प्रह्लादश्चास्मि दैत्यानां कालः कलयतामहम् ।मृगाणां च मृगेन्द्रोऽहं वैनतेयश्च पक्षिणाम् ॥
prahlādaścāsmi daityānāṃ kālaḥ kalayatāmaham |mṛgāṇāṃ ca mṛgendro'haṃ vainateyaśca pakṣiṇām ||
Among the Daityas I am Prahlada; among those who reckon, I am Time. Among beasts I am the lord of beasts, the lion, and among birds I am Vainateya, Garuda.
Explanation
Krishna continues listing his divine manifestations (vibhūti), naming the finest example in each class. Prahlada, famed for his unshakable devotion to Vishnu, is the finest of the Daityas (a class of demons), and Time (kāla) is what measures and ends all things. The lion is the chief of beasts, and Garuda, son of Vinata, is the chief of birds. Commentators take "those who reckon" (kalayatām) either as those who count and measure or as those who subdue and consume; either way Time is supreme among them.