The Timepass Of Time

In the 23rd sarga of the Vairagya Prakarana of Yoga Vasishta Lord Rama is describing the nature of Kala, Time.

We have already seen part of this.

Now, continuing further.

It is this Kala himself who eliminates the world as the Samvartakagni at the time of pralaya.

He himself creates huge storms to help him with this.

He is Rudra then, at the time of pralaya.

Then after that, he shrinks the whole universe to the size of an atom and keeps with himself till the time of the next creation.

As Mahendra.

This state is called tirobhava.

When he wants to create the world again, he becomes Brahma.

Then as Vishnu he manages the world.

Then again pralaya.

He is like the ocean. Creates a wave, creates the next wave and subdues the earlier one.

Have you seen the fig tree?

When the fruits ripen, mosquitoes come and fly around those fruits.

Making that typical buzzing sound.

Then in some time the tree will make those fruits to fall, smash on the ground.

If you catch the sound of a busy city from above, from the sky with a microphone
what you hear is just a buzz.

Like the buzz that the mosquitoes make.

When the world is in action, put together it is a buzz that you will hear.

Like the buzz of the mosquitoes flying around the fig fruits.

Then the fruits fall, they are destroyed.

Kala, Time is like this fig tree, says Lord Rama.

Universes hang from that tree for some time, during that time you can hear the buzz, then they fall, they are gone.

He keeps on pushing beings to do things and undergo their consequences, both good and bad.

Like how we watch movies and shows for entertainment, this is what Time amuses himself with.

This is the timepass of Time, Kala.

He makes some place dark by bringing night there.

He makes the same place bright by bringing day there.

He is simply there, rock solid.

Nothing can affect him.

Nothing can change his pace.

Nothing can ever change what he wants to do.

He has been doing this for hundreds of mahakalpas.

He doesn't have any respect for the world that he creates.

Like a child playing football in front of his house, Kala is simply kicking the world around.

He spares no one, not even Gods.

The great ocean that remains after pralaya, for Kala it is like a small swimming pool.

The great oceans like the milky ocean, ocean of curd, ocean of sugarcane juice, they are his breakfast drinks.

Earth for him is like a serving plate, off which he eats whatever he wants.

Even the great avataras like Narasimha, they are just instruments in his hands.

Kala finds fun in destroying.

He creates only to destroy.
He never sits idle.

He keeps on moving.
He doesn't allow anyone to sit idle as well.

As he is running, he forces everyone to run alongside him.

• Time (Kala) is the force that drives creation, sustains it, and finally dissolves it — all as part of its own rhythm, unaffected by anything.

• During dissolution (pralaya), Time becomes a destructive fire (Samvartakagni), aided by fierce storms and chaos — this is its Rudra aspect.

• After pralaya, Time condenses the universe to a tiny seed and holds it silently in suspension — this hidden state is called 'tirobhava'.

• When creation begins again, Time becomes Brahma, then Vishnu, setting the cycle back into motion and managing its unfolding.

• This rise and fall of worlds is like ocean waves — one wave forms, then another, and the previous disappears. Time keeps moving.

• The buzzing activity of the universe is compared to mosquitoes swarming around ripened fig fruits — a noisy, short-lived scene that soon collapses.

• The entire world, when observed from a distance, sounds like a mere hum — the background drone of impermanent activity.

• Time keeps creating and destroying for amusement — just as humans watch shows, Time watches the play of karma unfold.

• Night and day, brightness and darkness — all are staged by Time, which controls the rhythm of experience in every place.

• Time is unshaken by anything. It cannot be influenced, delayed, or opposed. It simply marches on, unmoved by events or beings.

• Even the most enormous cosmic forces — oceans of milk or curd, massive floods — are trivial to Time, like a child's game.

• Earth itself is Time’s dinner plate, and its mightiest avatars and gods are mere pieces on its board.

• Time has no reverence for anything it creates — it builds only to destroy, enjoys the collapse, and restarts the process.

• Nobody escapes Time — not even divine incarnations. Everything it initiates, it consumes again.

• Time enforces constant movement. No being can remain idle because Time itself never stops. It drags the world along with its flow.

What does it mean to say Time creates and destroys the world?
Time is the underlying force that triggers birth, growth, decay, and destruction. It brings forth the universe, lets it unfold for a while, and then winds it back into silence, only to start again.

Why does creation have to be temporary?
Just as a wave rises and falls in the ocean, creation is part of a cyclical pattern. Nothing remains fixed — every form is bound to dissolve so that something new can rise.

