Shloka 21
Indratīrtha–Ādityatīrtha: Balarāma’s Ritual Bathing, Dāna, and Sacred-Historical Recollections
तस्या: पचन्त्या: सुमहान् कालो5गात् पुरुषर्षभ । न च सम तान्यपच्यन्त दिनं च क्षयमभ्यगात्
tasyāḥ pacantyāḥ sumahān kālo 'gāt puruṣarṣabha | na ca sama tāny apacyanta dinaṃ ca kṣayam abhyagāt puruṣapravara ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O bull among men, as she kept cooking them, a very long time passed; yet those fruits did not cook evenly. Meanwhile the day itself drew to its end.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how time can slip away despite sustained effort, and how outcomes may remain unattained; it implicitly cautions against overreliance on mere exertion without favorable conditions, and it intensifies the ethical pressure of decisions made under dwindling time.
A woman is attempting to cook fruits; a long time passes but they do not cook properly, and before the task succeeds the day comes to an end—setting a mood of delay, frustration, and impending constraint.