Shloka 51
Dasyu-maryādā and Buddhi-guided Rāja-nīti (दस्युमर्यादा तथा बुद्धिप्रधान-राजनीति)
वध्यन्ते युगपत् केचिदेकैकस्य न चापरे । कालो दहति भूतानि सम्प्राप्पाग्निरिवेन्धनम्
vadhyante yugapat kecid ekaikasya na cāpare | kālo dahati bhūtāni samprāptāgnir ivendhanam ||
Some are struck down all at once, while others are not destroyed one by one. Time consumes living beings the way a fire, once it has reached its fuel, burns it up—impartially and inevitably.
ब्रह्मदत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the inevitability and impartiality of Kāla (Time): death and destruction do not follow a predictable, orderly sequence. Recognizing this supports ethical sobriety and detachment—one should not presume control over outcomes, but act rightly while time remains.
Brahmadatta reflects on how beings meet destruction in different ways—some suddenly, some not in a neat one-by-one order—and illustrates this with the image of fire consuming fuel once it reaches it, emphasizing the unstoppable force of Time.