Chaturyugavidhayaka (चतुर्युगविधायक, IAST: Caturyugavidhāyaka) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu boy-name meaning “Ordainer of the four cosmic ages”. From 'catur' (four), 'yuga' (cosmic age), and 'vidhāyaka' (one who ordains or establishes), this epithet proclaims Viṣṇu as the divine architect who arranges and governs the cyclic succession of the four great ages.

Meaning, etymology & significance

The four yugas—Kṛta (or Satya), Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali—form the great cycle of cosmic time (mahāyuga), each progressively marking a diminishment of dharma and a change in the human condition. As Caturyugavidhāyaka, Viṣṇu is the supreme ordainer who establishes, regulates, and ultimately concludes each of these vast cosmic epochs. His avatāras descend precisely at the junctions of yugas to restore dharma, making this name a celebration of his providential governance of time itself.

This compound epithet is more descriptive than personal in character, yet it powerfully evokes Viṣṇu's role as Kālasvarūpa (the very form of time) governing all epochs. It is pronounced cha-tur-yu-ga-vi-dhaa-ya-ka, with stress on 'dhā.'

Advertisement

Scriptural source

Chaturyugavidhayaka appears in the Vishnu Sahasranama, among the sacred names of Vishnu.

Astrology — nakshatra, rashi & numerology

By the standard Vedic correspondence between a name’s first syllable and the lunar mansion, Chaturyugavidhayaka aligns with the Revati nakshatra, under the Meena rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 9.