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{{more citations needed|date=June 2011}}
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[[File:ศาลหลักเมือง_เขตพระนคร_กรุงเทพมหานคร_(7).jpg|thumb|right|250px| Statue of the deity Kala, Bangkok City Pillar Shrine<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bangkokcitypillarshrine.com/Content/God/3/%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%AC%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5 | title=ศาลหลักเมืองกรุงเทพมหานคร (Bangkok City Pillar Shrine) }}</ref>]]


'''Kala''' ({{lang-sa|काल|translit=Kālá/Kālam}}),<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2019-09-14 |title=Kalam: 6 definitions |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/kalam |access-date=2022-11-04 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref> {{IPA-sa|kɑːˈlə|IPA}}) is a [[Sanskrit]] term that means 'time'{{sfn|Dalal|2011|p=185}} or 'death'.<ref name="MW"/> As [[time personified]], destroying all things, Kala is a god of [[death]], and often used as one of the epithets of [[Yama]]. In [[Shaivism]], Kala is known as the fiery avatar of Shiva [[Bhairava|Kala Bhairava]] or Kalagni Rudra; and in [[Vaishnavism]] Kala is also associated with [[Narasimha]] and [[Pralaya]].{{Sfn|Soifer|1991|p=102}} As applied to gods and goddesses, ''{{IAST|Kālá}}'' is not always distinguishable from ''{{IAST|kāla}}'', meaning 'black'.<ref name="MW"/>
'''Kala''' ({{langx|sa|काल|translit=Kālá/Kālam}},<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2019-09-14 |title=Kalam: 6 definitions |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/kalam |access-date=2022-11-04 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref> {{IPA|sa|kɑːˈlə|IPA}}) is a [[Sanskrit]] term that means 'time'{{sfn|Dalal|2011|p=185}} or 'death'.<ref name="MW"/> As [[time personified]], destroying all things, Kala is a god of [[death]], and often used as one of the epithets of [[Yama]]. In [[Shaivism]], Kala is known as the fiery avatar of Shiva, [[Bhairava|Kala Bhairava]] or Kalagni Rudra; and in [[Vaishnavism]] Kala is also associated with [[Narasimha]] and [[Pralaya]].{{Sfn|Soifer|1991|p=102}} As applied to gods and goddesses, ''{{IAST|Kālá}}'' is not always distinguishable from ''{{IAST|kāla}}'', meaning 'black'.<ref name="MW"/>


==Etymology==
==Etymology==
[[Monier-Williams]]'s widely used Sanskrit-English dictionary<ref name="MW">{{Cite web |url=http://webapps.uni-koeln.de/tamil/ |title=Sanskrit and Tamil Dictionaries |access-date=6 August 2007 |archive-date=26 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080126035307/http://webapps.uni-koeln.de/tamil/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> lists two distinct words with the form ''{{IAST|kāla}}'':
[[Monier-Williams]]'s widely used Sanskrit-English dictionary<ref name="MW">{{Cite web |url=https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/2020/web/webtc/indexcaller.php |title=Sanskrit Dictionary<!-- 1899 Basic-->|year=1899| first = Monier|last=Monier-Williams|access-date=2023-10-04}}</ref> lists two distinct words with the form ''{{IAST|kāla}}'':
* ''{{IAST|kāla}}'' 1 means "black, of a dark colour, dark-blue ..." and has a feminine form ending in ''{{IAST|ī}}'' – ''{{IAST|kālī}}'' – as mentioned in {{IAST|[[Pāṇini]]}} 4–1, 42.  
* ''{{IAST|kāla}}'' 1 means "black, of a dark colour, dark-blue ..." and has a feminine form ending in ''{{IAST|ī}}'' – ''{{IAST|kālī}}'' – as mentioned in {{IAST|[[Pāṇini]]}} 4–1, 42.  
* ''{{IAST|kālá}}'' 2 means "a fixed or right point of time, a space of time, time ... destiny, fate ... death" and has a feminine form (found at the end of compounds) ending in ''{{IAST|ā}}'', as mentioned in the ''{{IAST|ṛgveda}}'' ''{{IAST|Prātiśākhya}}''. As a [[Hindu units of measurement|traditional Hindu unit of time]], one ''kālá'' corresponds to 144 seconds.
* ''{{IAST|kālá}}'' 2 means "a fixed or right point of time, a space of time, time ... destiny, fate ... death" and has a feminine form (found at the end of compounds) ending in ''{{IAST|ā}}'', as mentioned in the ''{{IAST|ṛgveda}}'' ''{{IAST|Prātiśākhya}}''. As a [[Hindu units of measurement|traditional Hindu unit of time]], one ''kālá'' corresponds to 144 seconds.


