved from the cruel hands of material nature. The conditioned soul, however, sometimes wants to take shelter of a demigod, man-made god, pseudo incarnation or bogus svāmī or yogī. All these cheaters claim to follow religious principles, and all this has become very popular in this Age of Kali. There are many pāṣaṇḍīs who, without referring to the śāstras, pose themselves as incarnations, and foolish people follow them. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has left behind Him Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. Not referring to these authorized scriptures, rascals take shelter of man-made scriptures and try to compete with Lord Kṛṣṇa. That is the greatest difficulty one encounters when trying to promote spiritual consciousness in human society. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying its best to bring people back to Kṛṣṇa consciousness in its pure form, but the pāṣaṇḍīs and atheists, who are cheaters, are so numerous that sometimes we become perplexed and wonder how to push this movement forward. In any case, we cannot accept the unauthorized ways of so-called incarnations, gods, cheaters and bluffers, who are described here as crows, vultures, buzzards and herons.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Sometimes, afraid of the cakra of the Supreme Lord, which represents time from the smallest unit up to the life span of Brahmā, and which turns quickly through all the ages of life, destroying the lives of all beings from Brahmā to grass, who are absorbed in their material affairs, the jīva does not respect the Lord of sacrifice who holds that cakra, but instead accepts imposters devoid of proper conduct, who are like herons, vultures and cranes as objects of worship. This verse explains the sentence “Being afraid of group of lions in the forest, he makes friends with cranes, herons and vultures” in verse SB 5.13.16. In fear of the cakra, he accepts the imposters as worshipable along with their imaginary scriptures (sāṅketyena). The cakra is characterized prominently (upa) by time from the smallest fraction of time (paramāṇu) to the life span of Brahmā. Another version has dvi-parārdhāpavargāt kālopalakṣaṇāt. The cakra is the very form of time. It quickly destroys the living beings from Brahmā to grass by its turning, with the passing of age from youth to old age (vayasā). They do not notice this. The genitive used for the accusative case (bhūtānām). Or the word “life” can be supplied: the cakra destroys the life of the livings beings. The cakra is vigilant (animiṣataḥ). Arya-samaya-parihṛtāḥ means they are devoid of proper behavior.
The disc of Hari — time itself — keeps revolving, ending lives from atoms to Brahmā. No one escapes it without Hari's mercy. Time is not your friend or your enemy; it is the Lord's instrument, asking whose side you are actually on.
Reflection Questions
  • Where are you treating time as if you owned it rather than as the Lord's revolving disc?
  • What changes if you accept that mercy, not strategy, is what finally moves us beyond time?
📝 My note

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