Shloka 15

कालनिर्णयः, युगधर्मवर्णनम्, सृष्टिक्रमश्च

Time-Reckoning, Yuga-Dharma, and the Sequence of Creation

Devanagari script

हत्वा जित्वा च मघवन्‌ यः कश्ित्‌ पुरुषायते । अकर्ता होव भवति कर्ता होव करोति तत्‌

Transliteration

hatvā jitvā ca maghavan yaḥ kaścit puruṣāyate | akartā hova bhavati kartā hova karoti tat, maghavan ||

Translation

Śakra sprach: „O Maghavan, wer nach dem Töten oder Besiegen auf seine eigene männliche Tapferkeit stolz ist, ist in Wahrheit nicht der Täter dieser Tat. Denn der wahre Handelnde ist der Schöpfer der Welt—der höchste Herr—der allein diese Handlung zustande bringt.“

Word by Word

• हत्वा: having killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• जित्वा: having conquered
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• मघवन्: O Maghavan (Indra)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मघवन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

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

• कश्चित्: someone, any person
• कश्चित्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुरुषायते: acts the hero / prides himself on manliness
• Type: Verb
• Root: पुरुषाय (धातु; नामधातु from पुरुष)
• Form: Lat (Present), Ātmanepada, Third, Singular

• अकर्ता: a non-doer
• अकर्ता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अकर्ता (प्रातिपदिक; a- + कर्तृ)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ह: indeed (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह

• एव: only, certainly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• भवति: becomes / is
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: Lat (Present), Parasmaipada, Third, Singular

• कर्ता: the doer
• कर्ता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ह: indeed (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह

• एव: only, certainly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• करोति: does, performs
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: Lat (Present), Parasmaipada, Third, Singular

• तत्: that (deed)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• मघवन्: O Maghavan (Indra)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मघवन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

श॒क्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Maghavan (Indra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse critiques egoistic doership: taking pride in killing or victory as ‘my prowess’ is a delusion. True agency belongs to the supreme ordainer; therefore one should act without arrogance, recognizing a higher causality behind outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śakra (Indra), addressed as Maghavan, delivers an ethical reflection: even in contexts of battle or conquest, a person who boasts of personal heroism is not the real author of success; the ultimate doer is the Lord who governs the world.