According to Monier-Williams, ''{{IAST|kāla}}'' 2 is from the verbal root ''{{IAST|kal}}''  "to calculate", while the root of ''{{IAST|kāla}}'' 1 is uncertain, though possibly the same.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://webapps.uni-koeln.de/tamil/ |title=Sanskrit and Tamil Dictionaries |access-date=6 August 2007 |archive-date=26 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080126035307/http://webapps.uni-koeln.de/tamil/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
According to Monier-Williams, ''{{IAST|kāla}}'' 2 is from the verbal root ''{{IAST|kal}}''  "to calculate", while the root of ''{{IAST|kāla}}'' 1 is uncertain, though possibly the same.<ref name=MW/>


As applied to gods and goddesses in works such as the ''{{IAST|Devī}}'' ''{{IAST|Māhātmya}}'' and the ''Skanda'' ''{{IAST|Purāṇa}}'', ''{{IAST|kāla}}'' 1 and ''{{IAST|kāla}}'' 2 are not readily distinguishable. Thus Wendy Doniger, translating a conversation between {{IAST|Śiva}} and {{IAST|Pārvatī}} from the ''Skanda'' ''{{IAST|Purāṇa}}'', says ''{{IAST|Mahākāla}}'' may mean " 'the Great Death' ... or 'the Great Black One' ".<ref>Doniger O'Flaherty, Wendy; ''Hindu Myths;'' Penguin, 1975; {{ISBN|0-14-044306-1}} footnote to page 253.</ref> And {{IAST|Swāmī}} {{IAST|Jagadīśvarānanda}}, a Hindu translator of the ''{{IAST|Devī}}'' ''{{IAST|Māhātmya}}'', renders the feminine compound ''{{IAST|kāla-rātri}}'' (where ''{{IAST|rātri}}'' means "night") as "dark night of periodic dissolution".<ref>{{IAST|Jagadīśvarānanda}} trans; ''Devi Mahatmyam'' (Sanskrit and English); Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras, 1953; chapter 1 verse 78.</ref>
As applied to gods and goddesses in works such as the ''{{IAST|Devī}}'' ''{{IAST|Māhātmya}}'' and the ''Skanda'' ''{{IAST|Purāṇa}}'', ''{{IAST|kāla}}'' 1 and ''{{IAST|kāla}}'' 2 are not readily distinguishable. Thus Wendy Doniger, translating a conversation between {{IAST|Śiva}} and {{IAST|Pārvatī}} from the ''Skanda'' ''{{IAST|Purāṇa}}'', says ''{{IAST|Mahākāla}}'' may mean " 'the Great Death' ... or 'the Great Black One' ".<ref>Doniger O'Flaherty, Wendy; ''Hindu Myths;'' Penguin, 1975; {{ISBN|0-14-044306-1}} footnote to page 253.</ref> And {{IAST|Swāmī}} {{IAST|Jagadīśvarānanda}}, a Hindu translator of the ''{{IAST|Devī}}'' ''{{IAST|Māhātmya}}'', renders the feminine compound ''{{IAST|kāla-rātri}}'' (where ''{{IAST|rātri}}'' means "night") as "dark night of periodic dissolution".<ref>{{IAST|Jagadīśvarānanda}} trans; ''Devi Mahatmyam'' (Sanskrit and English); Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras, 1953; chapter 1 verse 78.</ref>
==Deity==
==Deity==
[[File:Mahakala_Statue_5516.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Murti]] of Kala, [[National Museum of Indonesia]].]]
{{Multiple image
| align = left
| direction = vertical
| width = 200
| image1 = ศาลหลักเมือง_เขตพระนคร_กรุงเทพมหานคร_(7).jpg
| caption1 = The [[Murti|Statue]] of [[Phra Kanchaisri|Kala dev]], [[Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932)|Early Rattanakosin art]] (19 -21th century), Bangkok City Pillar Shrine.<ref>https://bangkokcitypillarshrine.com/Content/God/3/%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%AC%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5?lang=2</ref>
| image2 = Mahakala_Statue_5516.jpg
| caption2 = The [[Murti|Statue]] of [[Batara Kala|Kala dev]], [[National Museum of Indonesia]].
}}
 
=== Atharva Ved ===
Kala is described in 19th Kanda Sukta 53 and 54 in the [[Atharvaved]] as a deity in which the mind, breath and name of God pervades.<ref>https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Atharva-Veda_Samhita/Book_XIX/Hymn_53</ref>


=== Epics and the Puranas ===
=== Epics and the Puranas ===
Kala appears as an impersonal deity within the [[Mahabharata]], the [[Ramayana]], and the [[Bhagavata Purana]]. In the Mahabharata, [[Krishna]], one of the main characters, reveals his identity as Time personified. He states to [[Arjuna]] that both sides on the battlefield of the [[Kurukshetra War]] have already been annihilated. At the end of the epic, the entire [[Yadu]] dynasty (Krishna's dynasty) is similarly annihilated.
Kala appears as an impersonal deity within the [[Mahabharata]], the [[Ramayana]], and the [[Bhagavata Purana]]. In the [[Bhagavad Gita]] (11.32), [[Krishna]], one of the main characters, reveals his identity as Time personified. He states to [[Arjuna]] that both sides on the battlefield of the [[Kurukshetra War]] have already been annihilated. At the end of the epic, the entire [[Yadu]] dynasty (Krishna's dynasty) is similarly annihilated.


Kala appears in the [[Uttara Kanda]] of the Ramayana, as the messenger of Death (Yama). At the end of the story, Time, in the form of inevitability or necessity, informs [[Rama]] that his reign on Earth is now over. By a trick or dilemma, he forces the death of [[Lakshmana]], and informs Rama that he must return to the realm of the gods. Lakshmana willingly passes away with Rama's blessing and Rama returns to [[Vaikuntha]].
Kala appears in the [[Uttara Kanda]] of the Ramayana, as the messenger of Death (Yama). At the end of the story, Time, in the form of inevitability or necessity, informs [[Rama]] that his reign on Earth is now over. By a trick or dilemma, he forces the death of [[Lakshmana]], and informs Rama that he must return to the realm of the gods. Lakshmana willingly passes away with Rama's blessing and Rama returns to [[Vaikuntha]].


Time appears in the Bhagavata Purana as the force that is responsible for the imperceptible and inevitable change in the entire creation. According to the Purana, all created things are illusory, and thereby subject to creation and annihilation, this imperceptible and inconceivable impermanence is said to be due to the march of Time. Similarly, Time is considered to be the unmanifest aspect of God that remains after the destruction of the entire world at the end of a lifespan of [[Brahma]]. According to Soifer, [[Narasimha]] is explicitly linked with [[Pralaya]] or Yuganta itself in [[Bhagavata Purana]], [[Linga Purana]], and [[Kurma Purana]] versions; he is said to appear like Kala or the fire of destruction, both agents of Pralaya.{{Sfn|Soifer|1991|p=102}}  
Time appears in the Bhagavata Purana as the force that is responsible for the imperceptible and inevitable change in the entire creation. According to the Purana, all created things are illusory, and thereby subject to creation and annihilation, this imperceptible and inconceivable impermanence is said to be due to the march of Time. Similarly, Time is considered to be the unmanifest aspect of God that remains after the destruction of the entire world at the end of a lifespan of [[Brahma]]. According to Soifer, [[Narasimha]] is explicitly linked with [[Pralaya]] or Yuganta itself in [[Bhagavata Purana]], [[Linga Purana]], and [[Kurma Purana]] versions; he is said to appear like Kala or the fire of destruction, both agents of Pralaya.{{Sfn|Soifer|1991|p=102}}


