Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 10 - Chapter 1 - Verse 19

Sanskrit:

कालो बलीयान् बलिनां भगवानीश्वरोऽव्यय: ।प्रजा: कालयते क्रीडन् पशुपालो यथा पशून् ॥ १९ ॥

ITRANS:

kālo balīyān balināṁbhagavān īśvaro ’vyayaḥprajāḥ kālayate krīḍanpaśu-pālo yathā paśūn

Translation:

“Inexhaustible time, stronger than the strong, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Like a herdsman moving his animals along, He moves mortal creatures as His pastime.

Purport:

The universe is created to gradually rectify the contaminated souls trying to exploit material nature. The Lord moves the conditioned souls along, according to their karma, through the various stages of spiritual rectification. Thus the Lord is like a herdsman (the word paśu-pāla literally means “protector of animals”), who moves the creatures under his protection to various pastures and watering spots in order to protect them and sustain them. A further analogy is that of a doctor, who moves the patient under his care to various areas of a hospital for diverse kinds of examination and treatment. Similarly, the Lord brings us through the network of material existence in a gradual cleansing process so that we can enjoy our eternal life of bliss and knowledge as His enlightened associates. Thus all of Mucukunda’s relatives, friends and co-workers had long ago been swept away by the force of time, which of course is Kṛṣṇa Himself.