युगवत्सरकल्पाख्यैः किञ्चित्प्रकटतां गतः । रूपैरलक्ष्यरूपात्मा सर्वमाक्रम्य तिष्ठति ॥ ७ ॥
yugavatsarakalpākhyaiḥ kiñcitprakaṭatāṁ gataḥ | rūpairalakṣyarūpātmā sarvamākramya tiṣṭhati || 7 ||
Translation
Appearing a little in the forms called ages, years and aeons, Time, whose own form cannot be seen, stands having overcome all.
Word by word
- yuga
- ages
- vatsara
- years
- kalpa
- and aeons
- ākhyaiḥ
- called
- kiñcit
- a little
- prakaṭatāṁ
- appearing
- gataḥ
- come to
- rūpair
- (rūpaiḥ) in the forms
- alakṣya
- cannot be seen
- rūpa
- whose form
- ātmā
- own
- sarvam
- all
- ākramya
- having overcome
- tiṣṭhati
- stands
Meaning
We know Time only through its divisions: years, yugas, kalpas, measured by the sun's motion, another commentary says. Its own form is alakṣya, invisible. No one has ever seen Time; one sees only what it does. The reader may notice that the clock and the calendar show not Time but its traces.