In the [[Chaitanya Bhagavata]], a [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism|Gaudiya Vaishnava]] text and biography of [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]], it is said that the fire that emerges from the mouth of [[Balarama|Sankarshana]] at the End of Time is the ''Kālānala'', or "fire of Time".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Chaitanya-Bhagavata|last=Thakura|first=Vrndavana Dasa|others=Translated by Sarvabhavana Dasa|pages=203}}</ref> One of the names of Sankarshana is ''k''ā''l''ā''gni'', also "fire of time".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stephen-knapp.com/thousand_names_of_lord_balarama.htm|title=A Thousand Names of Lord Balarama}}</ref>
In the [[Chaitanya Bhagavata]], a [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism|Gaudiya Vaishnava]] text and biography of [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]], it is said that the fire that emerges from the mouth of [[Balarama|Sankarshana]] at the End of Time is the ''Kālānala'', or "fire of Time".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Chaitanya-Bhagavata|last=Thakura|first=Vrndavana Dasa|others=Translated by Sarvabhavana Dasa|pages=203}}</ref> One of the names of Sankarshana is ''k''ā''l''ā''gni'', also "fire of time".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stephen-knapp.com/thousand_names_of_lord_balarama.htm|title=A Thousand Names of Lord Balarama}}</ref>
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At [[Bhagavad Gita]] 11.32, [[Krishna]] takes on the form of ''kāla'', the destroyer, announcing to Arjuna that all the warriors on both sides will be killed, apart from the Pandavas:
At [[Bhagavad Gita]] 11.32, [[Krishna]] takes on the form of ''kāla'', the destroyer, announcing to Arjuna that all the warriors on both sides will be killed, apart from the Pandavas:


<blockquote>
{{Blockquote|text=कालो ऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत् प्रवृद्धो लोकान् समाहर्तुम् इह प्रवृत्तः ।
'''कालो ऽस्मि''' लोकक्षयकृत् प्रवृद्धो लोकान् समाहर्तुम् इह प्रवृत्तः ।
{{Paragraph break}}Time (kāla) I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people.<ref>See [https://www.bhagavad-gita.us/bhagavad-gita-11-32/ text and translation]</ref>|title=Bhagavad Gita|source=Verse 11.32}}
</blockquote>
 
This verse means: "'''Time (kāla) I am''', the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people."<ref>See [https://www.bhagavad-gita.us/bhagavad-gita-11-32/ text and translation]</ref> This phrase is famous for being quoted by [[J. Robert Oppenheimer]] as he reflected on the [[Manhattan Project]]'s explosion of the first nuclear bomb in 1945.
Globally, this phrase is famous in a somewhat erroneous form, in that it was misquoted as "''I have/am become '''Death'''''" by [https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert%20Oppenheimer J. Robert Oppenheimer, as he reflected on the Manhattan Project's explosion of the first nuclear bomb in 1945.]


===In other cultures===
===In other cultures===
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In [[Borobudur]], the gate to the stairs is adorned with a giant head, making the gate look like the open mouth of the giant. Many other gates in Javanese traditional buildings have this kind of ornament. Perhaps the most detailed Kala Face in Java is on the south side of [[Candi Kalasan]].
In [[Borobudur]], the gate to the stairs is adorned with a giant head, making the gate look like the open mouth of the giant. Many other gates in Javanese traditional buildings have this kind of ornament. Perhaps the most detailed Kala Face in Java is on the south side of [[Candi Kalasan]].