Isn't that random destruction cruel?
It only appears cruel if seen from an emotional lens. From a larger view, it is like nature’s pruning — removing what’s done to make room for what’s next. Without this, stagnation would rule.

What is the role of Time during pralaya (dissolution)?
Time becomes destructive energy — like fire and storm — that breaks down the universe. It dismantles everything, shrinking it to a potential state where it waits for rebirth.

Why does it shrink the universe to an atom after destruction?
Because every cycle must end in quiet before the next begins. That atom is not empty — it holds the blueprint of the next creation, resting silently in Time’s grasp.

Why not just keep the world going forever?
Perpetual existence without pause would lead to imbalance and exhaustion. Cycles ensure rest, renewal, and correction — like sleep follows wakefulness, or seasons follow each other.

What is 'tirobhava'?
'Tirobhava' means the concealed or latent phase. After dissolution, the universe isn't gone — it's held quietly within Time until the next cycle starts.

Is this like deep sleep for the universe?
Yes, a deep, dreamless state where nothing moves or stirs — like a seed buried in soil, waiting for rain and warmth to sprout again.

How do we know this pause exists?
The recurring rhythm of creation and destruction across scriptures and observed cycles in nature — day and night, life and death — all hint at this hidden resting phase.

How does Time operate across these roles — Rudra, Brahma, Vishnu?
Time wears different hats during different phases. As Rudra, it destroys; as Brahma, it creates; as Vishnu, it sustains. Yet behind all forms, it is the same unchanging force.

Why are these divine roles assigned to Time?
Because the cycles of creation, preservation, and destruction are seen as divine functions. Time drives them all, taking on these symbolic forms to make them relatable.

Is this symbolic or literal?
It’s symbolic of cosmic processes. These roles help explain vast truths through familiar names, so our minds can grasp the invisible workings of reality.

What is the fig tree metaphor about?
Time is compared to a fig tree where universes are like ripened fruits. They buzz with life for a while, then fall and burst — a cycle of noisy existence ending in silence.

Why use the fig tree and mosquitoes as an image?
Because they reflect everyday life — noisy, fleeting, and fragile. The mosquito buzz and fallen fruit show how brief and loud existence can be before it vanishes.

Isn’t this a bit pessimistic?
It’s realistic. It strips away illusions and helps us see the big picture — not to make us despair, but to make us wise and detached.

Why does Time create if it only wants to destroy?
Because movement is its nature. Creation is just the start of a game that ends in erasure. Time moves forward, not out of purpose, but because that’s what it does.

Isn’t that meaningless then?
Not meaningless — but beyond human notions of purpose. For Time, meaning doesn’t lie in permanence. It lies in the dance itself — in letting karma play out.

So are we puppets?
We’re players in the field of karma, yes, but with some free will. Our choices within Time’s framework shape what we experience, though we can’t stop Time’s flow.

Does anything affect Time?
No. Time is unaffected, undisturbed, and unopposed. It doesn’t react — it simply acts, according to its own law.

How can it be so absolute?
Because everything we measure — change, motion, growth — happens within Time. But Time itself doesn’t move. It is the reference point, not a participant.

But can’t science bend time?
Science can measure effects of time based on speed or gravity, but it can’t escape or control the deeper force behind existence and decay — that core is what’s meant here.

Why is Time called indifferent to what it creates?
Because it has no emotional investment. Just like a child kicking a ball around for fun, Time sets things into motion and then watches them collapse without any regret.

Isn’t that a harsh way to see creation?
It may sound harsh, but it frees us from attachments. If even creation is play, we stop clinging to things that are bound to fall apart.

So does nothing matter in the end?
What matters is how consciously you move within the play. Knowing it’s a stage doesn’t cancel meaning — it just shifts it from outcome to awareness.

What happens to great beings and avatars under Time?
Even divine beings, celestial oceans, and cosmic events are subject to Time. They are not beyond its grip — just tools for its unfolding plans.

Why even send avatars if Time controls everything?
Avatars arise as part of the play — like characters in a storybook. They serve a function, teach lessons, and dissolve when the scene is over.

Isn’t that belittling divine power?
No, it shows the supremacy of Time as the stage on which even divinity acts. It doesn’t deny greatness — it reveals the vastness of the canvas on which it’s painted.

Why does Time never stop or rest?
Because it thrives on movement. The moment it stops, everything collapses into stillness — and the game ends.

Isn’t that exhausting for the universe?
Yes, but that’s why cycles exist — destruction is the universe’s way of resting while Time keeps ticking behind the scenes.

Can we ever escape this constant motion?
Only by stepping out of identification with the flow — by realizing that awareness is distinct from the dance of Time. Until then, we run because Time runs.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi