Shloka 109
कर्णेन युधिष्ठिरानीकविदारणम् / Karṇa’s Breach of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Battle-Line
पुराणि तानि कालेन जग्मुरेवैकतां तदा । महाराज! इस प्रकार जब रुद्रदेव धनुष चढ़ाकर खड़े हो गये, उसी समय कालकी प्रेरणासे वे तीनों पुर॒ मिलकर एक हो गये ।। १०८ # ।। एकीभावं गते चैव त्रिपुरत्वमुपागते
purāṇi tāni kālena jagmur evaikatāṁ tadā | mahārāja! is prakāra jab rudradeva dhanuṣ caṛhākar khaṛe ho gaye, usī samaya kālakī preraṇā se ve tīnoṁ pura milkar ek ho gaye || ekībhāvaṁ gate caiva tripuratvam upāgate ||
Bhishma said: “O great king, as Rudra stood ready with his bow strung, Time itself impelled the three ancient cities to converge into a single unity. When they had thus become one—assuming the state of ‘Tripura’ as a single target—the moment was ripe for their destined destruction.”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames major events as ripening through Kāla (Time/destiny): when conditions converge into a single decisive moment, even seemingly separate powers unite, making the outcome inevitable. Ethically, it suggests that adharma eventually becomes vulnerable when its supports align, and that righteous action succeeds when undertaken at the proper time and with steadiness.
Bhīṣma recounts the Tripura episode: as Rudra/Śiva stands with his bow ready, the three cities (Tripura) are driven by Time to merge into one, becoming a single target—setting the stage for their destruction.