In [[Thailand]], he is popular worshipped together with [[Lak Mueang]] within [[Tai folk religion]] and [[Chitragupta]] in [[Hinduism]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bangkokcitypillarshrine.com/Content/God/ | title=ศาลหลักเมืองกรุงเทพมหานคร (Bangkok City Pillar Shrine) }}</ref>
In [[Thailand]], he is popularly worshipped In the name '''[[Phra Kanchaisri]]''' together with [[Lak Mueang]] within [[Tai folk religion]] and [[Chitragupta]] in [[Hinduism]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bangkokcitypillarshrine.com/Content/God/ | title=ศาลหลักเมืองกรุงเทพมหานคร (Bangkok City Pillar Shrine) }}</ref> he is regarded as one of the first detiy four teachers of thai folk astrology and thai folk witchcraft., It is a rhyming word in Thai language that says: Phra In [[Phra Phrom]] Phra Yom Phra Kan (mean [[Indra]] [[brahma]] [[Yama]] [[Phra Kanchaisri|kala]]) and is worshipped invite as a protector in various rituals of [[Hinduism in Thailand]] and [[Tai folk religion]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thailand |first=MYHORA com |title=โองการเทพชุมนุม - myhora.com |url=https://www.myhora.com/khatha/?152 |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=www.myhora.com |language=th}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=โองการธรณีสารใหญ่ กับความเชื่อไทยโบราณ |url=https://www.reurnthai.com/index.php?topic=7462.0 |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=www.reurnthai.com}}</ref><ref>https://so01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/HUSO/article/download/278921/180768/1166001</ref> Including being mentioned as a witness to the merit-making ceremony and the water pouring ceremony is a traditional [[Buddhism in Thailand|Thai Buddhist]] ritual style.<ref>{{Cite web |title=บทสวดน้ำมนต์ |url=https://c1.chaij.net/html/namo/palapanyo/siriwadhano/nammont.html |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=c1.chaij.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=คำกรวดน้ำ คำอธิษฐาน ภาษาไทยโบราณ |url=https://www.watpamahachai.net/khao_64.htm |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=www.watpamahachai.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=:: ลานธรรมจักร :: :: อ่าน - บทกรวดน้ำ (ฉบับเต็ม) โดยแม่ชีทศพร |url=http://www.dhammajak.net/board/viewtopic.php?t=351&view=previous&sid=26626e68156fc0818721c2414f43e849 |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=www.dhammajak.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-07-03 |title=บทกรวดน้ำอุทิศผลบุญครอบจักรวาล – www.decoder.name |url=https://www.decoder.name/give-to-the-universe-789/ |access-date=2025-11-12 |language=th}}</ref> Thais are also familiar with him by his name '''[[Batara Kala|Patarakala]]''' (ปะตาระกาหลา) from in Thai literature name '''[[Panji tales|E - nao]]''' adapt from ancient Javanese-influenced literature., His name is also used for statue an ancient deity revered as the guardian deity of [[Lopburi]] Province in [[San Phra Kan]] and [[Wat Phra Phutthabat]] in [[Saraburi]] Province., both of which are renowned and well known throughout Thailand.


== Jainism ==
== Jainism ==
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* The cause of the continuity of function of things.
* The cause of the continuity of function of things.


However [[Jainism]] recognizes a very small [[measurement]] of time known as ''samaya'' which is an infinitely small part of a [[second]]. There are cycles (''kalachakra''s) in it. Each cycle having two eras of equal duration described as the ''[[avasarpini]]'' and the ''[[utsarpini]]''.
However [[Jainism]] recognizes a very small [[measurement]] of time known as ''[[samayā]]'' which is an infinitely small part of a [[second]]. There are cycles (''kalachakra''s) in it. Each cycle having two eras of equal duration described as the ''[[avasarpini]]'' and the ''[[utsarpini]]''.


==See also==
==See also==
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==Sources==
==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last =Dalal | first =Roshen | year = | title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-341421-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC&pg=PA185|accessdate=19 December 2012|date=5 October 2011}}
* {{cite book|last =Dalal | first =Roshen | year = | title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-341421-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC&pg=PA185|access-date=19 December 2012|date=5 October 2011}}
* {{Citation | editor-last =Pintchman | editor-first =Tracy  | title =Seeking Mahadevi: Constructing the Identities of the Hindu Great Goddess | publisher =SUNY Press |date=2001}}
* {{Citation | editor-last =Pintchman | editor-first =Tracy  | title =Seeking Mahadevi: Constructing the Identities of the Hindu Great Goddess | publisher =SUNY Press |date=2001}}
*{{cite book|last=Soifer|first=Deborah A.|year=1991|title=The Myths of Narasimha and Vamana: Two Avatars in Cosmological Perspective|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OoFDK_sDGHwC|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn = 9780791407998}}
*{{cite book|last=Soifer|first=Deborah A.|year=1991|title=The Myths of Narasimha and Vamana: Two Avatars in Cosmological Perspective|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OoFDK_sDGHwC|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn = 9780791407998}}
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{{Time in religion and mythology}}
{{Time in religion and mythology}}


 
{{commons category|Kala}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Kala (Time)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kala (Time)}}

Latest revision as of 06:50, 23 January 2026


For other uses of "Kala", see Kala (disambiguation).
"Kaal" redirects here. For other uses, see Kaal (disambiguation).


