kAla is an absolutely amazing concept that encompasses many aspects of sanAtana dharma. There is lot more to kAla than just time. kAla embodies various dimensions of the concept or the idea of time.
I refrain from translating kAla as "Time" because kAla means many things. It could be time, or specify a period of time, an opportunity, a proper time for something, a season, an opportunity, fate or destiny, and at the spiritual level kAla indicates the origin, the destroyer, and also death (yamA is the kAla, the god of death). kAla refers to color black or a dark blue color (refers to a dark poisonous snake).
kAla is eternal (so is "time"), omnipresent, and omniscient! lAla is a force that controls everything else. It regulates the natural order, and it has existed before creation, exists now, and will continue to exist even after everything else is destroyed. kAla is one's life, one's lifetime. Without kAla, we do not exist or our existence has no meaning. We all are helplessly under the control or influence of kAla.
- So all we can say is "kAlAya tasmai namaH", to that "kAla" I bow down.
- kAla devours everything
- कालः सर्वस्य प्रबन्धकः - kAla is the ultimate "binder" or the one who arranges everything.
- kAla determines the past, the present and the future.
- "कालो हि ममायुर्भवति, प्रजाः प्रजायते कालः" (atharva veda): it is kAla that gives birth to creatures
- "कालेन सोम आ ययुर्मनुष्या अयासन्" (atharvaveda) - kAla wanes the moon and wanes the human lives
- "कालः पचति भूतानि सर्वाण्यादित्यवत्त्रयम्" (Raghuvamsha) - kAla "cooks" (matures) the living entities just as Sun ripens the three worlds .
- "कालः करोति भूतानां गुणवृत्तिविपर्ययम्" (uttararamacharita) - kAla causes the transformation of nature and conduct in living beings
- "का॒लो अश्वो॑ वहति स॒प्तर॑श्मिः सहस्रा॒क्षो अ॒जरो॒ भूरि॑रेताः। तमारो॑हन्ति क॒वयो॑ विप॒श्चित॒स्तस्य॑ च॒क्रा भुव॑नानि॒ विश्वा॑" (atharvana veda 19.53.1): kAla is a horse that carries seven rays, is one with thousands of eyes, is ageless, and is abundant in seed / vigor. The wise ones grow with it (or they mount on it for elevating themselves), and and understand that its wheels encompass the entire universe. Time has no beginning, no end, and is the vehicle for the wise ones to comprehend this universe. It is a black horse that is born from the feet of the Supreme being. "asva" symbolizes vital and nervous energy, the prANa. ashva in fact sybmolic for number 7 (number 7 has great significance in sanAtana dharma).
- Continuing from the previous verse, atharvana veda, in 19.53.2 says "स॒प्त च॒क्रान्व॑हति का॒ल ए॒ष स॒प्तास्य॒ नाभी॑र॒मृतं॒ न्वक्षः॑। स इ॒मा विश्वा॒ भुव॑नान्यञ्जत्का॒लः स ई॑यते प्रथ॒मो नु दे॒वः" - kAla carries seven wheels, and has seven eternal axels. kAla has given rise to universes and other variations of itself, and it considered the first among all the dEvAs (that which are self-illumined).
- atharvana veda continues in 19.53.3 "पू॒र्णः कु॒म्भोऽधि॑ का॒ल आहि॑त॒स्तं वै पश्या॑मो बहु॒धा नु सन्तः॑। स इ॒मा विश्वा॒ भुव॑नानि प्र॒त्यङ्का॒लं तमा॒हुः प॑र॒मे व्योमन्" - kAla is the complete pot (this cosmic egg; kAla is the container of all things just as a pot holds water), kAla is the definitely established in itself (it is the underlying principal that governs the universe), kAla exists in many forms, kAla is the force that pervades and governs all realms, and is the highest "heaven".
- tharvana veda continues in 19.53.4: स ए॒व सं भुव॑ना॒न्याभ॑र॒त्स ए॒व सं भुव॑नानि॒ पर्यै॑त्। पि॒ता सन्न॑भवत्पु॒त्र ए॑षां॒ तस्मा॒द्वै नान्यत्पर॑मस्ति॒ तेजः॑ | kAla alone supports and sustains the universe, kAla certainly pervades the universes, kAla is the father and the son (it is the past and the future, and governs the cycle of birth and death), and everything else, and its brilliance is extraordinary.
- atharva veda 19.53.5: "का॒लोऽमूं दिव॑मजनयत्का॒ल इ॒माः पृ॑थि॒वीरु॒त। का॒ले ह॑ भू॒तं भव्यं॑ चेषि॒तं ह॒ वि ति॑ष्ठते - kAla gave birth to the heavens and the earth. The past, the present and the future are established in kAla alone".
- atharva veda 19.53.6 "का॒लो भू॒तिम॑सृजत का॒ले तप॑ति॒ सूर्यः॑। का॒ले ह॒ विश्वा॑ भू॒तानि॑ का॒ले चक्षु॒र्वि प॑श्यति", kAla produces prosperity, in kAla does the sun burn, in kAla surely do the creatures and the entire universe manifest, and it is in kAla along that all things perceived.
- atharva veda 19.53.7 "का॒ले मनः॑ का॒ले प्रा॒णः का॒ले नाम॑ स॒माहि॑तम्। का॒लेन॒ सर्वा॑ नन्द॒न्त्याग॑तेन प्र॒जा इ॒माः" - Within kAla is the mind, within kAla is the life force (breath), in kAla are all the names gathered. And, in kAla alone do all the living beings rejoice.
- atharva veda 19.53.8: "का॒ले तपः॑ का॒ले ज्येष्ठं॑ का॒ले ब्रह्म॑ स॒माहि॑तम्। का॒लो ह॒ सर्व॑स्येश्व॒रो यः पि॒तासी॑त्प्र॒जाप॑तेः" - in kAla is all austerities performed (all efforts invested), in kAla is excellence (kAla is the oldest), and in kAla is brahman united / recognized / created / made. kAla is the Lord of all and is the father of prajApati brahman.
- atharva veda 19.54.1 "का॒लादापः॒ सम॑भवन्का॒लाद्ब्रह्म॒ तपो॒ दिशः॑। का॒लेनोदे॑ति॒ सूर्यः॑ का॒ले नि वि॑शते॒ पुनः॑" - from kAla did the aapas (water, life force), brahma, austerity and directions manifest. It is because of kAla that sun appears, and in time does sun rests again.
- atharva veda 19.54.2 "का॒लेन॒ वातः॑ पवते का॒लेन॑ पृथि॒वी म॒ही। द्यौर्म॒ही का॒ल आहि॑ता" - it is because of kAla that wind blows, and the earth attain its greatness. The heavens and the earth and established due to kAla.
- atharva veda 19.54.3: "का॒लो ह॑ भू॒तं भव्यं॑ च पु॒त्रो अ॑जनयत्पु॒रा। का॒लादृचः॒ सम॑भव॒न्यजुः॑ का॒लाद॑जायत" - it is due to kAla that past, present and future take birth. It is kAla that gave resulted in rigveda, and so did yajurveda.
Sri Krishna says in Bhagawad Gita "कालोऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत्प्रवृद्धो" - i am the kAla, the great destroyer of this universe. He also says "I am the origin", "from me comes everything else" and "I am the Lord of everything". So, we can establish thus that Krishna Himself is the kAla.
Hare Krishna!
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