Mahabharata 11.6.8 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 6, Shloka 8

Adhyāya 6: Vidura’s Saṃsāra-Upamā

The Allegory of the Well, Time, and Desire

Devanagari script

यस्तत्र वसते5धस्तान्महाहि: काल एव सः | अन्तक: सर्वभूतानां देहिनां सर्वहार्यसौ

Transliteration

yastatra vasate 'dhastān mahāhiḥ kāla eva saḥ | antakaḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ dehināṁ sarvahāry asau, nareśvara |

Translation

বিদুৰে ক’লে—তাৰ তলত বাস কৰা মহাসাপ কালেই। হে নৰেশ্বৰ, সেই কালেই সকলো ভূতৰ অন্তক আৰু দেহধাৰীৰ সৰ্বস্ব হৰণকাৰী।

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• वसते: dwells
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• अधस्तात्: below
• अधस्तात्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधस्तात्

• महाहिः: the great serpent
• महाहिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाहि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कालः: Time/Death
• कालः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• एव: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• सः: he/that
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अन्तकः: ender, destroyer (Death)
• अन्तकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वभूतानाम्: of all beings
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वभूत
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• देहिनाम्: of embodied ones
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• सर्वहारी: all-seizing, taking everything away
• सर्वहारी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वहारिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• असौ: that (yonder one)
• असौ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: असद्/अदस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नरेश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• nareśvara (the king addressed)
• kāla (Time/Death)
• mahāhi (great serpent)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Time (kāla) is portrayed as the inevitable ‘great serpent’ that ends all lives and takes away all possessions; the ethical thrust is to cultivate detachment, sobriety, and dharmic living in awareness of mortality.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura continues an allegorical explanation, identifying the ‘great serpent in the depths’ as Time/Death, addressing the king and emphasizing that all embodied beings are ultimately overcome by this force.