Kala (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.,[1] sa) is a Sanskrit term that means 'time'[2] or 'death'.[3] As time personified, destroying all things, Kala is a god of death, and often used as one of the epithets of Yama. In Shaivism, Kala is known as the fiery avatar of Shiva, Kala Bhairava or Kalagni Rudra; and in Vaishnavism Kala is also associated with Narasimha and Pralaya.[4] As applied to gods and goddesses, Kālá is not always distinguishable from kāla, meaning 'black'.[3]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

Monier-Williams's widely used Sanskrit-English dictionary[3] lists two distinct words with the form kāla:

  • kāla 1 means "black, of a dark colour, dark-blue ..." and has a feminine form ending in ī – kālī – as mentioned in Pāṇini 4–1, 42.
  • kālá 2 means "a fixed or right point of time, a space of time, time ... destiny, fate ... death" and has a feminine form (found at the end of compounds) ending in ā, as mentioned in the ṛgveda Prātiśākhya. As a traditional Hindu unit of time, one kālá corresponds to 144 seconds.

According to Monier-Williams, kāla 2 is from the verbal root kal "to calculate", while the root of kāla 1 is uncertain, though possibly the same.[3]

As applied to gods and goddesses in works such as the Devī Māhātmya and the Skanda Purāṇa, kāla 1 and kāla 2 are not readily distinguishable. Thus Wendy Doniger, translating a conversation between Śiva and Pārvatī from the Skanda Purāṇa, says Mahākāla may mean " 'the Great Death' ... or 'the Great Black One' ".[5] And Swāmī Jagadīśvarānanda, a Hindu translator of the Devī Māhātmya, renders the feminine compound kāla-rātri (where rātri means "night") as "dark night of periodic dissolution".[6]

Deity[edit | edit source]

The Statue of Kala dev, Early Rattanakosin art (19 -21th century), Bangkok City Pillar Shrine.[7]
The Statue of Kala dev, National Museum of Indonesia.

Atharva Ved[edit | edit source]

Kala is described in 19th Kanda Sukta 53 and 54 in the Atharvaved as a deity in which the mind, breath and name of God pervades.[8]

Epics and the Puranas[edit | edit source]

Kala appears as an impersonal deity within the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and the Bhagavata Purana. In the Bhagavad Gita (11.32), Krishna, one of the main characters, reveals his identity as Time personified. He states to Arjuna that both sides on the battlefield of the Kurukshetra War have already been annihilated. At the end of the epic, the entire Yadu dynasty (Krishna's dynasty) is similarly annihilated.

Kala appears in the Uttara Kanda of the Ramayana, as the messenger of Death (Yama). At the end of the story, Time, in the form of inevitability or necessity, informs Rama that his reign on Earth is now over. By a trick or dilemma, he forces the death of Lakshmana, and informs Rama that he must return to the realm of the gods. Lakshmana willingly passes away with Rama's blessing and Rama returns to Vaikuntha.

Time appears in the Bhagavata Purana as the force that is responsible for the imperceptible and inevitable change in the entire creation. According to the Purana, all created things are illusory, and thereby subject to creation and annihilation, this imperceptible and inconceivable impermanence is said to be due to the march of Time. Similarly, Time is considered to be the unmanifest aspect of God that remains after the destruction of the entire world at the end of a lifespan of Brahma. According to Soifer, Narasimha is explicitly linked with Pralaya or Yuganta itself in Bhagavata Purana, Linga Purana, and Kurma Purana versions; he is said to appear like Kala or the fire of destruction, both agents of Pralaya.[4]

In the Chaitanya Bhagavata, a Gaudiya Vaishnava text and biography of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, it is said that the fire that emerges from the mouth of Sankarshana at the End of Time is the Kālānala, or "fire of Time".[9] One of the names of Sankarshana is kālāgni, also "fire of time".[10]

The Vishnu Purana also states that Time (kala) is one of the four primary forms of Vishnu, the others being matter (Pradhana), visible substance (vyakta), and Spirit (Purusha).[11][12] According to Pinchman, "It is said that at the time of primordial creation, three forms arise from Vishnu: time (kala), purusha, and prakrti".[13]

Bhagavad Gita[edit | edit source]

At Bhagavad Gita 11.32, Krishna takes on the form of kāla, the destroyer, announcing to Arjuna that all the warriors on both sides will be killed, apart from the Pandavas:

कालो ऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत् प्रवृद्धो लोकान् समाहर्तुम् इह प्रवृत्तः ।

Time (kāla) I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people.[14]

— Bhagavad Gita, Verse 11.32

Globally, this phrase is famous in a somewhat erroneous form, in that it was misquoted as "I have/am become Death" by J. Robert Oppenheimer, as he reflected on the Manhattan Project's explosion of the first nuclear bomb in 1945.

