Shloka 2
काल एव सर्वकाले निग्रहानुग्रहौ ददत् । बुद्धिमाविश्य भूतानां धर्माधर्मो प्रवर्तते,काल ही सदा निग्रह और अनुग्रह करता हुआ प्राणियोंकी बुद्धिमें प्रविष्ट हो धर्म और अधर्मका फल देता रहता है
kāla eva sarvakāle nigrahānugrahau dadat | buddhim āviśya bhūtānāṁ dharmādharmo pravartate || kāla hi sadā nigrahaṁ ca anugrahaṁ ca kurvan prāṇināṁ buddhiṁ praviśya dharmādharmayoḥ phalaṁ dadāti ||
Bhishma said: Time alone, at every moment, bestows both restraint and favor. Entering into the understanding of living beings, it sets in motion what is righteous and what is unrighteous, and continually dispenses their results. In this way, Time, ever active, works through the mind of creatures to bring about the fruits of dharma and adharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time (kāla) is presented as the universal force that, by entering the intellect of beings, activates tendencies toward dharma and adharma and ensures their corresponding results. Moral outcomes are not random; they unfold through a cosmic-temporal order working through human discernment and choice.
In Bhishma’s instruction in the Anushasana Parva, he explains a principle behind ethical causality: Time continually administers both restraint (nigraha) and favor (anugraha), and through the minds of creatures brings about the operation and consequences of righteousness and unrighteousness.