Shloka 60
Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon
अकर्ता चैव कर्ता च कार्य कारणमेव च । यथेच्छति तथा राजन् क्रीडते पुरुषो5व्यय:,नरेश्वर! ये अविनाशी पुरुष नारायण ही अकर्ता, कर्ता, कार्य तथा कारण हैं। ये जैसा चाहते हैं, वैसे ही क्रीड़ा करते हैं
akartā caiva kartā ca kārya-kāraṇam eva ca | yathecchati tathā rājan krīḍate puruṣo 'vyayaḥ ||
قال فايشَمبايانا: «أيها الملك، إن ذلك الشخص غير الفاني هو في آنٍ واحدٍ غيرُ فاعلٍ وفاعلٌ؛ وهو كذلك الأثرُ والسبب. كما يشاء، كذلك يلهو—يعمل بحريةٍ من غير قيد—مُظهِرًا أن كل فاعليةٍ وكل نتيجةٍ إنما تستقر في النهاية فيه.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a paradox central to Mahābhārata’s theology: the supreme Person is beyond karmic bondage (therefore ‘non-doer’) yet is the ultimate ground of all action and causation (therefore ‘doer’, ‘cause’, and even ‘effect’). This frames worldly agency as dependent on the divine will, while the divine remains untouched by limitation.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction, Vaiśampāyana addresses the king and explains the nature of the imperishable Puruṣa: He encompasses cause and effect and acts according to His will as ‘play’ (krīḍā), emphasizing sovereignty over the cosmos and the non-binding character of divine action.