In other cultures[edit | edit source]

In Javanese mythology, Batara Kala is the god of destruction. It is a very huge mighty and powerful god depicted as giant, born of the sperm of Shiva, the kings of gods.

In Borobudur, the gate to the stairs is adorned with a giant head, making the gate look like the open mouth of the giant. Many other gates in Javanese traditional buildings have this kind of ornament. Perhaps the most detailed Kala Face in Java is on the south side of Candi Kalasan.

In Thailand, he is popularly worshipped In the name Phra Kanchaisri together with Lak Mueang within Tai folk religion and Chitragupta in Hinduism.[15] he is regarded as one of the first detiy four teachers of thai folk astrology and thai folk witchcraft., It is a rhyming word in Thai language that says: Phra In Phra Phrom Phra Yom Phra Kan (mean Indra brahma Yama kala) and is worshipped invite as a protector in various rituals of Hinduism in Thailand and Tai folk religion[16][17][18] Including being mentioned as a witness to the merit-making ceremony and the water pouring ceremony is a traditional Thai Buddhist ritual style.[19][20][21][22] Thais are also familiar with him by his name Patarakala (ปะตาระกาหลา) from in Thai literature name E - nao adapt from ancient Javanese-influenced literature., His name is also used for statue an ancient deity revered as the guardian deity of Lopburi Province in San Phra Kan and Wat Phra Phutthabat in Saraburi Province., both of which are renowned and well known throughout Thailand.

Jainism[edit | edit source]

kalachakras in Jainism
Main article: Ajiva
Logarithmic scale of time used in Jain texts.

In Jainism, Kāla (Time) is infinite and is explained in two different ways:

  • The measure of duration, known in the form of hours, days, like that.
  • The cause of the continuity of function of things.

However Jainism recognizes a very small measurement of time known as samayā which is an infinitely small part of a second. There are cycles (kalachakras) in it. Each cycle having two eras of equal duration described as the avasarpini and the utsarpini.

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ www.wisdomlib.org (14 September 2019). "Kalam: 6 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  2. ↑ Dalal 2011, p. 185.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Monier-Williams, Monier (1899). "Sanskrit Dictionary". Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Soifer 1991, p. 102.
  5. ↑ Doniger O'Flaherty, Wendy; Hindu Myths; Penguin, 1975; ISBN 0-14-044306-1 footnote to page 253.
  6. ↑ Jagadīśvarānanda trans; Devi Mahatmyam (Sanskrit and English); Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras, 1953; chapter 1 verse 78.
  7. ↑ https://bangkokcitypillarshrine.com/Content/God/3/%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%AC%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5?lang=2
  8. ↑ https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Atharva-Veda_Samhita/Book_XIX/Hymn_53
  9. ↑ Thakura, Vrndavana Dasa. Chaitanya-Bhagavata. Translated by Sarvabhavana Dasa. p. 203.
  10. ↑ "A Thousand Names of Lord Balarama".
  11. ↑ Wilson, Horace H. (1840). "Preface". The Vishńu Puráńa: A System of Hindu Mythology and Tradition. pp. ix.
  12. ↑ Roy, Janmajit (2002). "Signs and Symptoms of Avatārahood". Theory of Avatāra and Divinity of Chaitanya. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 66.
  13. ↑ Pintchman 2001, p. 83.
  14. ↑ See text and translation
  15. ↑ "ศาลหลักเมืองกรุงเทพมหานคร (Bangkok City Pillar Shrine)".
  16. ↑ Thailand, MYHORA com. "โองการเทพชุมนุม - myhora.com". www.myhora.com (in ไทย). Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  17. ↑ "โองการธรณีสารใหญ่ กับความเชื่อไทยโบราณ". www.reurnthai.com. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  18. ↑ https://so01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/HUSO/article/download/278921/180768/1166001
  19. ↑ "บทสวดน้ำมนต์". c1.chaij.net. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  20. ↑ "คำกรวดน้ำ คำอธิษฐาน ภาษาไทยโบราณ". www.watpamahachai.net. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  21. ↑ ":: ลานธรรมจักร :: :: อ่าน - บทกรวดน้ำ (ฉบับเต็ม) โดยแม่ชีทศพร". www.dhammajak.net. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  22. ↑ "บทกรวดน้ำอุทิศผลบุญครอบจักรวาล – www.decoder.name" (in ไทย). 3 July 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2025.

Sources[edit | edit source]

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